Question about optimizing skyrim+ ssd+windows+page file

[nvanderw]

Hello and thank you for reading this. 

 

My main goal is to optimize my skyrim experience. With a SR:LE+REGS+MO+PerMa build, I think that I now pushed experience to the limit so I upgraded from a i7 930 to i5 4690.

 

I am going to reinstall windows. I have 3 ssd's, a 128 gb samsung 840 EVO, and two  64 GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD.

 

I currently have windows+skyrim+mod organizer on a raid 0 setup, and I have read that it is a horrible pain, if not almost impossible, to transfer this setup to a new motherboard. 

 

Now, it is well known that skyrim with windows with mods makes a very large page file (mine gets as large as 10 gb with skyrim on, 1.3 gb before skyrim starts), and I read that it is best to let windows manage this.  With this in mind,  what would be optimal for my new build?  I am trying to minimize the stuttering caused from reading on disk while playing and loading times, things like that.

 

Now my skyrim folder + mod organizer = 67 gb, so I can't stick that on just one of my Agility SSD. I imagine this getting bigger in the future

 

Option 1: Put skyrim + mod organizer+ windows  on a raid_0 as before.  I think this option is a bad idea, but still wondering if it is most optimal.

Option 2: Put Windows on one of the Agility SSD and Skryim on the Samsung 840 EVO.

Option 3: Put skyrim + mod organizer+ windows on the Samsung 840 EVO

Option 4: Put skyrim + mod organizer on raid_0 and then windows on the Samsung 840 EVO.

 

And in the case of option 2 or 4, should I force the page file to be on the same SSD as skyrim?

My main concern here is that if I let Windows manage the page file (which I think is the general consensus as to best option) then it will probably store the page file on the same SSD that windows is on and NOT on the SSD that Skyrim is on. I guess what I am most unsure about it the following: would it be faster to read and write from another drive or same drive then what the application is on?

 

Or on another note, would it be better to just get 16-32 gb of ram and have no page file?

 

I am interested in your opinion, and your current setup.

Edited November 16, 2014 by nvanderw