New computer with solid state and disc drive

[JHEarcht3]

Long retired, home office, currently VW2013 on Windows 10

 

Since VW has been crashing a lot lately -- possibly due to read-write lag between RAM and hard drive -- I'm considering buying an inexpensive mini-tower PC with 16GB RAM,  256GB SSD and 1TB disc drive. I'm hoping the SSD for boot drive will help the crashing issue. And just speed-up VW in general, as it uses Virtual Memory. Drive space is not as much a problem as read-write speed. Price is a consideration.

 

I generally don't do big projects or 3D, so I assume the small primary drive should be sufficient. But, I'd like to know if anyone has experience with SSD + HDD combination. And can offer pros & cons. For example, I don't know how to allocate software between them. Can it be done automatically?

[Jeff Prince]

39 minutes ago, JHEarcht3 said:

But, I'd like to know if anyone has experience with SSD + HDD combination

Don't do it, just get an a SSD in your computer. A 512 GB SSD should be fine.

Those combos of spinning disks and SSD are generally terrible.

 

If you need additional storage for files, use an inexpensive external SSD.

They are fast, reliable, and portable.

There are plenty of inexpensive quality 1 TB+ units for around $100.

 

If you provide a total budget for your new computer, I'm sure some folks here will make you a nice recommendation.  Just keep in mind, your old Vectorworks may not play nicely with a new operating system, you'll have to check to see what version your new computer will come with... otherwise you might need to upgrade your Vectorworks too.   You could always buy a mac mini and use the Vectorworks subscription method of working, that way you can turn off the subscription when you don't need it, perhaps saving money.