Momentus XT as Second Drive

IrishMetalhead

I'm ordeing my SSD really soon to replace my Velociraptor real soon just waiting on a desktop I have first but I was also wondering if I should replace my second drive (1TB for programs) with a 750GB Seagate Momentus XT since I'm obviously not going to fit all my programs on my SDD either so would this be a way to go? or does the Momentus XT only benfit programs if it's the OS disc or will I see sod all of a difference with my games and apps?

heid

How big does the second drive need to be. In my position I would just get a second ssd for games.

IrishMetalhead

I got alot of game and programs installed plus some other bit of storage, about 300GB worth of data, i would add another ssd but i don't have any availbile sata port and i wouldn't to kean on buying a sata card either, if the momentus is no good i'll just stick to me old 1TB Barracuda, also have another 1TB for media storage but thats almost full thanks to my masive music and video collection =D

Monotype

The momentus is pretty good but possibly a better solution for a laptop where you can't afford the space of two hard drives (unless you use a mini-PCI-E SSD).
It would only really be of value if you are using certain programs again and again, which end up cached. It's usually not as useful with games as they use some many files and you'll probably end up switching between them (it could be useful if you keep using the one program for a few weeks, then switch to another - you get the automatic caching and the benefits after a few runs).

If you have the funds to be considering a new HDD as well, you should be able to afford a 128GB SSD. That's a fair amount of space if you use it wisely. You should easily be able to keep all primary programs on there and your most played games. You can always move any extras temporarily to the SSD and set up virtual links to save you from reinstalling.

I've found that with Windows 7, some very regularly used programs are nearly as fast as SSD when stored on the hard drive due to the effectiveness of the memory caching (superfetch etc), so long as you have a reasonable amount of RAM.

imitation

How do you intend to fit the momentus if you don't have a free SATA port ?

I have the older momentus XT 500gb model. It is a fantastic drive, the difference between it and a normal hard drive is huge. I have seen loading times cut by 75% on some games. The need to reuse the file to get the boost generally isn't a problem as I tend to repeatedly play a game until it is finished.

Personally I'm happy to use it as my main drive, I hate being constrained by a small disk, and having to install and un-install software constantly (and the knock effect this has on Windows & Fragmentation). It also does not suffer from issues earlier SSD's had.

Momentus XT is primarily for laptops imo. Or maybe some kind of slim HTPC where you've only got one 2.5" bay.

For a desktop you're not stuck with a single drive, so just go with a SSD as your main OS+apps/games drive, and then a fast 3.5" drive for apps/games that don't fit.

If you're running out of SATA ports then you can add some cheaply via PCI or PCIE.

IrishMetalhead

Let me be clear about this I'll be replacing the 1TB drive with the Momentus not just adding the Momentus but also removing the 1TB, i got close to 200GB worth of games on my second HDD alone so an SSD defo won't cut it and I play em all fairly regularly so uninstalling any of them wouldn't be an option

IrishMetalhead

Deleted User wrote: »

Momentus XT is primarily for laptops imo. Or maybe some kind of slim HTPC where you've only got one 2.5" bay.

For a desktop you're not stuck with a single drive, so just go with a SSD as your main OS+apps/games drive, and then a fast 3.5" drive for apps/games that don't fit.

If you're running out of SATA ports then you can add some cheaply via PCI or PCIE.

already said i don't want to ad a card tho =/

Monotype

Ah, you can hardly be switching between 200GB of games that regularly, surely? The 256GB M4 is €225 on amazon.de?

IrishMetalhead

you'd be suprised =P, most of the bulk of the games are ones with ep's, mods and plugins they eat away at your space, would get a 256GB M4 but I only have enough for a 128gb atm and planning on getting a new storage drive much further down the line

imitation

I think SSD is the only acceptable choice on this forum Even if your budget or capacity requirements aren't met

U_Fig

Why not just wait until you have enough for a big enough SSD.. The difference my OCZ Agility 3 made to my laptop even tho it's only running on sata 2 controller is huge. That's what i'd do personally..Unless your mobo supports smart response..But this is still slower than an SSD

Serephucus

I appear to be in the minority here, but I think the Momentus XT is an excellent idea. It's what I'll be doing when I've got through the other half-dozen upgrades / projects I have planned. :P