[RESOLVED] Partitioning strategies anyone? (500GB HDD)

Started by Fantasist, August 14, 2009, 11:32:19 am

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Fantasist

August 14, 2009, 11:32:19 am Last Edit: August 20, 2009, 05:22:41 am by Fantasist
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That's right, I'm FINALLY getting a new PC! :w00t:
Actually, it's not the whole computer, it's just the CPU.

I haven't purchased it yet, and I can't purchase it till Monday due to unforeseen circumstances (darn! I was so psyched!). Here are the stats as I remember them (the guy wouldn't give me the quotation  :<_<: ):

Motherboard: Intel DG41RQ
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 8 Series (I think it's Q8400)
RAM: 4GB (2 + 2) Transcend (not sure about the model, probably DDR2, hopefully 800MHz)
HDD: 500GB Seagate (not sure about the details)
Graphics Card: GeForce 9 Series (was it 9400 or 9800? Not sure about this either)

OK. Now that all that's out of the way, here's the dilemma.

I was told that a Quad Core processor generates a lot of heat, so I should have a cabinet that has a fan which sits near to the processor (typically there's a "tunnel" connected to a fan on the inside of the cabinet). Is that true? Or is it okay to just have good ventilation (2 fans on the back)?

Oh! I almost forgot; are there any problems with the above configuration, or with any of the components? While I haven't payed the money yet, I still have the chance to make changes. Do any of you recommend any changes for the better?


OK. I got the PC. Before I install Windows, I wanted to refresh my partitioning strategies. So here are the key points:

HDD Space: 500GB

Main Usage:
- Family Usage: My parents need space for their documents, photos, E-Books and tiny videos. Estimate usage is not more than 40GB.
- My sister uses the PC for checking mail, chatting and listening to music.
- As for me, I have maintained generations of "Collections" which include software, images, music, videos (clips, not movies) and other stuff like that. It gets big, that's for sure. How big? Let's say 10GB before I backup again. I also play games ranging from 1MB to 12GB. I code, so I install the Visual Studio or similar suites. I will most likely install Photoshop.
- Misc: I normally don't store movies in my "Collection" but on a separate drive. I store TV Series along with the movies.

I've been doing all this with 80GB and I suddenly jumped to 500GB, so I can't seem to estimate my needs in the future. The drastic change in space will change everything: my backup frequency, my collection size, my movie collection...

All I know right now is that I'll put aside 40GB for system drive (I plan on moving the documents to a separate partition). <---- Wait, you decide this for me too. Any help is appreciated. Cause The sooner I settle this, the sooner I can install XP on my new comp and get to enjoy it :)
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Ryex

August 14, 2009, 03:13:45 pm #1 Last Edit: August 14, 2009, 04:44:53 pm by Ryexander
well I have a quad core and it is true that true produce a lot of heat, however my comp has an H2C cooling unit so I don't notice it but you will need some space in the back of the tower (or where ever the fan blows the air out on your tower) so the heat can dissipate properly
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Fantasist

I just checked out H2C cooling and... wow! Anyway, there are two fans in the back of the tower. Is that good enough?
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Ryex

to tell you the truth I can't really say but as lon as you have about 1/2 a foot around the tower that in's walled in and space behinded it for the air to blow out and then go up you should be fine
I no longer keep up with posts in the forum very well. If you have a question or comment, about my work, or in general I welcome PM's. if you make a post in one of my threads and I don't reply with in a day or two feel free to PM me and point it out to me.<br /><br />DropBox, the best free file syncing service there is.<br />

fugibo

GeForce 9x isn't very high-power or anything, so I'm pretty sure the main worry will be CPU as far as overheating goes. And if my MacBook can handle all the crap I put it through with one fan (this thing is tiny, so it gets hot in there), you should be fine.

Ryex

August 14, 2009, 04:56:00 pm #5 Last Edit: August 14, 2009, 04:57:12 pm by Ryexander
but the hotter it get the more resistance there is and the slower you pc runs so you do want to keep it a cool as possible its not really all about not frying you mother board (however my friend is an idiot he wanted to torrent something so he took his laptop and a mobile broadband card to school and let it run in his back pack, the next day he come up to me with his lap top and asks me if I knew what was wrong with it because it wouldn't turn on the power switch and supply were fine he told me he had checked them "you fried your mother board idiot" I told him the real funn thing is that a local computer company hired him for the summer to do tech support for them in their call center)
I no longer keep up with posts in the forum very well. If you have a question or comment, about my work, or in general I welcome PM's. if you make a post in one of my threads and I don't reply with in a day or two feel free to PM me and point it out to me.<br /><br />DropBox, the best free file syncing service there is.<br />

fugibo

Quote from: Ryexander on August 14, 2009, 04:56:00 pm
but the hotter it get the more resistance there is and the slower you pc runs so you do want to keep it a cool as possible its not really all about not frying you mother board (however my friend is an idiot he wanted to torrent something so he took his laptop and a mobile broadband card to school and let it run in his back pack, the next day he come up to me with his lap top and asks me if I knew what was wrong with it because it wouldn't turn on the power switch and supply were fine he told me he had checked them "you fried your mother board idiot" I told him the real funn thing is that a local computer company hired him for the summer to do tech support for them in their call center)


No, the hotter it gets, to closer it gets to overheating. The processor will only slow down significantly if the OS/mobo throttles it. Until your computer gets dangerously hot, you're fine.

