new pc arrived but im confused about windows drive location

[EmmaWilliamson688]

So new pc arrived and I have it running, so yay it works. My question is, i upgraded my 2nd drive from 2tb 970 to a 980, the first drive was 500gb and it was 980 and I am 100% sure that I picked this drive for windows. Don't they normally install it on the smaller drive? i just checked my system info and its showing windows is on the 2tb drive :/ is it coz that 2tb drive must be slightly faster than the 500gb? I'm also missing the graphics card documentation and weirdly had documentation from a different one but that doesn't matter lol

Here was my final spec after amending it

Case	Send In Your Own Case (View Details)
Case Model:	Corsair ICUE 5000X RGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER SMART CASE - WHITE CC-9011213-WW
Case From:	www.overclockers.co.uk
Processor (CPU)	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4) Change to: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16 Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.9GHz/72MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard	ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready! Change to: ASUS® CROSSHAIR VIII HERO WIFI (DDR4, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX/SLI) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)	64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3090 - HDMI, DP Change to: 24GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 3090 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive	2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW) Change to: NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive	500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive	2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W) Change to: 2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply	CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste	STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting	50cm UV LED Strip
Sound Card	ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card	10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card	WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 Change to: NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options	MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System	Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Operating System Language	United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media	Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account

 

[SpyderTracks]

Graphics cards don’t come with any documentation, what was it you were after? Any manuals these days are online.

Yes, by default they will always install to the fastest drive and SSD speeds increase the larger the drive.

It’s very easy to reinstall to the 500gb though if you wish to.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

see i was told here that its better to have windows on the smaller drive and they ask you which drive you want it on, why would they change it? is it bad for me to have the 2tb drive as my windows drive? i know i can probably install games on the 500gb drive i just dont know how much. If as you say its easy to install myself should i? or is it ok as is? as for the graphics documentation im only assuming it because i randomly had a palit gaming booklet in my welcome pack which was weird

 

[sck451]

It's not bad: because of the nature of SSDs it's possibly even microscopically faster, but it does obviate the point of having the split-SSD setup. If I were you I'd definitely reinstall Windows on the smaller SSD. (The reinstall is easy -- I did it myself this week when I changed boot drives -- but I don't know if it might be complicated by having two drives with Windows installs on them in the same system... It's definitely easier to do it now, though, rather than after having the PC for a while and filling the drives up.)

As for the manual, the Strix 3090 doesn't even seem to have a manual on the Asus website, which is a bit weird, but I doubt you actually need the manual.

 

[SpyderTracks]

see i was told here that its better to have windows on the smaller drive and they ask you which drive you want it on, why would they change it? is it bad for me to have the 2tb drive as my windows drive? i know i can probably install games on the 500gb drive i just dont know how much. If as you say its easy to install myself should i? or is it ok as is? as for the graphics documentation im only assuming it because i randomly had a palit gaming booklet in my welcome pack which was weird

You don't get the option which M2 to install it on, only if it's SSD vs HDD. To install it on the slower M2 drive, you'd have to call them up and ask, there's no way to specify that in the configurator.

If it were me, I'd have the OS on the 500Gb, it's just easier to manage. Takes about 30 minutes to clean install windows though so it's very easy to sort out.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

You don't get the option which M2 to install it on, only if it's SSD vs HDD. To install it on the slower M2 drive, you'd have to call them up and ask, there's no way to specify that in the configurator.

If it were me, I'd have the OS on the 500Gb, it's just easier to manage. Takes about 30 minutes to clean install windows though so it's very easy to sort out.

hmm if its easy might do that, but then i have the hassel of figuring out what software and drivers il need to add. They seemed to have everything preconfigured already on install, corsair icue armoury crate etc. I might just do an install later down the line and see how i get on. Im fine with using the 500gb as games only. I kinda wish i upped it to a 1tb now. Either that or i call and ask what id need to do.

 

[SpyderTracks]

hmm if its easy might do that, but then i have the hassel of figuring out what software and drivers il need to add. They seemed to have everything preconfigured already on install, corsair icue armoury crate etc. I might just do an install later down the line and see how i get on. Im fine with using the 500gb as games only. I kinda wish i upped it to a 1tb now. Either that or i call and ask what id need to do.

We can talk you through it, it's very easy, literally takes no time and you'll be needing to do it relatively often so it's something you're going to have to learn anyway. Custom PC is nothing like an off the shelf product, you'll need to become quite a master in windows management and configuration and troubleshooting.

