Modern NVME/SSD Recommendations - Overprovisioning and Indexing

mccnavy · Jan 21, 2024

Due to past recommendations, I have always set 10% of my drives as unallocated (i.e. overprovisioned) and disabled indexing. I know this was due to longevity and performance impact, but I wouldn't be surprised if things have changed and there may be new pros and cons. Does creating the unallocated space at the end of the drive still provide benefit, if even peace of mind, or is it totally unnnecessary now and I'm not only wasting space but causing myself unnecessary pain trying to move it once created...i.e. create it by reducing size of C: drive, disabling Recovery (I've had recovery partition get corrupted by moving partitions while it was still active), moving the unallocated space to the end of the drive, and then reenabling Recovery. Also, there was always recommendation to disable indexing to reduce writes, as well as gain a tiny bit of disk space. Originally, I was told that SSDs were so fast that you wouldn't notice a difference but I've also heard that searching is noticeably degraded when turned off, especially on large drives where Windows Search has to look across the entire drive. Thoughts, recommendations, or opinions?

allan · Jan 21, 2024

I'll respond to indexing. I've disabled it on every system I've owned for as long as I can remember - SSD or HD. I don't use Windows search function. Instead, I've always used a third party option. These days, Everything (formerly "Search Everything") is my choice as a search utility. It's open source and free, uses virtually no resources, and returns are instantaneous. IMO, among the best available apps of any sort available for Windows: Downloads - voidtools

BTW - I've also always deleted the recovery partition and relied on disk imaging as my backup / restore methodology. Used Acronis True Image for many years, but once they went to a subscription model I switched to Macrium Reflect (paid version) - which is every bit as powerful and reliable as True Image.

Sir_George · Jan 21, 2024

mccnavy said:
Due to past recommendations, I have always set 10% of my drives as unallocated (i.e. overprovisioned) and disabled indexing. I know this was due to longevity and performance impact, but I wouldn't be surprised if things have changed and there may be new pros and cons. Does creating the unallocated space at the end of the drive still provide benefit, if even peace of mind, or is it totally unnnecessary now and I'm not only wasting space but causing myself unnecessary pain trying to move it once created...i.e. create it by reducing size of C: drive, disabling Recovery (I've had recovery partition get corrupted by moving partitions while it was still active), moving the unallocated space to the end of the drive, and then reenabling Recovery. Also, there was always recommendation to disable indexing to reduce writes, as well as gain a tiny bit of disk space. Originally, I was told that SSDs were so fast that you wouldn't notice a difference but I've also heard that searching is noticeably degraded when turned off, especially on large drives where Windows Search has to look across the entire drive. Thoughts, recommendations, or opinions?

First question - All SSD's have a preset overprovisioning space allocation. Does adding more help, I doubt it.
Second question - Windows 11 search is slow enough without turning off indexing. I use Everything as a replacement.
(The above are my opinions and others may be different)

A good explanation of overprovisioning is provided at the weblink below.

SSD Over-Provisioning And Its Benefits | Seagate US

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Hi,
Now days you have to be careful resizing C because MS installs the recovery partition at the end of the disk no matter what size the disk is.
They are easily broken to it seems MS can't resize D for example if a user wants a data partition after install or even use the unallocated space that you want for OP they can only take space from C When not If the recover partition needs more space.

I do the same +-gb but want the recovery... in front of C just like ms has done for decades I just make it larger.

Wisewiz · Jan 21, 2024

allan said:
I'll respond to indexing. I've disabled it on every system I've owned for as long as I can remember - SSD or HD. I don't use Windows search function. Instead, I've always used a third party option. These days, Everything (formerly "Search Everything") is my choice as a search utility. It's open source and free, uses virtually no resources, and returns are instantaneous. IMO, among the best available apps of any sort available for Windows: Downloads - voidtools

Sir_George said:
I use Everything as a replacement.

Me too, me too, and me too (disabled, Everything is my choice, and among the best).

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

They do not have auto OP
Just because for example a 500gb ssd is only 465gb in windows is not because of auto OP
It's because to drive manufacture 1000mb is 1gb and windows 1024mb is 1gb.

