HDD To SSD Swap
HDD To SSD Swap
Hey there! Welcome to the community. I understand you've been using the same hard drive since 2016, with lots of changes over the years. You're thinking about replacing it with two SSDs—one for the operating system and another for gaming. That sounds like a solid plan. If you need guidance on the process, feel free to ask!
Typically, begin with a clean setup. Perform a fresh Windows installation and transfer your games and vital files from the original drive. Cloning can be done, but it requires certain conditions first. Ideally, clone the entire drive—so a 1TB SSD or better for a 1TB hard drive. If the source is bigger than the target, you’ll need to reduce partition sizes before proceeding. You may clone data partitions individually, starting with EFI and then data sections. Tools like Acronis exist, but I prefer Clonezilla, a bootable utility that offers strong cloning capabilities between drives.
I’m planning to purchase two Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSDs. One will be 2TB for games and random downloads, while the other will be 250GB for system tasks. I suspect the 2TB is for media and software files, and the 250GB handles daily operations and the OS. Regarding the issues you mentioned, I think the problem might stem from a failing hard drive rather than my hardware. My setup includes an i5 9600K, new RTX 3060 12Gb, 16GB RAM, and water-cooled CPU. The slow boot times and lag during gaming could be caused by the HDD noise and clicking sounds you hear. It might be wise to consider replacing the drive soon, as after about five to six years of use it seems likely they’ll need replacement. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I’d likely stick with a single 970 EVO Plus. It would make things much easier. The 250Gb SSD version is surprisingly expensive—about $5 to $10 more than the 500GB model. That’s not unusual. The 9600k CPU still performs well, especially with a 3060, and I’m fine running it alongside a 1080Ti. Your setup with a 6600k and 1080Ti actually shows better GPU performance. If you believe your CPU is weak, a small overclock would help, but even at default settings it should handle the 3060 nicely. It feels like a typical SSD—boot times are around a minute now, which isn’t great but works. If it’s making noise, it might be failing, or just worn out. A 6-year-old HDD would take about 20 minutes to start up, which is slow, but at least it’s usable.