Confused about where to install games?

[DaGabaGhoul]

For years I have always installed my games under prgram files x86 steam apps common blah blah whatever it was at default. Well now that I have a new 4 tb extra hard drive and I am uninstalling then reinstalling alot of games I am finding more hard drives then I thought I knew. Either way I keep reading about how its not good for games to be installed under the x86 folder as others have said thats old information from like windows vista days. So basically what is the answer? What is with all the misinformation? is it ok that my high taxing games like DOOM FALLOUT 4 and other big games are installed on my main steam folder on my main C driver under x86. Is it basically ok for any game to be installed under there? the reasons for not, from what I read, deal with adminstrative issues when it comes to updates for games and stuff. I have never had a problem that I can remeber but who knows maybe I did with one game and blamed it on something else. Sorry for my grammar!

[Exiled Alchemist]

People don't like to install games to the main c drive aka the OS drive for a lot of reasons. For one installing the games on another drive will help prevent the main os drive from become corrupted over time. Some older titles don't work when installed to the OS drive do to how new the OS is. It helps prevent the OS drive from slow downs when multi-tasking programs at the same time. For example if you like to listen to music at the same time as playing a game it can cause some slow downs when the drive loads data, and creates lag in the game. When the two are running off a seprate drive you will have less of a chance of running into this issue. Finally people like having an easier way to get to where the games are installed so they can manually install mods/unoffical patches from reputable sites. This way you never get asked for admin confirmation to move data to the games location for the mod/patch you are trying to install.

[FrostDust]

You are not slowing down newer games by installing them to Program Files(x86). Even though that folder exists for compatibility with 32-bit programs, newer games and programs are coded to properly behave as 64-bit programs even if installed in that folder.

The reason Steam installs in Program Files(x86) by default is because the Steam program is 32-bit, both for compatibility with users who have a 32-bit processor or OS, and because there's no benefit to Steam being a 64-bit program. Steam then installs games under this folder, to help keep things organized and for permissions purposes (as in, the Steam program would easily be able to write data to it's own folder).

[Muppet among Puppets]

Put steam folder on a partition. OS on its own. That way you can easily reinstall OS and keep all things.

[DaGabaGhoul]

hmm darn. I need to keep my more power hungry games on the internally hardrive for it is a bit faster. That internally one is also the drive that the OS is on and program files x86. So idk if i should just forget it and get to gaming with it all in the same folders still. Or take the time and basically uninstall all the games off of the program 86 folder, which is about 20 to 30 games out of the over 100 installed. Then reinstall those games to a different folder on the OS hardrive. The more powerfull games are going to have to stay on the OS drive because it is a bit faster. arg I honestly don't know if it matters if my games are in x86 or not either way ty for the replies.

[DaGabaGhoul]

It makes me also think of something. Which would be faster for gaming a 5400 rpm hardrive wtih a 128mb cache or a 7200 with a 64 mb hard drive. the one internal one i have is 2 tb 7200 with a 64mb cache and the external is 4tb 5400 with a 128mb cache. not asking if internal or external is faster I know the answer to that. More so asking the 5400rpm 128 mb cache vs 7200 rpm with 64mb cache.

[𝕙.𝕓𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕒𝕤]

Most will tell you to go for the 7200 rpm drive. Personally one of my drives is a 8 TB Seagate ST8000AS0002 5.900U/min 128MB 3.5" SATA 6Gb/s and I don't see noticable differences in load time or data streaming.
For your installed games there's a software called SteamMover so you don't have to re-
download/reinstall on another partition/drive. Older games are sometimes picky and especially with Win10 wont work if installed in ProgramFiles(x86) folder.
A good investment would be to get a SSD as your OS drive.

[DaGabaGhoul]

Thats what I was thinking especially with my new gpu upgrade. still using my water cooled i7 3770k that proccessor still some how kicks ass. Just got the msi gtx 1060 6gb gaming x 16 gigs of ram the internal 7200 64mb hdd and the 5400 128mb external. Most of the games now are being installed the the external and I havent noticed much difference. Even with big open world games using usb ss 3.0 5-5.9 g/s and its really fast at loading alot of levels. I want to try a newer game like metro last light or wolfenstein the new order. Even skyrim special edition. either way though for now the more powerful games are staying on the os 7200 86 drive and most of the games are being put on the external 4tb hdd. yea still wondering tho if I should make a whole new folder for my games on the os drive or not. btw using windows 7. Also thank you for the lengthy discussion!

[FaeStar]

Originally posted by h.barkas:

Most will tell you to go for the 7200 rpm drive. Personally one of my drives is a 8 TB Seagate ST8000AS0002 5.900U/min 128MB 3.5" SATA 6Gb/s and I don't see noticable differences in load time or data streaming.
For your installed games there's a software called SteamMover so you don't have to re-
download/reinstall on another partition/drive. Older games are sometimes picky and especially with Win10 wont work if installed in ProgramFiles(x86) folder.
A good investment would be to get a SSD as your OS drive.

^This. Seagate newer drives are read as another internal drive, instead of a removable ones, so the load times are pretty good.

I personally have all my games and the Steam client on a 4TB drive. That way I can have them all in one place, regardless of if I can run them on my potato laptop or if I have to boot up the PC. And before I got the PC, I could just go to someone else's house and use theirs.

Very few games have been so picky that I have to move them to the main drive. Strangely, they all run outside the Steam client just fine, even if I move the folder to the Desktop. Prison Architect is one example, or the FNAF games. (If anyone can explain that one to me on a message or something, I'm all ears, because it makes zero sense.)

[DaGabaGhoul]

I hear you Im actually surprised at the speed of the 4tb external I grabbed, it is a seagate as well. I was a bit worried about the failure rate but with some more research that was only a bad batch of 3tb hardrives that they sent out a while ago. Yea at first from reading i was worried i wasted my money on this external hdd. then I decided to say f it and run games on it and decide for myelf if its any slower. I started with lower power games like serious sam and then brought dead island up on it because its open world. No problems at all today I might try sniper elite 3 and metro last light on it and see how it does. Hopefully I can get to the point where I am convinced its fast enough to run games like wolfenstein the new order and DOOM.