Another example is if you activate OP in say samsung magician after it will show a lot unallocated space after lol
Do it and see for yourself !

mccnavy · Jan 21, 2024

Thanks for responses so quickly. I just downloaded "Everything" and will try it out.

The only reason I've kept my Recovery Partition is that I thought you needed it to gain access to advanced startup options like Safe Mode. Please correct me if I'm incorrect. Likewise, I know some people simply use a bootable Windows Install Media drive to access Recovery functions.

I put the unallocated space (overprovisioning) at the end of the disk because, as mentioned, previous Samsung and Crucial disks I had put it there using their software. Right now my/our machines have WD and SK Hynix drives and neither of their software have the OP option which is why I did it myself.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Well you'd have to say or show a image where the RE partition is like did to know if it's any good for recovery

I personally use macrium reflect winPE for recovery and system imaging for my solutions to issues not the recovery tools RE partition
I put it where I did so ms would stop creating one after large updates plus they added them in silly places

mccnavy · Jan 21, 2024

I've neen using Hasleo Backup (after Macrium Free went away) but here is an image of the machine I'm on...similar to what I've done on other machines. I believe Windows has my D: drive as Disk 0 based on the M.2 slots on my motherboard and how they are assigned in UEFI/BIOS.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Hi,
Yeah should still work.

NavyLCDR · Jan 21, 2024

Free space is free space on an SSD. It does not matter if that free space is in a partition or not, or if the free space is at the beginning of a partition map or at the end. If you have 10% total free space anywhere on an SSD, then you also have 10% over provisioning. The only reason to keep free space in an unallocated unpartitioned space is to ensure that amount of space remains free should you completely fill the existing partitions with data.

Wisewiz · Jan 21, 2024

Overprovisioning is a complete non-issue for me, and I like it that way.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

NavyLCDR said:
Free space is free space on an SSD. It does not matter if that free space is in a partition or not, or if the free space is at the beginning of a partition map or at the end. If you have 10% total free space anywhere on an SSD, then you also have 10% over provisioning. The only reason to keep free space in an unallocated unpartitioned space is to ensure that amount of space remains free should you completely fill the existing partitions with data.

Hi,
If that were true samsung magician wouldn't be doing the opposite when OP is activated.
Seriously C or D.. having unused space is not the same as unallocated free space.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Hell here's an image after OP was applied lol so please do more research !
.

pparks1 · Jan 21, 2024

I don't do anything special on my SSD's/NVMe's on any of my systems and i never have. My original SSD I bought in ~2008 (an 80GB Intel X25-M Gen 2) still works, but it too small to be of any real use in any of my systems.

The only thing I try to do is keep my drives from being at more than 90% disk capacity.

My 2TB WD SN850 that I bought In Dec of 2021 just turned 3 years old last month, and just finally went from 100% health to 99% health. I just install Windows on them and use them, all indexing, profiles, pagefiles and everything else reside on the drives.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Hell I have 10+ year old sata ssd's still at 99% lol

Think 970 evo+ is close to 4 maybe 5 years and it's still 100%
Leave unallocated space people the firmware needs it to do it's OP business this is not a os chore.

Sir_George · Jan 21, 2024

ThrashZone said:
Hell here's an image after OP was applied lol so please do more research !
.
View attachment 84720

Using Crucial Storage Executive I have almost the exact same "Unallocated" space for overprovisioning.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Sir_George said:
Using Crucial Storage Executive I have almost the exact same "Unallocated" space for overprovisioning.
View attachment 84726

It's sad people still do not understand what OP uses
Crucial is absolutely correct !
Although it's blocking your 709mb recovery tools partition from accessing C hopefully it still works
If not MS will create another one later when it wants to at the new end of C.

ThrashZone · Jan 21, 2024

Indexing wise use it as much as the search performance isn't hit to badly.

Sir_George · Jan 21, 2024

ThrashZone said:
It's sad people still do not understand what OP uses
Crucial is absolutely correct !
Although it's blocking your 709mb recovery tools partition from accessing C hopefully it still works
If not MS will create another one later when it wants to at the new end of C.

I forgot to remove the "Recovery Partition." I use system imaging for my backups on separate drives, one at home and one offsite, so I don't need it. Thanks for pointing out my oversight.