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Should I Install OS on SSD or HDD? With How to Guide

Should I install os on SSD or HDD? Here is a full guide on it and we will elaborate on how to install the operating system on SSD and everything else on HDD. Learn and try it by yourself.

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Updated by

Sherly

Written by

Cedric

Updated on Dec 02, 2024

Should I Install OS on SSD or HDD?

The answer is SSD. Having the OS on the SSD makes it run 10x or more faster in terms of boot-up time, drive access, saving and reading files, etc. Also, programs on the HDD will not benefit from the speed of the SSD. Access to the HDD will still be at the slower HDD speed. Hence, the suggestion is to install OS on SSD and keep other files on HDDs

When it comes to the point of why installing OS on SSD makes sense, as does everything else on HDD, it is important to understand the reason behind it along with other aspects. Let's start with SSD followed, by HDD.

install os on ssd or hdd

SSDs have their advantages and disadvantages. A user needs to decide to get only SSD or split between SSD and HDD.

🔎While it makes sense to upgrade to SSD, it comes at a price. There is a difference of at least 60-70% in terms of cost vs storage type ratio making it challenging to buy SSD for everything. Another disadvantage of SSDs is that they will wear out faster than a standard hard drive, and even though they are more expensive, you will need to buy more than one in due course.

🚩When it comes to advantages, it is all about speed and performance. OS will boot a lot faster than it was on HDD, and your gaming experience will be a lot better., editing videos will be quicker. Your PC will be able to load apps almost instantly.

💡The rest of the files, that you do not access often can be on an HDD. These files can be photos, videos, or documents. These files do not need a lot of resources; they would work fine on an HDD. This is the primary reason why most backup drives are built using an HDD. They are not only cost-effective, but they last longer compared to SSDs. They also have more storage space compared to SSDs.

So, to find an ultimate balance, the best solution is to install the OS on SSD, and for everything else, including backup and storage, use an HDD. OS on SSD will enhance your system speed, backup, and storage; on the other hand, it will be less susceptible to disk failure. Since files on HDD will not be accessed regularly, a speed slower than SSD is fine. 

Share this article to help more users who want to know if they should install the OS on SSD.

 

How to Migrate OS on SSD on Windows 10/11 

To make sure data is safe, you can use EaseUS Partition Master Professional.  This is an OS migration tool. It allows you to move the operating system only to an SSD while all the other data is kept in the previous location. Its "OS migration" function has the following features:

  1. 👍No need to reinstall the operating system after the migration
  2. 👍Automatically navigate to BIOS and change the boot order.
  3. 👍Compatible with all Windows versions, including Windows 11/10/8/7XP/Vista

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Now, let's transfer OS from the original HDD to SSD:

Note: The operation of migrating OS to SSD or HDD will delete and remove existing partitions and data on your target disk when there is not enough unallocated space on the target disk. If you saved important data there, back up them to an external hard drive in advance.

Step 1. Select "Clone" from the left menu. Select the "Migrate OS" and click "Next" to continue..

select migrate os

Step 2.  Select the target disk you want to clone. Click "Next".

Step 3. Click "Yes" after checking the warning message. The data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted. Make sure that you've backed up important data in advance. If not, do it now.

select the destination disk

Step 4. Preview the layout of your target disk. You can also click the disk layout options to customize the layout of your target disk as you want. Then click "Start" to start migrating your OS to a new disk

preview the lay out

Step 5. When you see a confirming message, asking "If you want to start up computer from the clone target disk", tick "Adjust the order to boot from the clone target disk" and click the respective button through your demands. 

  • Reboot Now: it means to reboot the PC and boot OS from the new disk immediately.
  • Done: it means to make the changes later. 
 Confirm to clone OS to a new drive

In the BIOS, select the SSD as your Boot Drive, save your changes, and exit BIOS. This way, your PC can boot from the SSD now.

To learn more key features of EaseUS Partition Master, check the list below:

Download it now and make the disk management and OS migration easier.

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How to Migrate All Programs from SSD to HDD Without Reinstalling

Apps always get bigger and bigger. That's why we transfer apps to HDDs. To batch transfer all apps to an HDD, you can use EaseUS Todo PCTrans. Its "App Migration" feature allows you to transfer all programs to HDD at once. 

  • No need to reinstall after the migration.
  • Compabitle with Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista.
  • Keep all the app settings and data after the migration.

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EaseUS Todo PCTrans is PC migration software that can moves data, applications, and accounts between computers or to another new hard disk without reinstalling. The process makes sure everything that is moved carries along all the settings, so you don't have to reinstall from scratch. The software supports the migration of applications such as MS Office, Photoshop, Adobe Software, and so on. 

Follow the steps below to learn how to move all programs from HDD to SSD with EaseUS Todo PCTrans.

