I'm finally going to upgrade my old winXP x64 system and have a 128gb SSD and will install win7 on it. My thoughts are that I should install the OS to the SSD but the page file (configure) and all the programs/data to another hard drive. Is this the best way or are there some programs that could/should be installed on the SSD? Or some othat shouldn't (like the page file?)
I would put only programs on SSD, data on a normal HD. If an SSD breaks down, it doesn't warn as far as I know, so you can't quickly save stuff.
I don't trust SSDs at all. As Dune mentions, when they go pop you have no warning or ability to recover anything on them. I would use a 10,000rpm hard disk for your C drive, have another hard disk for your data, and use your SSD as a windows/program disk cache drive. C drives fill up very quickly and 100 gigs will soon run out. Also, programs on anything other than C is not always possible.
Since I already have the SSD, I'll likely use it. However, I have a couple of spare smaller drives that I can back up the SSD. I've always had two installed data drives that I keep synchronized up-to-date and a spare that external gets a monthly update.
I have heard that there is a high failure rate in some SSD's. I'm thinking those who have their page file on one would really be susceptible to problems.
It can be anything really. Spikes in electricty seem to be the main culprit.
My logic goes, the bios tends to be the slowest part of booting up, once the OS is up it doesn't need to load again. Once I open a program I'll want to minimise it regularly but not really open and close it, so the windows swap file on an SSD makes sense.
I use quite a few programs that need to cache or access large files quickly, so I would direct their cache settings towards the SSD, knowing that if the SSD did go pop, my scene file, assets, emails and lost time would be minimal risk.
There's not a lot of performance boost you could give to TG with an SSD, you might shave a few minutes off an animation accessing the GI cache, large .ters or textures. RAM is the main thing, larger textures, .ters etc.