Is an SSD necessary?

PoshGaming · Jul 22, 2013

In my new gaming build I'm currently thinking that i'm just going to use a HDD (and ram obviously) as my memory. Will I lose out on performance in not using an SSD? and is an SSD any differnet to a HDD apart from being smaller?

Azn Cracker · Jul 22, 2013

SSD is definitely not necessary, but it is nice to have. It helps a bunch with load times in games and boot time for windows. Your money might be better spent elsewhere. If you have a high end build, a ssd would be good. However, if it is a budget build I would invest that money in a better gpu or something

oczdude8 · Jul 22, 2013

PoshGaming :

yes an SSD is very different from and HDD besides being smaller. An average HDD has read/write speeds of about ~100MB/s while a good SSD has ~500MB/s. that's not all, in terms of random access (which translates into computer snappiness)

heres a good table of differences:http://www.diffen.com/difference/HDD_vs_SSD

a computer will run fine with and HDD, but it will "feel" a lot faster with and SSD and I consider having an SSD in this day and age to be almost necessary.

yhikum · Jul 22, 2013

SSD is not just faster, it is way faster. Speed comparison does not just come into play when launching programs, it is a very important factor when loading system or shutting down.

Also, not many HDDs are able to hit 100 MB/s continuously. Many small files will cause a major hiccup for HDD due to seek times. Hence, SSD will remedy any seek times completely.

Your computer with SSD will not just "feel" faster, it will be faster. Even older computer with SATA2 interface will drastically differ when using SSD.

maddogfargo · Jul 22, 2013

Look at Seagate hybrid disks or the Momentus XT line.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Depa=0&Description=PPSSSSHD&name=Hybrid-Hard-Drive

Other manufacturers have started following in their footsteps. Small SSD caching algorithm for speed + large HDD for space. Gives you faster boot and load times for frequently accessed files but also the capacity of a HDD while showing up as 1 drive to the OS.

Get the 750GB or higher Momentus XT though, as the 500GB used a slightly slower SSD than the newer versions. These won't be as fast as a top end SSD, but it will be much better than a HDD alone and is only about $10 more.

Fouchey · Jul 22, 2013

I would say for the average computer user no. Most people are not going to care if their computer boots up in 25 seconds compared to 15 seconds or have a program open up in 7 seconds compared to 3 seconds. As for gaming you might pass a loading screen a little faster but for now pricing will cost you a little under $1 per GB and HDDs cost like $.07 per GB(or less if you buy larger) but SSDs will make your computer feel smoother, faster, they use less power, quite, no moving parts so less heat etc.. It's really about personal preference. I have an SSD but it is not for gaming and I wouldn't really recommend getting one just for gaming.

PoshGaming · Jul 22, 2013

If I get a cheaper ssd e.g. 32-64gb (along with the 1tb hdd I already have) will that make much of a difference or are they not worth having until you get into the higher gb area?

Azn Cracker · Jul 22, 2013

PoshGaming :

You would want at least a 64gb one. That way you can load windows OS on it and a few programs. I emphasize on a few because windows takes a large chunk of it.

ideally I would get a 128 gb one or greater.

Once again this all depends on your current specs. If you have a pretty low end computer, use that money to upgrade your gpu or cpu instead. Would be helpful if you posted your specs so we can judge

PoshGaming · Jul 23, 2013

CPU Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core

CPU Cooler Enermax ETS-T40-VD 76.0 CFM

Motherboard Gigabyte G1.Sniper M5 Micro ATX LGA1150

Memory Corsair Vengeance 16gb (2x8gb) DDR3 - 1600
Storage Western Digital AV-GP 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM

Video Card Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB

Case NZXT Phantom (White/Red) ATX Full Tower

Power Supply Corsair 600W ATX12V

Optical Drive Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer

This is my current build and it's already cost me around £900 so I don't want to spend more than £100 (£150) on an SSD.

Any suggestions?

Fouchey · Jul 23, 2013

PoshGaming :

Samsung 840 pro. In my opinion one of the best out right now.

yhikum · Jul 23, 2013

You can always buy SSD later on, specifically if you watch prices SSD will go down once a while to around $80 mark. There are bargain sites that track prices for you so you can actually save money.

