How do you Configure your Storage Drives?

Soldato
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Hi Guys,

Hope everyone is well and had a good Christmas break and a happy new year.

Im just interested in how people have configured their storage in they systems to best maximise performance?

I have a question:

For people that download a lot of stuff (me included) do you have your download folder on your C Drive or seperate drive?
For those that have Windows on NVME m.2 drives im just wondering if its best to keep the download location on this or have it on a seperate drive to reduce read/write?


This is what i am planning for my new build:

- 1Tb NVME PCie x4 m.2 drive for Windows 10 & Apps (on motherboard)
- 1Tb NVME PCie x3 m.2 drive for my music library and work projects (on motherboard)
- 12Tb SATA for my Movies
- 1Tb External drive to backup music and work stuff (will change this for an internal 2Tb SSD in the future)

Thoughts?
 
Soldato
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Mine is something like this:

Drive 1 - OS and Apps + small page file (some of my programs still need it on C drive)
(Optional) Drive 2 - Games drive for things like steam etc (I don't bother with this at the mo, not enough games to need it)
Drive 3 - Scratch Disk/Page File (photoshop etc)
Drive 4 - Documents/User stuff that windows sets up - kept separate so as to not need to back up on reinstalls (obviously do your 'safety' backups)
Drive 5 - Downloads - just for tidiness

Drive 6 (and/or a nas) - Storage - Long term/archival stuff like movies etc (all backed up of course)
 
Associate
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to reduce read/write
forget worrying about that. Download 24/7 at 100mbit and you will not begin to scratch SSD endurance.

I keep my downloads on OS nvme drive. Move to media when ready. Main reasoning - allows spinning media drive to go to sleep while a (long) download runs. Silence.
 
Soldato
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forget worrying about that. Download 24/7 at 100mbit and you will not begin to scratch SSD endurance.
Didn't do the math?
That would fair terabyte per day.
So usual 600TBW of 1TB drives would be gone in under two years.
While drive would probably continue to work at least without longer cold storage periods (without power) manufacturer's warranty would end at that point.
(just look at small print of say Samsung)
 
Soldato
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Assuming you download movies/music etc

you are probably not going to wear out that nvme drive that quickly. You need some serious bandwidth as well as data to be chugging through those nvme drives and also you don’t have the storage for it.

even at 100mbps link you can only store max 15TB data so it is well below the TBW of your drives so nothing to worry about. Unless you want to be serving as some kind of data centre and run your link saturated 24/7.

to keep download on a separate drive to OS is general good file management. It won’t have much impact on your nvme life span for the above given reasons even if you download 24/7 with 100mbps. Unless you delete your 15TB files every 15days and do a new set of download just for kicks. ;)
 
Associate
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Main PC (Source Data):
02TB - for Win/App/Games (NVME-SSD)
02TB - for Core Storage (SATA-SSD)
10TB - Media Storage (SATA HDD)
02TB - Scratch (SATA HDD)

Transfer:
02TB - for Core Storage (SATA-SSD)
10TB - Media Storage (SATA HDD)

HTPC PC (Backup Data):
01TB - for Win/App/Games (NVME-SSD)
02TB - for Core Storage (SATA-SSD)
10TB - Media Storage (SATA HDD)

Cold Storage:
02TB - for Core Storage (SATA-HDD)
 
Associate
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500GB PCIe Gen 4 for the OS
2TB PCIe Gen 3 for games and DRM programs
2TB SATA HDD for general stuff and downloads

Then all my backup films and media on a NAS
 
Soldato
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Main PC
1tb Nvme Samsung 970 (OS etc)
2x2tb Sata ssd's for games mainly.

Server (also can act as main pc)
256 ssd (OS & plex)
1tb ssd (downloads & transcoding)
30 tb of spinning rust

Back up Server (a clone of main server)
256 ssd (OS & plex)
30 tb spinning rust

2x 1tb ssd's in 2.5 usb3 caddies (portable storage etc)
 
Soldato
OP
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Mine is something like this:

Drive 1 - OS and Apps + small page file (some of my programs still need it on C drive)
(Optional) Drive 2 - Games drive for things like steam etc (I don't bother with this at the mo, not enough games to need it)
Drive 3 - Scratch Disk/Page File (photoshop etc)
Drive 4 - Documents/User stuff that windows sets up - kept separate so as to not need to back up on reinstalls (obviously do your 'safety' backups)
Drive 5 - Downloads - just for tidiness

Drive 6 (and/or a nas) - Storage - Long term/archival stuff like movies etc (all backed up of course)

Everything is on an unraid server, plex, downloads(torrents/newsgroups), media. Has 3 x 4TB drives, 2 x 500gb cache drives.

