Consider where to place your games for optimal performance and stability.
Consider where to place your games for optimal performance and stability.
Hello, as someone who isn’t a gamer, I followed these tips:
- Put the operating system and programs on the main system drive, so reinstalling OS would also reinstall everything.
- Keep documents and installation files on a separate data drive; after a fresh OS install, they stay intact for easy recovery.
- For video games, I’d save progress on the data drive too, but I was told games could be installed on the data drive or another drive to avoid re-downloading after an OS update.
- I wasn’t sure if standalone games (like portable apps) needed reinstalling with a new OS, or if they could just be saved and run directly.
Clarification on whether new Windows installs require full game reinstallation versus allowing direct use of saved files is helpful. Thanks for explaining!
Best,
-a-
I don’t remember you well, but if I do, it’ll take a long time. Most folks use slow flash drives unless they’ve got a fast one that supports the newest USB standards. When you connect a USB and it’s a Steam drive, you might need to tell Steam to scan it again as genuine storage so the games show up properly.
Based on recent research, the portable analogy appears to be the most accurate. You can transfer it to any distinct storage device, move your current operating system drive into a river, replace it with a new one, reinstall Windows, and all your games will remain accessible once the drive is recognized again after some cleanup of temporary files. Simply relocate it to a different directory outside the programfiles folder in C.
However, this means it can be moved around, but that doesn't automatically make it the best choice. You might consider using USB-C or USB-A to M.2 adapters to connect M.2 SSDs as flash drives or similar devices. It’s unlikely you want to use traditional hard drives, since most games don’t require direct storage access or high-speed performance like this setup provides.
The majority of game files aren't software-based; they consist mainly of textures, audio, and geometry. Portability isn't a core issue—just move the files to any location and inform the launcher (Steam, Epic, EA App, GOG, etc.) where they're stored. These platforms handle the setup process. This approach is useful for users in areas with limited internet speed or data limits, allowing you to download only the necessary files once.
Avoid installing on flash drives. USB drives tend to be among the slowest storage options available. Opt for a NVMe SD card if you need reliable read/write performance. You can instruct Steam to transfer a game to a removable drive, but refrain from using it directly. Any disruption in the USB link or issues with the drive's controller may cause data corruption. It’s safer to move the game to the USB stick yourself, then use Steam to access it via a Steam library on another PC, and finally relocate it to the C drive for playback. This method ensures better compatibility, especially since many games require direct installation of runtime libraries and won’t work well with cloud saves stored elsewhere.
Usually apps require installation, but I used to handle that for WOW. Mostly I use SSDs with USB ports instead of regular flash drives. For Steam I kept them installed and then moved them to the NAS before. I’m okay running slow games there, though I wouldn’t do that for big files. My 10Gbit connection was downgraded to 2.5Gbit. The NAS’s drive speed is limited to around 300MB/s.