[SOLVED] What's better? SSD+HDD or SSD?

[CErickson25]

Okay, so I am looking to get more storage space, my budget isn't overly great right at the moment so I'm wondering what's better?

A 500gb WD Black Gaming M.2 SSD + a 4TB Seagate Barracuda
Or
A 1TB WD Black Gaming M.2 SSD

I'm mainly planning to play games, I mainly play MMOs, open world RPGs, and others of that sort.

I know SSD is better for load times so I plan to mainly have my MMOs and the OS on there with maybe 1 or 2 other big open world games and all others on my HDD... should I shell out for the 1TB or buy the smaller SSD and the bigger HDD? My current budget will only allow for one of the options.

Also if anyone knows a thread or guide somewhere on helping transfer my 64 Windows 10 Home from my current HDD to the SSD, I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[tennis2]

How much space is used on your current (single?) HDD?

(500GB SSD = $60) + (4TB HDD = $120) -> Total = $180

1TB SSD = $120

I'd go for the 1TB SSD and just reuse your existing HDD as secondary storage.

 

[CErickson25]

How much space is used on your current (single?) HDD?

(500GB SSD = $60) + (4TB HDD = $120) -> Total = $180

1TB SSD = $120

I'd go for the 1TB SSD and just reuse your existing HDD as secondary storage.

I currently have a 1TB HDD in my computer, what I'm looking at the 500gb SSD is $63 and the 4TB Barracuda is $80 which is $143 and the 1TB of the same brand is $135

Also currently on my 1tb HDD only about 120gb is left, and that is intentional cause I don't want to fill it up but and the current games would be moved to the 4tb minus the mmos

 

[arif1752002m4a1]

500GB WD Black M.2 (for OS and Apps)
1TB WD Black 7200RPM Sata HDD (for Installed games and library)
4TB or 8TB WD blue/green/Seagate Barracuda pro or any reliable Drive for data..

I always use this storage configuration.. and it gave best performance and reliability..

 

[tennis2]

I see. Yes $20/TB is a good price for high capacity HDDs. I threw out at $30/TB which is a more typical "non-sale" price.

I mean, you're going to have to be the one to decide whether you want/need 2TB or 4.5TB of storage right now. My thought is that you get the 1TB SSD now, then later down the road, you replace your 1TB HDD with something larger. That gives you more space to put today's huge games on your SSD.

 

[CErickson25]

500GB WD Black M.2 (for OS and Apps)
1TB WD Black 7200RPM Sata HDD (for Installed games and library)
4TB or 8TB WD blue/green/Seagate Barracuda pro or any reliable Drive for data..

I always use this storage configuration.. and it gave best performance and reliability..

My current budget doesn't allow for that atm

 

[CErickson25]

I see. Yes $20/TB is a good price for high capacity HDDs. I threw out at $30/TB which is a more typical "non-sale" price.

I mean, you're going to have to be the one to decide whether you want/need 2TB or 4.5TB of storage right now. My thought is that you get the 1TB SSD now, then later down the road, you replace your 1TB HDD with something larger. That gives you more space to put today's huge games on your SSD.

That's what I'm thinking about, cause I play FFXIV an mmo which needs to be there, then the other huge open world games I want to play like cyberpunk 2077 thats coming out... I know a bigger SSD is better, and I can always get another HDD a bit later, plus a whole additional TB would work for right now, plus spending $63 just to upgrade it later.... yeah get the bigger SSD for now, then $80 next check or the 1 after isn't bad at all... plus if I want to I can get a bigger one than the 4tb when it comes to it...

 

[alceryes]

Having everything, on the fastest drive you can get, will be the fastest, of course. 'Best' is subjective.

SSDs are not just good for speeding up load times. Many, many open-world games load content during gameplay. An HDD can cause hitching during those times. I recommend getting the 1TB SSD, NOT filling it up (75% max), and just using your current 1TB as a data drive until you can afford or need a 4+TB storage drive.

 

[CErickson25]

Having everything, on the fastest drive you can get, will be the fastest, of course. 'Best' is subjective.

SSDs are not just good for speeding up load times. Many, many open-world games load content during gameplay. An HDD can cause hitching during those times. I recommend getting the 1TB SSD, NOT filling it up (75% max), and just using your current 1TB as a data drive until you can afford or need a 4+TB storage drive.

I decided on the 1TB SSD, I think at most only hable 300-450GB will be filled... mainly consisting of my MMOs, the OS, and 1-2 big games i play, but I'm curious why the high regard to not filling it up to 75% max? Slower speeds?

 

[alceryes]

Yes. Here's a couple of articles to peruse -

Why Solid-State Drives Slow Down As You Fill Them Up

The benchmarks are clear: Solid-state drives slow down as you fill them up.

www.howtogeek.com

Why solid-state drive (SSD) performance slows down as it becomes full - Pureinfotech

Ever wondered why your solid-state drive degrades performance over time? Here we look into the problem and what to do to keep drive speedy.

pureinfotech.com

Of course, this will depend on the SSD model, manufacturer, firmware version, age, underlying issues, etc.. From what I've seen/read you'll have less of an issue with the big name mfgs (Samsung and Western Digital) than some of the smaller ones.

 

[CErickson25]

Yes. Here's a couple of articles to peruse -

Why Solid-State Drives Slow Down As You Fill Them Up

The benchmarks are clear: Solid-state drives slow down as you fill them up.

www.howtogeek.com

Why solid-state drive (SSD) performance slows down as it becomes full - Pureinfotech

Ever wondered why your solid-state drive degrades performance over time? Here we look into the problem and what to do to keep drive speedy.

pureinfotech.com

Of course, this will depend on the SSD model, manufacturer, firmware version, age, underlying issues, etc.. From what I've seen/read you'll have less of an issue with the big name mfgs (Samsung and Western Digital) than some of the smaller ones.

Thanks for the info, I just ordered the 1TB WD Black Gaming SSD. I went with that one because right now it's $135 down from $250 and I can just buy a bigger HDD later when I need to