Renamed Steam's download folder to your hard drive location
Renamed Steam's download folder to your hard drive location
This doesn't update your game library. It merely saves space on your SSD. If a game is 50GB, it consumes 100GB of writes. All Steam downloads before they reach their proper folder go through "downloading" > Click install on the game > Files move to "downloading". Once the game download completes, installation begins. After installation, files appear in "steamapps/common/counter-strike tits". When you download a game, you're just downloading it and the installer runs silently, installing the game without any visible steps on Steam.
I understand that... that's why I chose not to relocate the download cache to my library drive. Preferring an SSD over an HDD and avoiding a dedicated HDD for scratch space.
HDDs are not truly "scratch" media; writes are less expensive compared to SSDs, which assign a higher value to them. This shift is considered a new development.
Yes, by default Steam installs the installer on the SSD drive while keeping the game on the HDD.
I didn't take advantage of the "Use new steam directory" feature; I'd prefer using steam-mover. Verify your new Steam directory on your HDD—if it lacks a Downloads folder, it might be wasting your SSD.
A scratch space serves as a location for temporary files, which aligns with what you're doing. For me, it's about more than just money. I replace my SSD often, and the next one will be a PCI-E M.2 card. I have a 3TB drive reserved for games, so I avoid uninstalling it. But if that drive stops working, it means I'll have to download thousands of gigabytes of games and deal with the trouble of patching or rewriting them. To me, maintaining that drive is more important than my SSD.
You can transfer your games from the SSD to the HDD, but be aware of potential risks. Simply copying files may not preserve all data correctly—consider backing up first. If you move everything, there’s a chance corruption could occur, so it’s safer to delete and reinstall them.
3TB loads quickly thanks to a 60mbit connection. Most AAA titles lose their appeal due to slow loading unless they're stored on an SSD. I own a 512GB 840 Pro and a 1TB WD Blue drive—both are functioning well, having been used for over a year with regular power cycles. Note: I redirected Chrome cache and temp files via symlink to the HDD to avoid unnecessary SSD wear. Edited January 11, 2015 by marat569
Using Steam Mover, create symbolic links and simply press a button to transfer a game from your SSD to any desired location.