New PC player question

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

Long story short is: Replacing console with gaming pc. FedX states it will finally be here this coming Monday. Though I've got experience using a pc from my previous business practice and general stuff life surfing the web. I have NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO experience at gaming. A link at the bottom will show the pc I bought.

My new pc has a one terabyte HDD and a 250 GB SDD. Once I get it all set up to work along with the new 40 inch TV I bought I'll need to install the games I wish to play. I've already joined STEAM, bought three games (ED, NMS and Planet Nomad). And apparently just sitting somewhere at STEAM waiting for me to download them which I haven't done as of yet.

Question #1:
Do I download them to the normal C drive program files (x86) folder which I somehow know will be on the HDD or do I somehow download them to the SDD?
Question #2:
Should SDD be the answer, and never ever having had an SDD, do I have to make a folder for steam?
Question #3:
After downloading from steam, do I install the games into their own folder to play or just leave them where ever steam wants to install them, which I believe will be will be on the SDD based on my assumption the answer to the first question is the SDD?

Link to my PC:
https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.m...wIVICCtBh0zJQsyEAQYASABEgI5CvD_BwE&quantity=1

 

[Soron Silin]

Your SSD will be C: and your HDD will be D:
That is how you want it, so the operating system is quick to access.

You probably want the game files on D:, so you can have lots of games. Create "Program Files" and "Program Files(x86)" on D: and then tell the Steam installer to install them there. (Steam itself too.)

There is a way to get the application data (the configuration files etc.) onto D:. That's what I've got here but it's complex, easy to mess up and break stuff, and I've forgotten how it is done. It may already to set up like that. It's wherever the folder \Users is.

 

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

Your SSD will be C: and your HDD will be D:
That is how you want it, so the operating system is quick to access.

You probably want the game files on D:, so you can have lots of games. Create "Program Files" and "Program Files(x86)" on D: and then tell the Steam installer to install them there. (Steam itself too.)

There is a way to get the application data (the configuration files etc.) onto D:. That's what I've got here but it's complex, easy to mess up and break stuff, and I've forgotten how it is done. It may already to set up like that. It's wherever the folder \Users is.

Are you saying that the OS (window's 10) on a new pc containing an SSD, is installed on the SSD rather than the HDD as it is on pc's such as my present old pc and that the HDD is basically become just a storage device?

 

[MickyG1982]

Are you saying that the OS (window's 10) on a new pc containing an SSD, is installed on the SSD rather than the HDD as it is on pc's such as my present old pc and that the HDD is basically become just a storage device?

Yup! It'll be like night and day when compared to Windows installed on a HDD too, it's oh so fast at booting!

It's best to set steam up to download to the HDD rather than the SSD too, note that it won't be set like this as default.

 

[Para Handy]

FYI - You can tell steam where to install each title you do install. I believe it defaults to a "Steam Library" buried in the C drive - you can change that to suit your needs - for example I have FSX installed in a directory on my D drive (an SSD) whereas things like Don't Starve etc are in a directory on a partition of my HDD. (In case anyone was wondering - my C drive is a M.2 SSD and I keep that for stuff I want really fast.)

 

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

So install steam in or or on my HDD, but place the games actual start game.exe in its own directory on or in my SSD.

 

[epoch5]

Are you saying that the OS (window's 10) on a new pc containing an SSD, is installed on the SSD rather than the HDD as it is on pc's such as my present old pc and that the HDD is basically become just a storage device?

My new gaming computer was just the opposite, the HDD is the C: the SSD is the D:. Yours will be however the manufacturer built it.

 

[Codger]

My words of wisdom:

1) Don't fill up your C drive. It should be no more than half full. If it's the SSD, that's fine, it just means that Windows will load faster. But don't fill it up more than that.

2) If it turns out that D is your SSD, that's also fine. Games will load quicker. Put all your games on D, regardless. You only need to leave 20% free on the D drive. After that you might have performance problems.

And be sure that you always log in on an account that has Administrator privileges. If you just have one log in, that's fine, just make sure it has privs! Some games can be really finicky when run on a non-Administrator account, so just avoid that issue.

Have fun

 

[Soron Silin]

I have absolutely no problem with all my steam games installed to D: including Elite. A HDD is plenty fast enough. Wherever you install a game, DirectX, the C redistributable libraries, etc. will all be on the same drive as the OS. Elite might be quicker to start up if you install both it and the OS to the SSD, but I doubt that it would make any difference during play.

Those game files add up fast. I'm not a rabid gamer by any measure but I've got more installed games than you have space on your SSD. Elite Dangerous and Fallout 4 are both over 20GB. That's 10% of your SSD each.

 

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

OK, if I got it correct, which I generally don't the first couple of times. IF the OS is on the SSD the C: drive will be there. If the OS is on the HDD, the C: drive will be there.
Download Steam to the C: drive, which generally speaking will automatically place it in the Program Files (x86) file located on the C: drive.
Then download any and all game which is only 3 at the present time to what ever pre-named folder (ED or NMS for instance) on the other drive.

Question: At what point and which file do I make it the "Run As Administrator".