What do you guys use Cache/Scratch drives for?
Genuinely intested. I use a lot of AutoCAD but i have 64Hb of RAM so will having a scratch/cache drive help/improve performance?
 
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What do you guys use Cache/Scratch drives for?
Genuinely intested. I use a lot of AutoCAD but i have 64Hb of RAM so will having a scratch/cache drive help/improve performance?

In the case of Unraid, depending on how its setup, the cache drives are used to store most recent data/files. So if you download something it goes to the cache drive(s). Then depending on your schedule things get moved to the main array. The main array is parity protected so the cache drive improves performance somewhat for day to day activities. :)

So in my use case its not relevant to what you do. :p
 
Soldato
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At the moment, I have 2x 6TB Drives, 1x 14TB drives and 1x 1TB SSD.

I just use libraries in wondows. So I have a '3D films' library, 'Films' library, ' TV shows' library.

Then I have exact same folder structure on EVERY single drive (3D Films, Films, TV shows, Games, Photos'. Then I just create a library linking the same folder to every respective folder, e.g. 3D films library is a:/3d films, b:/3d films etc. I found trying to organise which go on what drive a pain in the butt. Using this system, its so easy to browse and find what I want whilst everything still being neat and under one folder regardless of what drives they are in.

I used to do UNRAID and will probably do it again in 2021 late or 2022 but at the moment as I only run one PC, theres been no need. When I do the cinema room and lounge-kitchen area, I will likely have to CAT5 cable and whilst I'm doing that, I might as well put one in each bedroom just incase.. Then an unraid server will be amazing but for now, a lot of faff for limited benefit (well apart from the whole 'backing up data thing' :D),
 
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Associate
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For the past 15 years or so I’ve adopted the following

1 - Small, fast OS and program install drive. I started doing this with 2x RAID 0 Velociraptors drives about 15 years ago. Then went to SATA SSD and now putting together a build with a 500GB M2 NVME (Samsung 980)

2 - A larger fast drive for games, “scratch”, processing, downloads etc. Eg a 1 or 2 TB SSD. The build I’m putting together will have a secondary M2 NVME for this, eg a WD SN850, Samsung 980 or Sabrent.

3 - A very large mechanical disc for mass storage, docs, music, films etc. Eg a 4TB HDD. I have a separate sever / NAS for this so don’t store local.

the server has duplicated drives managed by software (Drivebender) with automated bi-weekly backups undertaken to NAS in different locations.
 
Soldato
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What do you guys use Cache/Scratch drives for?
Genuinely intested. I use a lot of AutoCAD but i have 64Hb of RAM so will having a scratch/cache drive help/improve performance?
Photoshop Scratch, 3DS temp files etc... the programs usually end up using the C:\ drive if you don't change it so you do already have a 'scratch disk' in most cases, albeit on the OS drive, which is something I don't personally like.

Basically I move it to a drive that I'm 'happy to wear out faster' than the other drives in my system, if the OS drive fails it's a lot more hassle than if my scratch drive fails if you get me.

Do I see any performance gain from doing it, I've been doing it for so long now it's hard to tell for certain (and I don't go around benching different setups) but imo I do see a performance benefit from doing it.
 
Soldato
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In the asylum
Photoshop Scratch, 3DS temp files etc... the programs usually end up using the C:\ drive if you don't change it so you do already have a 'scratch disk' in most cases, albeit on the OS drive, which is something I don't personally like.

Basically I move it to a drive that I'm 'happy to wear out faster' than the other drives in my system, if the OS drive fails it's a lot more hassle than if my scratch drive fails if you get me.

Do I see any performance gain from doing it, I've been doing it for so long now it's hard to tell for certain (and I don't go around benching different setups) but imo I do see a performance benefit from doing it.
Out of interest what size scratch drive do you use
 
Soldato
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Out of interest what size scratch drive do you use
Currently 250gb Samsung 850 evo (originally was 120gb crucial but upgraded OS drive to larger drive and used old OS drive for scratch), will be going 1TB pcie gen 4 if I can ever get the parts for the new pc I want to build...originally planned for end of 2020 (ie after ryzen 5xxx release), looking more like end of 2021 at this rate lol
 
Soldato
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13 Jun 2009
Posts
5,881
Location
In the asylum
Currently 250gb Samsung 850 evo (originally was 120gb crucial but upgraded OS drive to larger drive and used old OS drive for scratch), will be going 1TB pcie gen 4 if I can ever get the parts for the new pc I want to build...originally planned for end of 2020 (ie after ryzen 5xxx release), looking more like end of 2021 at this rate lol
Thanks for the reply I'm going to put my old 250 wd blue ssd in as a scratch disk my wife does Photoshop so doing my gaming pc up for her 2 use aswell
 
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