Maybe time to make that tech support label.

I have acquired a 120GB SSD.

I need to go from the 400GB I currently use down to that. Talking with people online today, we figured out I can take my HDD out of my computer, put it in an enclosure, and USB 3.0 speeds will be sufficient to have no load issues on running games and stuff.

What I'm wondering is if I just slap that drive into an enclosure, can I play my games from it without reinstalling? Or do I need to reinstall them?

Is there a way to install a game on one drive and move it to the other without it breaking? Using links of some kind?

Otherwise, to fix the links within the game will be very, very difficult.

*One point of trouble, though, is that I have no idea how Steam treats external drives. If it's treated as an internal one, then smooth sailing is due.

In Steam you can set your "Steam Library" location to a folder on that SSD very easily. As far as "moving" your currently installed games, I don't really know. I would be surprised if it wasn't possible. Worst case he would just have redownload all his games and have them install in the new location . . .

And Funk, unless you are planning to use that SSD on other computers and need it to be portable, don't bother with an enclosure. Just slap it inside your tower case and plug it straight into the motherboard with a SATA cable (the SSD probably comes with a SATA cable). Just make sure you have a spare power cable on your power supply so that you can power the SSD:
http://www.alphr.com/features/378925/how-to-install-an-ssd

I can confirm transferring your entire Steam folder between different HDs works. Steam itself has a page explaining how it works (check the second part).

I still hold my caveat of not knowing how Steam will react to an external drive, though.

Are you moving to SSD to lower load times? Games won't run any faster if they are still on the spinning drive. And why would you make your old drive external? Unless you want all your games to be portable?

Are you moving to SSD to lower load times? Games won't run any faster if they are still on the spinning drive. And why would you make your old drive external? Unless you want all your games to be portable?

I'm moving to the SSD to lower load times on normal software. Games are so large now I could only have one or two on the SSD at any time anyway.

My old drive will be external because my case doesn't have spots for two drives.

WOULD it work to make the games portable?

The solid state drive won't be portable, my normal one will become portable. It will do so because there is only one spot to put a hard drive. Using a 2.5 inch one as a model, I tried shoving it in a bunch of places, but it won't fit or won't stay put. I also don't have power cables long enough to reach a spot on the case I can tape it on to, with a single exception, a spot literally on top of the other hard drive, which I've been told could inhibit air flow to both of them and lower their lifespans.

There isn't space enough.

I'm not hoping to transfer games over, but to run them from the external drive. I don't use Steam except when strictly necessary, which it seems to be lately. I've bought stuff on Origin and junk as well, plus I have some older non steam games. Are you saying that if I move my steamapps folder to the old hard drive, it will pick up on the old Steam installations?

That's what Steam does. I still don't know if it will work on an external drive, but in the very least you won't lose the game files and will get to restore them without redownloading any time.

Goddammit. Stupid Steam being useful and junk.

Thanks for that!

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