Steam split between SSD and HDD - a slightly different question

Mockingbird · 7 Jul 2011 at 15:54

Hello.

I know how (sort of) to split the STEAM install between two drives - I have done so using GameSaveManager to automate the process a tad. I know it, but I don't truly understand it, hence this thread.

Current setup:

Main steam install (executable and nearly all installed games) is on hard drive.
Folder symlink to Oblivion install on SSD (nearly 15Gb... ouch) for faster loading/less stuttering. Works fine - Steam still sees it (does not try to reinstall, runs fine etc)

It is a -little- faster than just having Oblivion on HDD, but not as fast as I was hoping.

Question - Should I reverse this? Is the current setup causing Oblivion to seek on the HDD, follow the link and then seek on the SSD, thereby bottlenecking the SSD?

I'm asking rather than trying because I think it would be an ENORMOUS pain to actually reverse the install - I'd have to manually make links to every directory in my steamgames folder, right, not just the top-most layer?

thanks to anyone making sense of this.

boosfuk · 7 Jul 2011 at 16:18

Mockingbird said:
Question - Should I reverse this? Is the current setup causing Oblivion to seek on the HDD, follow the link and then seek on the SSD, thereby bottlenecking the SSD?

This is exactly the question I have been trying to find the answer to. Despite asking it myself here (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=19013321&postcount=17) and searching the web I never got an answer.

Mockingbird · 8 Jul 2011 at 13:41

Ah well.

I'm going to be away for a few days, but will try and set up some tests using dummy files.

Does anyone have a suggestion for (free) software to assist in this testing? (i.e. something that will open a file and tell me how long it took to a fair degree of accuracy?)

rjk · 8 Jul 2011 at 14:37

cant you just use steam mover?

boosfuk · 8 Jul 2011 at 17:15

GameSaveManager does the same thing as Steam Mover, think he is looking for some timing software for symlinks between SSDs & HDs (in each direction).

synaesthesia · 9 Jul 2011 at 19:20

using windows 7 setting up symbolic links is easy - i just set one up real quick for my F1 2010 install on SSD whilst keeping the rest of the games on a HDD.
I originally played with "Link Shell Extension" to make it a bit easier but it was rather pointless in the end.

Kotu · 10 Jul 2011 at 19:29

you could try using the resource monitor and view disk activity percentage while running the linked programs.

DragonQ · 10 Jul 2011 at 19:56

I tried Steam Mover to move TF2 to my SSD. Made sod all difference in loading times. :/

Mockingbird · 13 Jul 2011 at 13:54

synaesthesia said:
using windows 7 setting up symbolic links is easy - i just set one up real quick for my F1 2010 install on SSD whilst keeping the rest of the games on a HDD.
I originally played with "Link Shell Extension" to make it a bit easier but it was rather pointless in the end.

Thanks, but this doesn't actually address my question.

I will give the HW monitor a go.

gord · 13 Jul 2011 at 14:17

I thought the advantages for quite a lot of games were negligible as most make single large file requests, nullifying the SSDs main advantage.