I've read somewhere that the (dot exe) that actually starts the game should be on the SSD somewhere that can be easily found. Because loading from there, will be faster. Is that any where close to being correct?

 

[Morbad]

So install steam in or or on my HDD, but place the games actual start game.exe in its own directory on or in my SSD.

You'll want the whole game on the SSD.

I have absolutely no problem with all my steam games installed to D: including Elite. A HDD is plenty fast enough.

A subjective assessment I vehemently disagree with.

Elite isn't a particularly I/O heavy title, but it still accesses the drive often enough for long enough that it's a perceptibly better experience on an SSD. There is a constant level of random reads with spikes during hyperspace jumps/system loading, planetary approach, entering/exiting SC, accessing station menus, etc. The game is smoother on an SSD unless you have a serious bottleneck somewhere else.

I've read somewhere that the (dot exe) that actually starts the game should be on the SSD somewhere that can be easily found. Because loading from there, will be faster. Is that any where close to being correct?

The executable itself is going to reside entirely in memory after it loads. Most game assets are not part of the executable.

 

[Speedcuffs]

You'll want the whole game on the SSD.



A subjective assessment I vehemently disagree with.

Elite isn't a particularly I/O heavy title, but it still accesses the drive often enough for long enough that it's a perceptibly better experience on an SSD. There is a constant level of random reads with spikes during hyperspace jumps/system loading, planetary approach, entering/exiting SC, accessing station menus, etc. The game is smoother on an SSD unless you have a serious bottleneck somewhere else.



The executable itself is going to reside entirely in memory after it loads. Most game assets are not part of the executable.

This advice ^^^ worked well for me.

 

[Para Handy]

.....
Question: At what point and which file do I make it the "Run As Administrator".
.....

You do not need to - I have not got the launcher nor the executable set to that - I try to never set that for anything.

I have absolutely no problem with all my steam games installed to D: including Elite. A HDD is plenty fast enough. ........

This is bad advice. Yes some games are OK with the slower access and load times but some things are hugely hit by that. I am always careful about which games can be stuck on a HDD.

 

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

OK, well I just got it, un-boxed it, plug the hdmi cable into my new tv HDMI #1 and the pc which only has one, plug the power of both into the electrical protector, which here in Mexico is a must do considering how many spikes we get even when on those rare days when it rains. Plug in everything else and turn the master switch in the back on, then the power button in the front. And waited and waited and ...

With the exception of some cool led lighting effects inside the pc which one can see through the smoked glass side panel coming on; NOTHING, NADA, ZILITCH, etc etc etc at all whats so ever happened. The tv just has the screen saver bouncing around saying no service. Bummed out, open the manual and low and behold two cd's fell into my lap. Ahhhh, GREAT I said to self. No more issue I said to self. Then I spent 10 to 15 minutes looking and looking and looking some more and guess what I found. NO optical drive any where.

Got a guy who fixed my previous old (8 years) and made it new again last year. But won't be here till 1800 Saturday.

If it were not for bad luck, don't think I'd have much to any luck at all.

 

[epoch5]

Did you tell your TV to use it's HDMI port?

 

[Speedcuffs]

PC only has one hdmi... Are you sure?
Isn't there one on the mb and one on the gpu?

 

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

Did you tell your TV to use it's HDMI port?

Though the pc only has one, the tv has 3. I plug the cable into #1 and when it didn't show anything on the screen except the no service, I switched the tv to #2 and then #3, and had the same results. NO SERVICE. It's as if the pc isn't even there.

While doing some research, it was stated numerous places that the issue could be from a loose or insufficient connection with one of the components while being assembled or one became loose during the shipping process. And or one of the components just doesn't work. In all the cases, it was stated to take it apart all the way back to installing the first component and reinstall everything. Yea, right, like a one eyed unskilled, 70 year old is going to do all that.

 

[Cmdr Nemo LXXI]

PC only has one hdmi... Are you sure?
Isn't there one on the mb and one on the gpu?

I've looked on all sides, top and bottom and though there are a lot of USB ports of various number such as 2.0 3.0 and 3.1, an old style printer port, an even older mouse port, there's only one HDMI. The tv has three, and though I know I plugged it into #1, I tried #2 and #3 to no avail. I removed the glass side and looked as good as anyone could at the insides without removing or moving anything and though there are some plastic connectors not being utilized nor any place I could tell where as something needed to be plugged in, I saw NO other ports of any kind, shape or form.

 

[epoch5]

Though the pc only has one, the tv has 3. I plug the cable into #1 and when it didn't show anything on the screen except the no service, I switched the tv to #2 and then #3, and had the same results. NO SERVICE. It's as if the pc isn't even there.

While doing some research, it was stated numerous places that the issue could be from a loose or insufficient connection with one of the components while being assembled or one became loose during the shipping process. And or one of the components just doesn't work. In all the cases, it was stated to take it apart all the way back to installing the first component and reinstall everything. Yea, right, like a one eyed unskilled, 70 year old is going to do all that.

Who did you buy that computer from?

 

[Speedcuffs]

Start with the TV, do you have, or can you borrow, anything that outputs hdmi,(console, whatever) and try to get that on the TV using the same cable.