SSD vs HDD for /home

[kelltech]

I'm new to the ssd world

I have a 256gb ssd and a 1tb hdd so I'm wondering, would it be better to install root, swap, and boot to the ssd and select the hdd for /home? Or is it best to use the hdd for storage and the ssd for everything?

[catweazel]

This is a matter of opinion. I'm inclined to suggest using the SSD for mostly everything and the HDD as a backup and scratch area.

[Neil Edmond]

I tend to agree with catweazel. Everything on the SSD is easier to set up, and performance will likely be best with the HDD as a storage only device.

[kelltech]

Thank you guys. I figured it's a matter of personal choice, but I also value your opinions because it is my first ssd

[MintBean]

256GB is a decent size SSD, so I would just do a plain install on that. No 'cleverness' with separate partitions for /home and the like. Use your HDD for data and replace directories that may use a lot of storage like /home/music, /home/movies etc with links to equivalent folders on the HDD.

If it ever comes time to install a new OS, simply copy /home onto the HDD (where most of your data is already safely stashed), install the new OS and copy any required files in /home (like .mozilla for Firefox and .thunderbird for thunderbird) over the ones on the SSD.

This is the way I run my systems and I think it's the best option on balance.

[catweazel]

Thank you guys. I figured it's a matter of personal choice, but I also value your opinions because it is my first ssd

In that case there are some tips for you to extend its life. You'll hear a lot about SSDs having a limited life but nowadays that's what we call a 'furphy' in Australia. SSDs actually have a longer life expectancy than physical HHDs. When you setup your SSD, leave 5%-10% of the space at the end of the disk without a partition (unallocated). Your SSD controller will see this and use it for wear levelling, greatly extending the life and reliability of your system.

See Pjotr's site here. Call for help if you need it.

[mwbworld]

In that case there are some tips for you to extend its life. You'll hear a lot about SSDs having a limited life but nowadays that's what we call a 'furphy' in Australia. SSDs actually have a longer life expectancy than physical HHDs. When you setup your SSD, leave 5%-10% of the space at the end of the disk without a partition (unallocated). Your SSD controller will see this and use it for wear levelling, greatly extending the life and reliability of your system.

See Pjotr's site here. Call for help if you need it.

Very helpful (hey admitted I didn't ask the question but it is one on my mind since I bought a 250 GB SSD which the notion that the next full update (not just a point one) since I'd want to do a clean install - I'd install the SSD and use my HDD for the large music and video files.

So the thread and link are bookmarked for future reference/research!

[Flemur]

II have a 256gb ssd and a 1tb hdd so I'm wondering, would it be better to install root, swap, and boot to the ssd and select the hdd for /home? Or is it best to use the hdd for storage and the ssd for everything?

FWIW, I semi-recently got an SSD and did all the "maximize lifetime" stuff, then after reading more, just went back to a normal setup with everything on the SSD...except /tmp is in memory. fstab line:

Code: Select all

tmpfs         /tmp         tmpfs  defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0

[daret]

You can optimize your setting.

Add parameter discard and noatime in /etc/fstab.
discard - turn on TRIM
noatime - disable last access time

Code: Select all

e.g.
/dev/sda1 / ext4    discard,defaults,noatime 0 1

You can move /tmp to RAM

Code: Select all

none    /tmp    tmpfs   nodev,nosuid,noatime,size=512M,mode=1777 0 0

size=512M - max. size of ramdisk (only used if needed)