Adding a second NVMe - unsure on configuration

[5ubsonic]

Hi, I'm currently running a 2TB Lexar NM790 NVMe in the first slot of my motherboard (ASRock B650M-HDV/M.2), along with a 2TB WD HDD for music, documents, etc. I have now picked up a 1TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe and my intention was to make this the OS/Software drive and use the Lexar only for games, moving the Lexar into the 2nd slot and adding the Samsung into the 1st slot.

They're both PCIe 4.0 drives. On the motherboard, slot 1 is up to PCIe 5.0 and connected directly to the processor, while Slot 2 is up to PCIe 4.0 and connected to the chipset. According to the manufacturers, speeds are as follows:

Lexar: Sequential read up to 7400MB/s, sequential write up to 6500MB/s.
Samsung: Sequential read up to 7450MB/s, sequential write up to 6900MB/s.

Given this info, does it make sense to use the 1TB Samsung as the OS/Software/Boot drive and the 2TB Lexar as the "gaming" drive?

If so, what process do I follow to transfer the OS to the new drive? Does this make sense:

1. Change drive letter of WD HDD to drive E (it's currently D) - this makes way for the set up going forward to be C: Samsung OS, D: Lexar games, E: WD data
2. Move Lexar to slot 2 and install Samsung in slot 1.
3. Set slot 2 in BIOS as boot drive and boot into Windows.
4. Use something like Macrium Reflect to clone the Lexar to the Samsung (I uninstalled some large games already so it's now well below 1TB used at present and will easily fit onto the smaller Samsung).
5. Set slot 1 in BIOS as boot drive and boot into Windows.
6. Check it's working correctly then wipe the Lexar - is this done in Disk Management in Windows?
7. Set Steam/Epic etc. install locations to the Lexar. I'm not sure if it's possible to move the currently installed games in this way or if I need to uninstall them and then re-install on the new drive.

Does that all make sense? Will there be a problem with step 5/6 if I boot into Windows using the new drive, while the old drive is still an exact copy of that drive and also contains my OS?

Thanks!

 

[5ubsonic]

Thanks for all your replies. Some good insights. It seems like the consensus is to add the 990 pro into slot 2 and use that as the game drive. Makes sense and removes a lot of hassle too so I'll go with that. I doubt I need 2 TB of game storage - if I need the space I can just uninstall any large games that I've finished or don't plan on playing any time soon, or use the 990 pro for Steam games and anything elsewhere (Epic, etc) leave on the Lexar.