Starrodkirby86

Congratulations, bro~

Hopefully this will make you more active in CP. :V:

And in this discussion, I'll be backing off from the technical questions, unfortunately. I really don't know what to do here. ^^; So I'm pretty much posting to say my congratulations to Fanta. <3

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fugibo

Ick! Only up to 800mhz? The blasphemy! >=V

Seriously, though, if you're getting a new computer you should probably be getting DDR3 parts. You might hate yourself down the road if you don't, that 233mhz makes a big difference.

Blizzard

DDR3 requires a new motherboard so 800MHz is probably as good as it gets.
As for cooling, you can almost never have too much. xD If you're going with a quad core and 9400, make sure it's cooled properly. 9800 has a good cooling system and it's supposed to have the overheating issues fixed that the G84 series had (of which the 9400 is an upgrade of, the 9400 is a slightly improved G84 if I remember right). Google for more info.
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Fantasist

@Ryex: Poor bastard, that friend of yours...

@Star: Thanks mate :)

@WcW: As Bliz said, DDR2 is as good as it gets for me. I'm a wee bit tight on budget and my parents already stretched the limit liberally, I couldn't ask for more.

@Blizz: So you can never have enough cooling... I'll remember that.
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Blizzard

Better too much cooling that not enough. >.<
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Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

Fantasist

Right you are... I'm considering drilling a hole on the top of the tower and attaching an outtake fan. With LEDs too if I can procure them. (FTS likes shiny glowing thingies O.O)
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Blizzard

Turn it into a fridge. That way when you become legal to drink, you can cool your beer in there. :V:
Check out Daygames and our games:

King of Booze 2      King of Booze: Never Ever
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Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

Fantasist

August 16, 2009, 03:31:06 am #14 Last Edit: August 18, 2009, 02:19:24 am by Fantasist
Nah, a microwave is more appropriate. I like popcorn better than beer :D

EDIT: First post updated, new problem for you kind folks of CP to solve :)
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Starrodkirby86

You wouldn't ever need to really worry about space ever again. However, I wouldn't recommend you keep going on an extremely common spend on space. Go through your usual strategy, and delete or compress things you don't need. Burn something on CDs and other utilities like that too. ;3

Just keep going and don't act like, "WOOO 500GB TIME TO BURN SOME SPACE" or something like that. ^^

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Fantasist

haha, don't worry, I'm still space conscious. XD It's just that I can't decide exactly what the best way would be. I mean, partitioning plays a role in system performance too, right? The partition near the circumference of the disk is more easily accessed than the interior. Wait... I'm going off tangents.

So taking your advice, I've come up with a plan which is a slight upgrade of my current strategy:


  • I maintain a "System Main" for Windows. Everything critical goes there, not more, not less.
  • Then there's "System Auxiliary", where EVERYTHING non-critical goes to. Like Photoshop, CCleaner, Games, you name it. Everything that the PC doesn't 'need' goes here. Oh, and even the user documents go here. That way, I can format the system partition anytime I want with minimum damage and effort.
  • "Media" will hold all my movies, music and similar. It's solely dedicated for that.
  • "Archive" will have, well, everything else. Also, I don't backup my stuff very regularly or consistently. I use my common sense and write stuff to DVDs and keep them safe. So I might not be dedicationg much to this partition.


Here's the distribution layout.

     System Main: 10% (~50GB)
System Auxiliary: 40% (~200GB)
              Media: 40% (~200GB)
            Archive: 10% (~50GB)

So what do you think?
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Starrodkirby86

It seems to me the Auxillary and Media possess similar qualities. I guess that's why they have similar percentages.

This sounds like a good plan. If stuff seems too big, don't forget about moving stuff out. That seems pretty good, I bet. Yeah...nice. =w=

What's osu!? It's a rhythm game. Thought I should have a signature with a working rank. ;P It's now clickable!
Still Aqua's biggest fan (Or am I?).




Fantasist

OK, so I got your vote on this. One more suggestion and I'm going for it. Thanks for helping me make up my mind :)

PS: The more I look at that distribution, the more I like it...
Do you like ambient/electronic music? Then you should promote a talented artist! Help out here. (I'm serious. Just listen to his work at least!)


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Blizzard

500 GB for me:

20 GB - System Drive
300 GB - Games & Muzix
Rest - Workspace
Check out Daygames and our games:

King of Booze 2      King of Booze: Never Ever
Drinking Game for Android      Never have I ever for Android
Drinking Game for iOS      Never have I ever for iOS


Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.