G53-SX-A1: Questions regarding SSD set-up and OS

[Phate18]

Hello, fellow gaming enthusiasts!

I have recently purchased a G53-SX-A1 from the States and it should be arriving soon. It has an OCZ Vertex 3 as the boot drive and a 750 SATA II HDD as a secondary drive. I am just wondering what the procedure should be when I get it... I saw Chastity's driver thread, which I shall follow, but it doesn't give anything regarding SSDs.

It's a fresh install of Windows 7 Home Premium (without the bloatware), so I realise crucial things may be missing. I haven't used a Windows computer for about three years (I dabbled in MacBooks, please don't lynch me :( ), and I realise the jump from XP to 7 might be a bit of a shocker! To get to the point, would the first thing to do be to disable defragmentation and enable TRIM?

Also, what's the best way to ensure the SSD stays as clean (read: non-cluttered) as possible? Should I just move folders manually (music, documents, downloads etc.) or is there a way to tell the system I don't want anything to be put on C: ?

My last question is concerning programs. As the SSD is only 120GB, I only want the crucial software (Office?) and a few games on it. Will programs work if I install them on the secondary (non-OS) drive, and if I wanted to move a program between the drives, what's the easiest way of doing that without confusing the OS? Is there an advantage in having small programs (Alcohol 120% and other utilities) on the SSD or is it marginal?

I realise the amount of questions I have is overwhelming and some of them might be quite noobish, but I really appreciate any help I could get from you guys! I noticed the ASUS ROG community is very welcoming and willing to help, so I hope you won't mind my selfish hogging of your time, as appreciated as it is!

Thank you and in return I offer smiles (^-^)/ and a picture of a kitten (http://pixdaus.com/pics/1235010527TJVGqmp.jpg) !

[JRd1st]

I don't have SSd yet so I'll only answer the parts of your post that I know about. :)

I'd assume that your new laptop (Congratulations!!) will have all the necessary drivers installed. As far as the "bloatware" , I too did a clean install of Win7 and it turned out to be a good move as it got rid of almost all the little things I didn't initially like. I've only installed Power4Gear Hybrid v1.1.43, Wireless Console 3 v3.0.19, FastBoot v1.0.10, and LifeFrame3 v3.0.24. . Either get everything from Chastity's Thread (http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showthread.php?1150-G73-74-53-Series-Driver-and-Application-Reference), or try to find the driver pages for the device. Rarely ASUS will have something that's not outdated on your model's support page. lol

120 GB is PLENTY of room for a system drive if you keep it clean. Put your games on another drive (I'd make a 100GB to 200 GB partition depending on how many games you plan to install) if you want to keep your SSD clean. Also MOVE your personal folders on another drive ; see THIS THREAD (http://www.asusrog.com/forums/showthread.php?4653-Need-some-technical-assistance-regarding-partitioned-HDD-s). I'd install non-game programs on the SSD .

A good rule of thumb is "Don't install it until you need it." You'd be surprised how much stuff you have that you don't need. ;) And if you're the type that likes to "tweak" the you should get Acronis TrueImage Home 2012 so you can make system backups in case your tweaking goes awry. :D

BTW, I like the kitten photo!

[Phate18]

Thank you, JRd1st! That was very helpful :)

So you're saying I shouldn't install games on the SSD? I thought it might help with loading the textures faster etc.

I guess you're right about them not putting old drivers in, that wouldn't make sense.

Glad you like the kittahn! ;)