A SSD (solid-state drive) is based on solid-state flash memory, hence the name, and offers incredibly fast data storage compared the traditional spindle-based mechanical drives. Data access and throughout is usually double the speed on traditional SATA connections with relatively entry-level SSDs and gets faster with newer interfaces and technology. Right now PCIe Gen4-based SSDs allow up to 5GB/s of data transfer speeds. In this article, we’ll discuss how SSD’s can impact gaming and system performance to make your gaming experience better.
SSDs (solid-state drives) are advanced data storage devices contain integrated circuits unlike HDDs (hard disk drives) which are based on fast, spinning disks with a spindle and articulating arm for reading. Instead, the data is written on flash cells which acts like the surface of hard disk platters but since they are readily available for reading, data access is just so much faster. This also means there is a low to zero chance of physically damage during data access versus that of a traditional drive where-in there can be adverse effects when external forces are applied on a drive while in operation. The nature of how SSDs operate also means there is no sound involved in the operation and data throughput has lower latencies than HDDs.
Before this article explains you about the SSDs impact on your gaming, let’s look at why SSDs are superior to HDDs:
- An SSD provides enhanced performance thanks to NAND and NAND controllers removing the need for moving parts and operating at very high speeds.
- SSDs have higher data transfer bandwidth and lower latency.
- Fragmentation does not affect the performance of an SSD.
- In practice, an SSD has data transfer rate of 500 MB/s to 5000 MB/s right now, while HDD range from 100MB/s to 220MB/s.
Does an SSD enhance PC gaming experience?
The most pronounced improvement that SSDs can provide you is loading speed. Whether its on a PC or a console, SSDs are faster than stock HDDs with our tests showing up to 70% performance improvement on real-world tests.
Game responsiveness is also improved as loading textures and game data is faster even on active scenes. This means areas currently being loaded off the drive feel more natural and there is no sense of stutter that usually is caused from loading large map data or the likes from a slower drive.
Selecting an SSD over a traditional hard disk drive is a good decision as SSDs are faster in read and write cycle compared to HDDs. SSDs also provides an advantage in boot times which makes it easier to load large files quickly.
A few things to consider with SSDs:
- SSDs are still relatively improving in pricing but currently still holds a higher price per gigabyte than HDDs. For bulk storage that don’t need fast access, we recommend an HDD like storing photos or videos.
- SSDs have a write-endurance period which allows them a certain number of times where data is written. This are measured in hundreds of terabytes at a minimum so even if you write 10GB per day on your SSD, its still going to take a long time before you start losing access to your NAND cells.
- SSDs vary in interface format. Make sure your board supports the type you have whether it is SATA, M.2, or PCIe, amongst others.
- SSDs don’t improve FPS performance in games, they just guarantee a smoother and fluid gaming experience by loading data faster. Also better loading speed.
- SSDs are still prone to corruption and virus-infections. If such file errors occur and make the SSD inaccessible, there is hope that you can recover data from SSD drive using Yodot SSD data recovery software in just a few steps.
Conclusion
In closing, SSDs provide better overall storage especially for games if you want to get in on the action quickly. With less loading times, you’ll spend more time actually playing than waiting for your games to load. With SSDs prices coming down and capacities getting larger, there’s really no need to sit on a decision between a 1TB SSD or a 6TB HDD, if you’re mostly gaming AAA titles or esports games, then you want the best performance possible then SSDs can give you a head start against your competition.
