John Chad, Bachelor Degree in Computer Science & Computer Engineering.
Russel Collins
Solid-state storage devices (or solid-state drives) are smaller in terms of physical dimensions compared to hard disk drives but have faster read/write speeds. Solid-state drives store data on integrated flash chips instead of magnetic platters like traditional hard drives do. This makes them lighter, thinner, faster, and quieter as well. If your computer has not been upgraded with one yet, it may be time to consider getting one — especially now that they’re available at affordable prices. But what should you look out for before investing into a new SSD? Keep reading!
What’s the difference between SSD and HDD?
Before answering whether a particular amount of storage will suffice for gaming, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves about how both types of drives work. Hard drives use mechanical parts such as spinning disks and moving arms to access their stored information while solid-state drives rely solely on electronic components such as transistors and capacitors to retrieve said information. As a result, solid-state drives can access data faster because there are no moving parts involved.
There are also other differences worth noting. For example, solid-state drives don’t require power once they’ve finished booting up, unlike hard drives which continue running even after shutting down. Also, since solid-state drives use less energy, most modern laptops nowadays come equipped with batteries that support these types of drives. Furthermore, solid-state drives tend to last longer due to fewer moving parts. In addition, although some people argue otherwise, there really isn’t any noticeable noise generated by solid-state drives.
Now that you know all these things, let’s get back to deciding on how big your SSD needs to be.
How much does SSD speed improve game loading times?
The first thing you should ask yourself is how important game load times are to you — particularly those pertaining to online games. If you aren’t bothered too much about these issues, in that case, any SSD will work for you, however, we recommend a 512GB or 1 TB of storage would probably be sufficient.
For single-player RPGs, however, 256 GB should be fine. Most popular titles wouldn’t exceed 50 GB in file sizes while a lot of them aren’t even over 20GB so 256GB will let you store quite a few single-player games, so you shouldn’t experience any problems there.
Does size matter when buying an SSD?
Yes, it matters. While a small SSD might seem ideal for beginners who just started building PCs, bigger ones offer a lot more storage space to hold & load more games & files. Since newer technology comes along every year, manufacturers keep improving their products. With newer generations, manufacturers incorporate stronger materials such as higher quality NAND ICs and improved heat management systems among others. All of these factors contribute towards making a reliable SSD.
Of course, there are certain risks associated with purchasing a very expensive high-end model. For starters, SSD failures caused by manufacturing defects are extremely rare but nonetheless exist. Secondly, some models feature controllers whose firmware causes unexpected errors during operation. Lastly, there’s a possibility that your SSD may stop working altogether within a few years if used improperly.
How much space does Windows 10 occupy?
Windows 10 usually occupy around 20-25GB, as such that’s how much space you won’t have available in your SSD if you install windows in it.
A lot of people overlook this factor and end up paying extra money for a bigger SSD without knowing exactly how much it actually helps them. It’s true that SSDs provide excellent performance benefits but not everyone wants to spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy piece of hardware that gives them little practical uses outside of playing games & booting windows faster.
Most people use computers primarily to browse the web, send emails, write documents, watch videos, etc.
But again, if you plan to use your computer mainly for entertainment purposes, you’ll definitely want to invest in a decent SSD regardless. After all, nothing beats the feeling of opening your favorite indie title and seeing that it loads almost instantly.
And remember, if you already own a desktop PC and you’re looking to upgrade your current HDD, there are easy ways to free up space on your computer, however, SSDs are amazing and you should make sure to at least have one with windows 10 installed.