New PC install, should I partition the NVME M.2 SSD?

Hi all, today I have a new pre-built PC coming with a 1TB WD Blue SN550 NVME M.2 SSD card fitted, the question is should I partition the drive and install MSFS separately from the OS?

Are there any pro’s or con’s? Thanks in advance

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There is no need to do that. I can’t think of any reason to partition a SSD/NVME. Windows is more than capable of allocating the necessary resources to obviate the need for partitioning.

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It really is not needed, so long as you have a back up option for docs and photos.

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Congratulations on your new PC. After watching Gamers Nexus channel unbox and review a dozen prebuilts:

an important thing to do is gently shake the case after you’ve followed unpacking instructions and listen for a screw rattling around - many of their review models had screws fall out during shipping. a loose screw can short circuit and destroy the computer, so if you hear one rolling around, get it out before powering on!

Once it’s powered on you will have bloatware preinstalled that consumes system resources, uninstall as much as you want.


Partitioning pros:
you can wipe just a partition instead of wiping the entire drive
you have more organization options

partitioning cons:
if you screw it up you have to reinstall from scratch
i’ve never shrunk an existing partition and I think with ~70% confidence it’s impossible (so you might need a reinstall anyway)

Note there’s no performance benefit there. I’d say don’t worry about partitions until you find yourself reinstalling windows or adding a new drive, then you can reconsider how you want to split up your storage

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My view is that although having just one drive is fine, it is tidier & more secure to have Windows on ‘C’’ and all your data on ‘D’, That way, you keep the system files ‘out of the way’ and the data drive has a simpler & less cluttered setup.

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No, with a modern Windows operating system that’s an old myth. It’s just not necessary.

…what everyone else said. Nope.

Thanks all for inputs, didn’t partition, all installed and up and running :+1:

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Being able to do a clean install of the OS without having to download and install software again is a massive benefit. Particularlarly when the software in question is MSFS.

I guess, although I haven’t had any problems with the OS or the flight game. Ever.

I acknowledge some have and I’d really love to know the reasons why there are so many problems.

Not necessarily problems. I replaced CPU, MB and RAM recently and did a clean install of W11 (previously 10) at the same time. Perfectly standard procedure.

And please have a backup on a drive that isn’t permanently installed in your pc, it’s not a proper backup if you do.

I was wondering about this with my new machine. I had a 1TB Firecuda 530 for the OS and was pondering whether to up it to 2TB and split, or just to bite the bullet and get a second, 2TB Firecuda for the sim itself. I ended up taking a long term view and went for the latter, figuring that in a year or two, the sim will be bulging and a bit more space might be worthwhile by then.