Step 1. Connect new SSD or HDD to your PC and Run EaseUS Todo PCTrans

1. Connect the new SSD or HDD to your computer and initialize it to make the drive accessible.

2. On the main screen of EaseUS Todo PCTrans, click "Local Migration" and click "Start" to continue.

local migration interface

Step 2. Select apps, programs on the source disk and select SSD or HDD as target disk to transfer

1. On the source partition where you installed apps, tick desired programs (marked as "Yes") that you'd like to transfer to your SSD or HDD.

2. Click the triangle icon to select the new SSD or HDD as the destination and click "Transfer" to move the selected programs.

select apps to transfer

Step 3. Wait for the transferring process to finish

When the process finishes, click "OK" to complete. 

Then you can restart your PC to keep all the changes and you can run the transferred program on your new SSD or HDD again.

finish transferring apps to SSD/HDD

HDD and SSD Overview

Storage devices have come a long way, and so has the operating system. Apps and games need faster writing speed and installation speed to improve the user experience. That is where SSDs come into the picture. 

HDD, or Hard Disk Drive, is an old form of storage that is slower compared to the modern SSD or Solid-State Drive. Even today, there are many PCs, especially the OS that is installed on them. HDD makes the overall experience slow as it takes a lot of time to fetch data, install software, and everything else.

For example, if you play a lot of games on your computer, you need a faster drive, like SSD. SSDs will make sure the game launches faster, updates faster, and when you are playing it, the resource files, graphics, and every element that is needed during gaming loads faster. 

Similarly, when editing a video or downloading a large file, it is important to have a faster read-write speed. It is particularly helpful when you render a video. If the software can save more data in less time, the rendering will be a lot faster. Imagine a video render on HDD, which could be an hour, while on SSD, it could be a few minutes. If you need to fix a mistake in the video, you can fix it a lot faster.

Final Words 

One of the best ways to improve the performance of your computer is to install a Solid State Drive (SSD) as your main storage device. While a traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) will always be durable than an SSD, SSDs are much faster.

If you're going to use HDD and SSD together, you can install the Windows on the SSD and store others on the HDD. The SSD makes the system more reliable. If you have an old computer that has an HDD, it's better to just reinstall Windows on the SSD and keep the HDD for backups.

To migrate OS to SSD, apply EaseUS partition management tool. Looking at all its features, it is clear that EaseUS Partition Master is a must-have utility tool that provides you with a quick, easy, and professional way to manage your hard disk's partitions with an intuitive and neat interface.

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FAQs About OS on SSD or HDD

Do you know if you should install OS on an SSD or HDD now? If you have further questions, read this part to help.

1. Is the OS better on an SSD or HDD?

Sure. install your operating system on an SSD for much faster boot times, program load speeds, and overall system responsiveness. SSDs have much quicker read/write speeds than HDDs, especially for random access.

2. Should I install apps on SSDs or HDDs?

For optimal performance, install applications on an SSD rather than an HDD. SSDs provide significantly faster load times and responsiveness for programs, especially those requiring frequent data access, such as games. Use HDDs for bulk storage of files where speed is less critical

3. If I use the SSD to run the OS and use the HDD for other programs and large files, will it slow down my PC?

No. The SSD will enhance boot and load times for the OS, while the HDD can handle bulk storage effectively. However, programs installed on the HDD may load more slowly compared to those on the SSD, affecting performance during use. For optimal speed, prioritize installing frequently used applications on the SSD.

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About the Author

Updated by Sherly

Sherly joined EaseUS in 2022 and she has always loved writing articles and enjoys the fun they bring. She receives professional training here, focusing on product performance and other relative knowledge. She has written over 200 articles to help people overcome computing issues.

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Written by Cedric

Cedric Grantham is a senior editor and data recovery specialist of EaseUS. He mainly writes articles and how-to tips about data recovery on PC and Mac. He has handled 10,000+ data recovery cases and is good at data recovery of NTFS, FAT (FAT32 and ExFAT) file systems, and RAID structure reorganization.

Read full bio

Product Reviews

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  • I love that the changes you make with EaseUS Partition Master Free aren't immediately applied to the disks. It makes it way easier to play out what will happen after you've made all the changes. I also think the overall look and feel of EaseUS Partition Master Free makes whatever you're doing with your computer's partitions easy.

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  • Partition Master Free can Resize, Move, Merge, Migrate, and Copy disks or partitions; convert to local, change label, defragment, check and explore partition; and much more. A premium upgrade adds free tech support and the ability to resize dynamic volumes.

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  • It won't hot image your drives or align them, but since it's coupled with a partition manager, it allows you do perform many tasks at once, instead of just cloning drives. You can move partitions around, resize them, defragment, and more, along with the other tools you'd expect from a cloning tool.

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