Mini project for today:-
A) install 2nd HGST 4TB Deskstar NAS 7,200 rpm partitioned in GPT (I liked the first one, fast and quiet 
)
B) remove Samsung Evo 850 500GB from old Laptop, in MBR mode and install in the New Workstation (as a second fast access interim backup) in GPT mode.
Basically only Window 10 and my programs:- Photoshop Elements 13.1, Premier Elements 13.1, Canon DPP 4.3 , Office 365 with a big Outlook reside on the Intel 400GB PCIe NVMe SSD "O/S" C: Drive plus 2 shoots of images ( current work ) say 220GB in total.
Q1. I am assuming I can use Win 10 to convert the Samsung 850 from MBR to GPT?
Q2. As Magician ruins my system (locks the CPU at full speed Permenantly), can I use Windows 10 Disk Management to delete all the partions and then create one Primary drive, and leave say 35GB unallocated. The idea is this 35GB "unallocated space" will effectively be the Overprovisioning space Samsung recommend.
Q3. Is the area Magician creates called "Over-provisioning" in fact just an "unallocated" space?, or does it create some special code telling the Samsung what to do about over-provisioning? (Sorry I have read loads about overprovisioning and its merits and I am now even more confused - so for safety thought I would just dedicated 35GB circa 7% per Samsung for overprovisioning - just in case its needed?
The move of the Laptop's Samsung presents a challenge, in that its the laptops only drive, so has Windows 10 on it and about 300GB of images and documents I need to transfer to the New Workstations 4TB HDD. If I can install it in the workstation and ten copy all the docs and images from within the Workstation that would be faster. I also dont have space to move all this stuff to an external drive.
The proposed plan is:
Install the Samsung in the workstation but leave it "Disabled" in the Sata section in the Bios. Note the only Boot choice I currenty have active is "Boot from Windows UEFI HDD Boot Manager" - all other options are disabled. Currently this makes the Workstation boot from the Intel 750 PCIe drive ( but currently that it is the only drive with windows on it ).
Q.4 Will this work? Or is there a risk it will overide the "disabled" status in the BIOS and boot from the Samsung.
Q. 5 is my data reasonably safe taking this approach.?
As for the 2nd NAS - does a HDD need an overprovisioning or unallocated space? Because if it does I must do this now.
Namely install the second one with a primary simple drive, and an unallocated area. Move the data from the Laptops Samsung and then move the small amount of data from the 1St HGST onto the second and shrink the Primary dive to create some unallocated space - because at the moment the 1St NAS is just one big Primary partition , no unallocated or overprovisioning area.
Q6. in summary is do backup HDDs need Overprovisiong areas like they say SSDs do?
If just leaving some unallocated space on the Samsung 850 Evos is NOT creating Overprovisioning ? Please say so and what do I do to create true overprovisioning .... And is it worth it or necessary ( seen so many conflicting reports that Samsung already provides some area for this hidden from us, and others stating the lost space is not overprovisioning but merely the difference in how manufactures describe capacity as opposed to how Windows reports capacity bla bla Bla )
h
Hence as a newbie I am totally confused and therefore happy to sacrifice 70 GBs over 2 SSDs ( just in case its needed to deliver the performance.)
well I will have 9.4TB of space - which is some luxury, having struggled for years with a 500GB single drive and 3x 1TB and 1x 2TB ( in total 5.5TB of painfully slow 54 gb/s ) WD passports.
Sorry for the long post but it gives all the background info, and due to my "Heath Robinson" case modding ( to get rid of the std. flimsy, hooked on disc drive supports - which also blocked airflow ) the new SSD has to be bolted on the horizontal stainless steel plate, and that means taking out both NAS drives inserted from the rear under this plate, to get at the four screws seen in the picture with white silicone antivibration washers. ( not exactly the best design for access lol)
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Last question I assume its OK to put one of the SSD vertically on the real wall of the case , you can just see it on the right hand side , mounted on the verticsl stainless steel damping plate - bolted on to stop vibration.
