500gb ssd for games

[MrStark]

Is there any problem with buying an ssd solely for games? does it lose longevity or anything like that?

let me know if its a bad idea

 

[itech]

Its a very good idea actually. Ideally you should have your OS and games on the SSD and data on a cheaper mechanical drive. You would notice a massive improvement in terms of load times etc.

 

[MrStark]

Its a very good idea actually. Ideally you should have your OS and games on the SSD and data on a cheaper mechanical drive. You would notice a massive improvement in terms of load times etc.

I have a 120gb ssd for OS and standard programs etc. aswell as a 1tb drive for data.

That's what i was thinking, faster load times would be nice.

Do you know anything about reducing it's lifespan due to 'excessive' use?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, MrStark.

It really depends on what you plan on playing. Basically I'd say that if the games you like to play don't have a lot of in-game loading screens and if you're not bothered by the initial loading of the game, then it's not that big of a boost in terms of gaming. I agree with @itech that it's a great system booster when used for the OS and heavy duty programs, but in-game the gameplay itself will have no visible difference between an HDD and an SSD (except for the already mentioned loading part). On the other hand if you plan on recording your gameplay, an SSD would be the better choice, especially if you want to go for full HD videos at 60Fps.

So basically it's up to you to decide if getting an SSD just for gaming is justified.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[MrStark]

Hey there, MrStark.

It really depends on what you plan on playing. Basically I'd say that if the games you like to play don't have a lot of in-game loading screens and if you're not bothered by the initial loading of the game, then it's not that big of a boost in terms of gaming. I agree with @itech that it's a great system booster when used for the OS and heavy duty programs, but in-game the gameplay itself will have no visible difference between an HDD and an SSD (except for the already mentioned loading part). On the other hand if you plan on recording your gameplay, an SSD would be the better choice, especially if you want to go for full HD videos at 60Fps.

So basically it's up to you to decide if getting an SSD just for gaming is justified.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Interesting, thank you
I'm not really one to record gameplay... so would it be more justifiable to get a 250gb ssd and put games such as Civilisation V and GTA V on for the load times?

 

[guanyu210379]

I am using Crucial M4 128GB (around 5 years old) for Windows and 500GB 840 EVO for games.
Civ V is not really a lot better on SSD, Skyrim is definitely a lot better, since Skyrim loads stuffs over and over each time you open a door.
I dunno about GTA V and Witcher 3, I have it always on SSD from the beginning.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Well, that depends totally on your budget. Basically the great difference between SSDs and HDDs is the storage capacity and the pricing. So if you're not bothered by either of those, just go ahead and get an SSD.
When talking about faster loading times the SSD basically blows away the HDD. So I haven't played GTA V that much but except for the initial loading of the game I don't remember it having that much and long in-game loading screens. As for Civ 5 - haven't played it, sorry. I was referring to games like Skyrim for example. You have loads of in-game loading screens - getting in and out of a house, fast travel, etc. But again, this is my point of view and doesn't necessarily mean that you won't like the boost for other types of games.

edit: Lol, seems like @guanyu has given the same example. But you get the idea for the type of games we are referring to. 😀

 

[MrStark]

I am using Crucial M4 128GB (around 5 years old) for Windows and 500GB 840 EVO for games.
Civ V is not really a lot better on SSD, Skyrim is definitely a lot better, since Skyrim loads stuffs over and over each time you open a door.
I dunno about GTA V and Witcher 3, I have it always on SSD from the beginning.

Seems like you know what you're talking about, might go for a 250gb (i only have 280gb of games total)
I mean wcs I spend $130 on a 250gb ssd that i can use for other programs.

 

[MrStark]

Well, that depends totally on your budget. Basically the great difference between SSDs and HDDs is the storage capacity and the pricing. So if you're not bothered by either of those, just go ahead and get an SSD.
When talking about faster loading times the SSD basically blows away the HDD. So I haven't played GTA V that much but except for the initial loading of the game I don't remember it having that much and long in-game loading screens. As for Civ 5 - haven't played it, sorry. I was referring to games like Skyrim for example. You have loads of in-game loading screens - getting in and out of a house, fast travel, etc. But again, this is my point of view and doesn't necessarily mean that you won't like the boost for other types of games.

edit: Lol, seems like @guanyu has given the same example. But you get the idea for the type of games we are referring to. 😀

Nah mate, budget isn't an issue

Yeah I get what you mean, like I said @guanyu wcs i have a spare 250gb ssd with one or two games on that i can put other programs on

Cheers for the information

 

[kyzarvs]

Hey there, MrStark.

It really depends on what you plan on playing. Basically I'd say that if the games you like to play don't have a lot of in-game loading screens and if you're not bothered by the initial loading of the game, then it's not that big of a boost in terms of gaming. I agree with @itech that it's a great system booster when used for the OS and heavy duty programs, but in-game the gameplay itself will have no visible difference between an HDD and an SSD (except for the already mentioned loading part). On the other hand if you plan on recording your gameplay, an SSD would be the better choice, especially if you want to go for full HD videos at 60Fps.

So basically it's up to you to decide if getting an SSD just for gaming is justified.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

Interesting, thank you
I'm not really one to record gameplay... so would it be more justifiable to get a 250gb ssd and put games such as Civilisation V and GTA V on for the load times?

Having just tested GTAV in three different scenarios (my O/S drive is a 840EVO) I think I can speak with some experience:

1. Local second SSD

2. Local mechanical WD Black 3TB HDD

3. Remote NAS service over 1Gb wired network (16GB RAM FreeNAS box with 4xWD Red drives providing ~14TB)

In GTAV (a 65GB game), there is a slight improvement of about 5 seconds when first loading the campaign and 1-2 seconds when switching characters over the mechanical drives (only if they are in different areas - it's an instant switch on missions with all three together), with the NAS / WD solutions being almost identical in performance to each other. Once in character, there is no difference in gameplay, with no texture pop-ins or anything else. I can't see any difference in smaller games that are waiting on other things (TF2 / CG:GO for example)

I've since moved all my 750GB to the NAS drive and not regretted it in any games I play (Mad Max, XCom2, CS:GO are my current ones). Personally, an SSD makes total sense as an O/S drive where the performance benefits cannot be ignored, but in gaming? For me, I'd buy a big mechanical drive and not really care about the few seconds in loading that doesn't affect gameplay at all.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Nah mate, budget isn't an issue

Yeah I get what you mean, like I said @guanyu wcs i have a spare 250gb ssd with one or two games on that i can put other programs on

Cheers for the information

Sure thing 😉