Question about SSD and steam uses ?

Leviathan · 23 Sep 2010 at 15:30

OK basic question most people set there SSd up as a boot then a 2nd normal HD for games but 1 what about steam and 2 the program x86 folder.

Do people set it up so steam is on the 2nd disk ? and will the program files x86x matter as i thaught that someone once said games in program files x86 made them work better or something ?.

ps iwill have a Crucial 225 128gb SSD i braught a wile ago to use so i got space but dont want to run out of it fast or have to install it in places that wont mkae it run as good.

ubersonic · 23 Sep 2010 at 16:18

How many steam games do you own? I personally couldn't fit the steam folder and windows on a 128gb drive

PCM2 · 23 Sep 2010 at 16:19

I managed to fit it on an 80GB drive. And plenty of non-steam games too. But my drive is now full. The first thing I plan to do when I get an additional SSD is to transfer the 12GB+ Steam folder onto it.

Greebo · 23 Sep 2010 at 16:32

ubersonic said:
How many steam games do you own? I personally couldn't fit the steam folder and windows on a 128gb drive

This. My steam folder currently stands at 730Gb :eek:

Coolasmoo · 23 Sep 2010 at 17:20

Just google for Junction Links

Just copy the steam games your currently using onto the ssd and junction link them back to the original folder on the mechanical drive.

Keep steam on the mechanical drive

eg D:\steam

boosfuk · 23 Sep 2010 at 17:58

Coolasmoo said:
Just google for Junction Links

Just copy the steam games your currently using onto the ssd and junction link them back to the original folder on the mechanical drive.

Keep steam on the mechanical drive

eg D:\steam

I always wonder with this way round whether you get hit by the latency of the mechanical drive? Does it look up any aspect of the junction on the mechanical drive first before reading the SSD. Anybody know the answer?
To be sure I do this solution the other way round and install steam to my SSD but link off the games I'm not using over to the mechanical drive.

Leviathan · 23 Sep 2010 at 18:17

Ok well ye i belive you can set hwere you want the games to go so you can change C:\ to D:\ but the other part of the question was does taking it out of the x86 folder effect it ? as didnt windows make progams x86 to make games run better ? clearly a problem if it does have to be with a SSD.

boosfuk · 23 Sep 2010 at 18:24

Leviathan said:
Ok well ye i belive you can set hwere you want the games to go so you can change C:\ to D:\ but the other part of the question was does taking it out of the x86 folder effect it ? as didnt windows make progams x86 to make games run better ? clearly a problem if it does have to be with a SSD.

Never heard this and can't see how it could make them run better. In fact because of the extra windows file security in the Program Files folders it can cause problems with games running correctly (especially if you want to add mods etc.).

Westyfield2 · 23 Sep 2010 at 19:15

Leviathan said:
but the other part of the question was does taking it out of the x86 folder effect it ? as didnt windows make progams x86 to make games run better ?

IIRC the Program Files and Program Files (x86) folders are just for keeping things neat and ensuring you don't have any duplicates.

It doesn't actually effect WoW64 where the program is. You could if you really wanted install a 32bit program to Program Files and it would work fine.