 

[sck451]

We can talk you through it, it's very easy, literally takes no time and you'll be needing to do it relatively often so it's something you're going to have to learn anyway. Custom PC is nothing like an off the shelf product, you'll need to become quite a master in windows management and configuration and troubleshooting.

Agree with this -- I literally did it in a couple of hours (including changing SSDs around on the motherboard which you won't have to do) on Wednesday evening, and that was a system that wasn't brand new so needed some file management.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

hmm ok if its easy enough to do. I just wasnt sure if there was any other steps id need to take or if pcs had done any custom settings ?

 

[SpyderTracks]

hmm ok if its easy enough to do. I just wasnt sure if there was any other steps id need to take or if pcs had done any custom settings ?

PCS don't set anything custom, everything is left up to the user.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

PCS don't set anything custom, everything is left up to the user.

ok so they just install from a disc probably? since it has the software on there for asus, corsair and amd? I need a recovery usb dont i? i think i have a spare drive i can format and use. Ive only intalled a couple of apps so far so its no big deal if i have to reinstall them.

 

[SpyderTracks]

The other option if you wanted to avoid having to do a clean install is just to clone the existing OS installation to the 500Gb drive using something like Macrium Reflect:

Macrium Reflect Free Trials

Macrium Reflect - Incredibly powerful software that allows you to create and schedule effective backups

www.macrium.com

Or CloneZilla:

Clonezilla - About

clonezilla.org

Or if you want something more user friendly there's EaseUS:

Free Disk Cloning Software for 2024 to Easily Clone HDD and SSD🚀

Disk cloning software can be used to create an exact copy of your disk, and copy all data from the source disk to the target disk, including files, disk layout, configurations, etc. This post will introduce 12 free disk cloning software that helps you clone any type of hard drive to another hard...

www.easeus.com

 

[SpyderTracks]

ok so they just install from a disc probably? since it has the software on there for asus, corsair and amd? I need a recovery usb dont i? i think i have a spare drive i can format and use. Ive only intalled a couple of apps so far so its no big deal if i have to reinstall them.

You just install windows using a bootable USB direct from microsoft using the media creation tool:

Download Windows 10

All the drivers are installed automatically through windows update.

Then you can install anything like iCue or anything else you by downloading from the web.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

The other option if you wanted to avoid having to do a clean install is just to clone the existing OS installation to the 500Gb drive using something like Macrium Reflect:

Macrium Reflect Free Trials

Macrium Reflect - Incredibly powerful software that allows you to create and schedule effective backups

www.macrium.com

Or CloneZilla:

Clonezilla - About

clonezilla.org

Or if you want something more user friendly there's EaseUS:

Free Disk Cloning Software for 2024 to Easily Clone HDD and SSD🚀

Disk cloning software can be used to create an exact copy of your disk, and copy all data from the source disk to the target disk, including files, disk layout, configurations, etc. This post will introduce 12 free disk cloning software that helps you clone any type of hard drive to another hard...

www.easeus.com

i was just gonna ask is it easy to do this as an option. If so which software would you recommend?

 

[SpyderTracks]

i was just gonna ask is it easy to do this as an option. If so which software would you recommend?

Personally I use EaseUS, it’s really user friendly whereas the others are a bit more techy.

Be aware though, the installer will default with options to install lots of other crap so make sure you’re selecting the right options. And never pay for it, it’s a rip off, only worth it for the free option.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

Oh thanks for the tip, il check that one out btw do i need to do anything other than use the software? e.g wipe the original drive with a format once cloned or is that part of the software?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Oh thanks for the tip, il check that one out btw do i need to do anything other than use the software? e.g wipe the original drive with a format once cloned or is that part of the software?

Yeah, you’ll need to format the 2tb drive once you’ve tested the 500gb is booting ok. You can do that through easeus as well

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

Yeah, you’ll need to format the 2tb drive once you’ve tested the 500gb is booting ok. You can do that through easeus as well

thanks, it does say you need same format on both drives, now my only concern is what are these partitions in there? should that cause problems?

 

[SpyderTracks]

thanks, it does say you need same format on both drives, now my only concern is what are these partitions in there? should that cause problems?

Just delete any existing partions on the drive you want to copy across to, the software should guide you from there and copies all system partitions required for windows.

Remember, you're cloning the entire drive, not copying a partition.

 

[EmmaWilliamson688]

yeah the drive im copying to has no partitions, just the windows drive. I also saw with this software doesn't look like free version has cloning? nm i think i can use the trial for this.