256GB SSD vs 128GB SSD

[Alpha211]

Hello,

I am planning to build a new gaming rig and would like to know, which is better to go for, a 128GB or 256GB SSD?

I plan to get a 1TB HDD for mass storage but likely I will have various steam games that may take up some space and also it will serve as a boot drive as well as for loading games faster - I've got a £1600 build budget

Do I need a 256GB capacity SSD? I am aware of programs such as Steammover that transfers the games between the Hard and Solid Disk Drives

Also in real time performance terms, are 128GB SSD's faster than the higher capacity counterparts?

Thanks alot,

 

[Cons29]

steam now supports installing games at different folders/drives.

i am not aware how currently how much is the price diff between 128 and 256, but if it's too much then i would go with 128gb.
in some brands/models, higher capacity have higher speeds. but for everyday usage we wont notice any difference.

 

[manofchalk]

Due to the way that SSD's work, higher capacities do perform better. However, not enough to justify buying a bigger drive for that purpose.

I think that 128GB is plenty for a boot/programs drive, with room for a few games, I have a 128GB drive and have 32GB leftover.
Though of course, when it comes to how much storage space you need, ultimately your the only one who can answer that.

Steam now gives you the option of choosing which drive games are installed too, so your fine there.

 

[envy14tpe]

I think 128GB is enough for most people. I use a 120GB (111GB usable) SSD and I have OS, all programs, and 2 main games. One of my games, BF3, takes up 35GB on the SSD. I still have 17GB free on my SSD.

There are many great options at $95-115 for a 128GB SSD. Otherwise you could look for a 240GB on sale for around $160.

 

[CommentariesAnd More]

Here's a overkill , but beast - PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£259.19 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£78.84 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£164.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Dominator GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£74.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£177.30 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£106.30 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (£523.99 @ Dabs)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.90 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£89.08 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.35 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1607.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 11:52 BST+0100)

A 840Pro 256 GB is a beast and a GTX 780 + i7-4770K is a complete monster. No need to change this build for 2 years if high is only needed.

Here's another high end beast -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£183.59 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£78.84 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-OC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£164.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Dominator GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£74.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£125.50 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£106.30 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) (£319.99 @ Dabs)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) (£319.99 @ Dabs)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.90 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£89.08 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£14.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.35 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £1596.51
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-02 11:55 BST+0100)

An i5-4670K + GTX 770 SLI should be another beastly build , choose anyone of those. Also I agree with manofchalk , get a 120GB 840Pro , IMHO , unless you want a lot of apps on high speed SSD.

 

[JPNpower]

Why not go for 256? Not THAT expensive. The Sandisk Ultra Plus, which performs very well, has been reviewed by Toms recently and is on the front page. It goes for $180 I think.

 

[manofchalk]

Also I agree with manofchalk , get a 120GB 840Pro , IMHO , unless you want a lot of apps on high speed SSD.

I actually think that if your using the SSD as a boot/program drive, theres no reason to pay the extra for the 840 Pro over the vanilla 840.
The only difference between them is Write speeds (and MLC/TLC flash, but ultimately that makes no difference as under normal usage they will both be long obsolete before TLC degrades), which isnt going to benefit you much in that usage. If you were using it as a scratch disk for editing, or to record gameplay (then why not RAID0/10 HDD's) then the 840 Pro would make sense.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I agree both the pro and standard 840's , are good.

 

[JPNpower]

A recent review on Toms has shown that the Sandisk Ultra+ offers similar performance for less, if you want savings.

 

[Alpha211]

Thanks alot for the input

I'll probably go for an 840 pro 128GB

Really appreciate the feedback