Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions

22cal · 2013-04-03, 23:02

Hello,

As some of you may know, I enjoy recording my game play and upload it to my YouTube channel (the22cal). But my SATA HDD is getting low on space, and is slowing down a lot. I want to add a slave drive for a place to store my recordings, pictures, etc..., but I'm not sure how. I have an extra SATA HDD on my old PC, but how do I clear off and erase everything on it. The next thing is, will I still be able to use it, and if so, how would I make it into a slave HDD.

Next, my B-Day is near. Four months near, and I will be upgrading my PC. New PSU, adding more RAM, and finally a GPU. Right now I have a GTX 460 728mb. I want to stay Nvidia. I do not want something that is a lot of $ that is high end, but just good enough to run Arma 2/BF3 at a smooth rate(and of course PR).

And always, Thank You for your help and suggestions.

SnipeHunt · 2013-04-03, 23:44

Should be a pretty easy task to do:
Once you plug it into your current PC you can format the HDD, which will erase all the data, and can change the drive letter in disk management.

Pedz · 2013-04-04, 00:14

GPU wise, I'd say either 660 or buy another 460 and SLI it

seeing as you have a good card already improve performance in most games with a second. And you can get one for about ?76 in the uk

22cal · 2013-04-04, 01:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedz

I'd say either 660 or buy another 460 and SLI it

Unfortunately my Motherboard can not have sli (Newegg.com - ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard). The 660 at it's cheapest, is at my limit, but hopefully some 4th of July sales(live in USA) could lower that.

For SnipeHunt, Do I just format the HDDs in my BIOS to master for my current and slave for new.
Disk Management part I understand.

LITOralis.nMd · 2013-04-04, 05:51

The concept of "slave drive" doesn't really exist with SATA HDDs.

Unplug PC.
open case.
install your extra SATA HDD.
plug in,
boot.
Windows should automatically assign a drive letter to the new drive.
In "My Computer", right click the drive, "Format" will be an option.

I'd suggest formatting to NTFS, and ALLOCATION UNIT SIZE OF 64k if you plan to use it solely as a video recording drive. Using larger sectors when writing and reading large files, like your multi GB sized video recordings, allows for faster access times.

IF you have sensitive info on your extra HDD and need to thoroughly erase it, I suggest using this program:
Darik's Boot and Nuke | Free System Administration software downloads at SourceForge.net

Step by step guide for formatting HDD in win7:
Step by Step Guide to Formatting a Hard Drive in Windows 7
again, use 64kb allocation units when formatting, otherwise follow this tutorial.

SANGUE-RUIM · 2013-04-04, 16:35

go 660ti

22cal · 2013-04-04, 22:53

Thank you everyone for your help. I will be adding the HDD within a month.

For the GPU, I will be looking for some sales on the 660 til my B-day.

2013-04-03, 23:02	#1
22cal Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 98 United States of America Location: California	Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions Hello, As some of you may know, I enjoy recording my game play and upload it to my YouTube channel (the22cal). But my SATA HDD is getting low on space, and is slowing down a lot. I want to add a slave drive for a place to store my recordings, pictures, etc..., but I'm not sure how. I have an extra SATA HDD on my old PC, but how do I clear off and erase everything on it. The next thing is, will I still be able to use it, and if so, how would I make it into a slave HDD. Next, my B-Day is near. Four months near, and I will be upgrading my PC. New PSU, adding more RAM, and finally a GPU. Right now I have a GTX 460 728mb. I want to stay Nvidia. I do not want something that is a lot of $ that is high end, but just good enough to run Arma 2/BF3 at a smooth rate(and of course PR). And always, Thank You for your help and suggestions.

2013-04-03, 23:44	#2
SnipeHunt Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 788 United States of America Location: Bay Area, CA	Re: Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions Should be a pretty easy task to do: Once you plug it into your current PC you can format the HDD, which will erase all the data, and can change the drive letter in disk management.
	Best line yet... Me: "Hey APC, Can I get a ride to squad 6?" Unknown: "This APC ain't no Taxi!"

2013-04-04, 00:14	#3
Pedz Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 695 United Kingdom	Re: Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions GPU wise, I'd say either 660 or buy another 460 and SLI it seeing as you have a good card already improve performance in most games with a second. And you can get one for about ?76 in the uk
Pedz Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 695 United Kingdom

2013-04-04, 05:51	#5
LITOralis.nMd Retired PR Developer Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 5,648 United States of America	Re: Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions The concept of "slave drive" doesn't really exist with SATA HDDs. Unplug PC. open case. install your extra SATA HDD. plug in, boot. Windows should automatically assign a drive letter to the new drive. In "My Computer", right click the drive, "Format" will be an option. I'd suggest formatting to NTFS, and ALLOCATION UNIT SIZE OF 64k if you plan to use it solely as a video recording drive. Using larger sectors when writing and reading large files, like your multi GB sized video recordings, allows for faster access times. IF you have sensitive info on your extra HDD and need to thoroughly erase it, I suggest using this program: Darik's Boot and Nuke \| Free System Administration software downloads at SourceForge.net Step by step guide for formatting HDD in win7: Step by Step Guide to Formatting a Hard Drive in Windows 7 again, use 64kb allocation units when formatting, otherwise follow this tutorial.

2013-04-04, 16:35	#6
SANGUE-RUIM Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,358 Brazil	Re: Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions go 660ti
SANGUE-RUIM Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,358 Brazil

2013-04-04, 22:53	#7
22cal Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 98 United States of America Location: California	Re: Slave Drive and GPU Upgrade Suggestions Thank you everyone for your help. I will be adding the HDD within a month. For the GPU, I will be looking for some sales on the 660 til my B-day.