Question 1

I was planning on using this SSD and another hard drive as my storage for the new computer I'm going to build. What kind of configuration would I do to just have the operating system on the SSD and the storage for everything else on the hard drive?

Accepted Answer

I also make my own machines.  I just upgraded the system drives of two of my machines to SSDs.

Special Note:  The current version of the SSD Toolbox has a menu pick for the clone drive feature ... this is how you easily create a clone of your system on the SSD and then install it and tell your system to boot from the Corsair Neutron SSD.  It should be on their website now.

I have multiple physical hard disc drives (hdd) and use them to hold various types of data, e.g., backups of all program install software; jpgs, raw camera files; HD slide shows created from jpgs; music (wma, mp3 320 bps, mp4); etc.  These hdds are typically subdivided into logical drives so that I can more easily manage the type of data and any associated projects.

With all of my software I change the default directory where it stores its data, working files, etc. to the logical drive where I want that data stored.  This data is stored in separate folders belonging to each particular application.

My SSD holds only the operating system, program software, utilities, etc. for which having them on the SSD creates a significant speed improvement.

I still use the User account for a My Pictures, My Documents and My Downloads; but these contain only those items that I might need access to quickly.  I also back up the data in these folders to one of the logical partitions on another physical hdd.  Note that I don't back up items in the folders (that don't contain working files or data) that might be placed there by software.  There is no need to.

The improvement in my Microsoft system scores for the disk drive improved drastically when moving from the hdd to the sdd.  And, this is only one half the improvement I could have gotten since the SATA 2 (6 GB/s) chip on the motherboard was an early one and it doesn't work with the new ssds.  So I had to plug it into a SATA 1 (3 GB/s) port.

Good luck.  Please let me know if you have other questions!

Question 2

I'm considering switching the HDD in my MacBook Pro to an SSD.  Can I assume that the storage size doesn't matter from one to the other?  In other words, if I'm pretty maxed out with my 250 GB HD, I assume I should be looking at an SSD that's larger than 240GB-Right?

Accepted Answer

You could use 240GB SSD to speed up your operating system (you need something to transfer the Op. system and files onto the new hard drive). Consider what plan to keep on your Macbook Pro. If you don't plan to take all your storage with you everywhere then I suggest you looking for an external hard drive (esp. one that you can use your lightning port). If you do plan to take everything everywhere then get a SSD larger than 240GB, but prepare to spend a lot more. In any of the two cases I suggest having an large external storage device to easily transfer files and at the same time you make a safety back-up of your precious pictures, videos, and music. Alternatively, you could secure your back-up files on the cloud.

Question 3

Should I get an SSD even with a tight budget or can an just use an   HDD and upgrade to an SSD Later?

Accepted Answer

It really depends on what you are looking for. Personally, I put SSDs in all my systems because I don't want to wait for long boot ups and install\load times. I guess I would look at it this way, what would you have to sacrifice to get it. If you have to downgrade major system components such as RAM or CPU, you may want to wait. You may also want to go with an HDD, if you need a lot of storage space, I have a 240GB ssd in my laptop as primary drive, and a 120GB ssd as my second drive, space is limited but speed is high, so I keep all my music and videos on nas or external hdd. So you need to figure out what is more important to you space or speed. If you answer that question with speed, get the ssd.

Question 4

Does the corsair neutron gtx support trim on windows 8?

Accepted Answer

While windows 8 may or mah not support a trim function, the corsair toolbox will supply the necessary tools to maintain your ssd.

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