Just a quick check before I install first ever SSD, any tips?

[Truebrit]

I will be installing my fist ever SSD tomorrow and just want to make sure I do it right.

Do I need to format, and in NTFS? I heard of some Samsung format, but this SSD will be for Windows 8.1 and Steam games.

I install Windows with no other hard drives in right?

Apart from that is there anything else I need to worry about? It's just the same as installing a new HDD right?

 

[ScoTTyBEEE]

Yep sounds good to me.

 

[ED209]

Make sure you only have the drive connected you want windows on, if you have a hdd connected sometimes stuff gets put on there by windows.

So, disconnect all drives except the one for os,once all installed connect back up the other drives.

 

[Danny75]

During the Windows install you may have to choose GPT and afterwards NTFS. The following isn't essential, just something some SSD users like to do to optimize a bit (cut down on some unnecessary writes/gain a bit more room than otherwise etc):

Disable Hibernation: powercfg.exe /h off (in Command Prompt or Powershell Admin). That'll leave the size of your memory free on the SSD, or half of it don't recall which, which otherwise would be taken up on the SSD.

Disable Superfetch and Windows Search through Services.msc. I hear all the time that Windows 10 is supposed to disable it (Superfetch) automatically if OS is on SSD but on my system it doesn't.

Disable Prefetch:

• Type Regedit into the Start menu's Search box - Select the file path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters"
• Right-click on both EnablePrefetcher and EnableSuperfetch (the latter may not be there, so ignore if so)
  
• Select Modify on each of these to change the value from 1 (or 3) to 0
• Restart

Disable Indexing on the SSD.

Note that Superfetch and Prefetch will be re-enabled with every big Windows 10 feature update (Creators, Fall etc). I think Windows Search gets re-enabled too.