How do I set up a SSD with new PC

[bailout3]

Ok Im just about ready to purchase a new fast PC. I am looking at getting one with a 2 TB hard drive and a 128gb or higher SSD.

Should FSX be loaded in to the SSD?

Should the addon scenery etc be installed in the HD?

If so how do I go about accomplishing this?

What would be a good video card to go with a 4.0 GB CPU?

I am PC challenged so would need easy and clear instructions.

( not looking forward to installing all my software. A ton of Orbx and other addons...gulp)

 

Would appreciate some input.

Thanks

Steve

[Penzoil3]

I have a 1 terrabyte SSD for Prepar3D. My FSX folder is 192 GB on a different 1 TB drive. I would suggest a much larger SSD. (at least 500GB)

[Jon Clarke]

Your FSX folder will get very full pretty quickly if you have addons, as Sue has indicated, hers is already 192GB.  I would strongly suggest that you have at least 500GB SSD for FSX and maybe a 120GB or 250GB SSD as your C drive to install Windows on. You can use your 2TB HDD as a storage for all your FSX files backups and for anything else you may want to use it for. I have a 250GB SSD as C drive but have 179GB still free so it is under used, I have a 1TB SSD for P3D only ( currently P3D uses 350GB) and a couple of other HDDs. The spare HDD I use for other Games like Racing games which don't really grow in size like FSX/P3D and run perfectly well on the "old" HDDs.

So: I suggest. 120GB or 250GB SSD for C drive with Windows and some programmes/ utilities that must go into your C drive. Remember that when you Unwrap a FTX addon it will do so to your C drive so you must allow free space for that even though it is only temporary.

500GB SSD for FSX

2TB HDD for storage/ backups and other programmes.

[Mikelab6]

If you go the lower capacity SSD route, my suggestion is to install your OS (Windows) on the SSD and all your flight sim programs on the HDD.  The PC will boot faster and files access will be faster too but not your sim loading time.  The biggest advantage to put your sim files on a SSD will be the loading time. If you don't care about that, it's ok to put your sim's files on HDD.  My sims (P3D & FSX) uses 350 GB of space on my 1 TB SSD. I only use OXBX sceneries and airports, no meshes addons.

 

I also suggest a 500 GB SSD minimum.

 

Mike

[Triplane]

I'm with the other folks. You really need the 500GB SSD if you're going to install FSX there. If you want to stick with the 128GB then only put the OS there and put FSX and the add-ons on the HDD. As Mike said, the only thing you lose by having FSX on the HDD a bit faster initial load times for the game. There is no noticeable in-game performance difference between the SDD and the HDD as far as FSX (or P3D) is concerned.

 

Doug

[bailout3]

Ok thx all for the info. Im leaning to putting windows on 128SSD ( or higher if needed) and all my FSX on a HDD. I really have no idea how all this works. When I buy the system the OS might already be on the HDD. What would the process be in changing it to the SSD or is that even possible. I am inexperienced in moving files around so Im not sure about this at all.

[FalconAF]

If you buy a "pre-packaged" computer with the Windows OS already installed on it, you SHOULD also get a "System Recovery Disk" with it.  That disk is simply a "Disk Image" of the entire computer when it shipped to you.  Repeat...you SHOULD get a System Recovery Disk.  Make sure you ask for one, and if they say, "No, we don't provide that for you", buy your computer somewhere else that does.  I'm going to make an educated guess that if the computer you are buying has a SMALL SSD drive and a LARGE HDD, whoever you buy it from will install the Windows OS on the small SSD drive, but you may want to verify that before you buy the computer.

 

If you DON'T get a System Recovery Disk, make SURE you get a copy of the Windows Installation Disk for the Windows Operating System installed on the computer.  You could then just delete all the software that came installed on the computer, then re-install the OS on the SSD drive if needed.

 

I concur with the above recommendations about getting at LEAST a 500 GB SSD if you want to put your Flight Simulator on an SSD.  Keep in mind, many of your "addon" programs like an REX product or similar can be put on a HDD "storage" drive with no ill effects (NOT any addons like ORBX products...they must go in the flight simulator directory wherever it is...unless you are a "computer geek" and know how to make it work otherwise).  When you use many third-party addon programs, you run them without the flight simulator running and all they do is swap textures in/out of your main flight simulator program, etc.  So you don't need to put these "addon" programs on the SSD drive at all.  Same thing with many programs that WILL run while your flight simulator is running, like an Active Sky (or similar) weather program.  These will work fine running from a regular HDD drive while your flight simulator runs on a different SSD drive.

 

Your main problem right now is that you will have one SMALL SSD drive and one LARGE standard HDD drive.  You should put your Windows OS on the SSD drive.  If you want to put your flight simulator on the SAME SSD drive too, you need a much larger SSD drive (and for both Windows and your flight sim, I would recommend a 1 TB SSD then...your flight simulator will continue to grow in size over time as you add new things to it, like 16 GB ORBX products ), or you would need a SMALL SSD drive for the Windows OS itself, and another separate 500 GB SSD drive for the flight simulator.  Even then, you'll want a standard HDD for "other programs" and storage. 

   

[bailout3]

WoW! Thanks Falcon for that info. I will definitely take your advice in my selecting my next PC. You cleared up some of the main issues I have been wondering about.