Also, forget premium SSDs. They are not worth their money due to either high costs or small gains over other competitors (Samsung is premium brand, so is Intel). There are other SSDs that are good and will serve you long time.

Bargain prices can also be applied to components you have listed, such as power supply or memory. Often computer cases go on sale, so take a look at last three months to see history of pricing. You will save more than $100 in total sales. There are many sites that do that so watch out for price.

Also, for optical drive I would recommend getting a USB powered one. This way you can move it between computers, and it is the most inessential piece of hardware in computer anyway.

Fouchey · Jul 23, 2013

yhikum :

What type of non premium brands would you be talking about here? I'd be very interested in looking at the reliability and performance. I would not recommend going cheap on an SSD or HDD mainly because data is very important to most people. "Premium" brands like Samsung offer a warranty for up to 3 years on their SSDs which I'm guessing means they are very confident they will last at least that long. You can get the Samsung 840 120GB for $100(probably a little less now) and it has very good performance for it's price. I guess if you don't care about reliability and performance very much go ahead and search Amazon for a cheap 64GB SSD, it's really about personal preference and budget options.

yhikum · Jul 23, 2013

There are good brands out there like Sandisk and Kingston, why limit yourself to Samsung?

As for reliability, performance and warranty, all of them matter only if you care. Sending item on warranty will still cost you money to send it back. Reliability of course matters, but most of the drives are reliable to the point where they do not fail immediately, nor degrade in readability in normal workstation environment. Performance is another angle you can pick. However, it all comes down to if you care for 10 Mb/s increase or not. Most drives will rarely touch their rated speeds due to simple fact that every file has different length.

So if paying premium price is what you aim for, which is of itself a noble goal, you are welcome to overspend. There is a reasoning usually people go for when circumstances are unknown, thus they aim for best and greatest. Once you realize what prices are and how they change you can adopt same mentality and choose carefully, so you can have more money on other items.

Fouchey · Jul 23, 2013

yhikum :

I'm not limiting myself to Samsung, that just happened to be the premium brand you named :wahoo:

I think most people buying an SSD do care about reliability and performance. I'm not sure why you would buy one if you didn't? Reliability has a lot to do with warranty, companies do not want to send thousands of free SSDs to customers when their SSD fails which is why you can assume they believe the product will last longer than the warranty. I'm not sure how shipping works though(because my Samsung 840 has never failed). As for overspending for Premium, Sandisk and Kingston are pretty much the same prices as Samsung. Take a look at the Hyperx 3000 and Extreme II.

yhikum · Jul 23, 2013

For those who are in US, we can find cheap SSD here (as an example): http://www.techbargains.com/product/ssd

There are other websites that track "deals" too. Typically SSDs usually go down to $80 for 128 GB, which is a very good deal. For Samsung drives I've never seen price lower than $90, hence premium price to pay. There are seasons for sales to watch out, typically in September-October and April-May.

The reasoning is simple. You can get 25% discount price on majority of items which you can build computer from. Exceptions would be particular PC cases and water-cooling supplies.

oczdude8 · Jul 23, 2013

DO NOT get cheap ssd brands like AData, they don't provide a lot of performance gains over an hdd and they have a very, very short life span (2-3 years). You are making a high end rig and, if you cant afford and SSD right now, you can always add it in in a few months. I recommend the Samsung 840 pro or the crucial m4 SSD's. Buying a cheap ssd I like buying a cheap power supply.

In terms of size, get ATLEAST a 128gb one, as you will find youself filling it really quickly. I use 240gb and its 70% full with only some games and softwares.

Fouchey · Jul 23, 2013

oczdude8 :

Great advice too. You should be okay getting the 128gb as long as you don't plan on putting a lot of games on it. Won't run you more than $130-$140 for the 840 Pro. Just use a second HDD for space. You'll regret going cheap.

Voky · Nov 12, 2014

Hey guys, atm this is my setup, will a SSD from 120GB be fine?

(Case)Corsair Carbide 300R with Window
Corsair CX 750W
(Motherboard) Asus M5A97 LE R2.0,sAM3+
(Processor) AMD FX-9590,sAM3+
(Cooling) Corsair Hydro H100i
(Memory) Corsair ValueSelect 1600-16GB (2x8GB)
(Videocard) Asus Strix GeForce GTX 970 DirectCU II OC
(Internal Hard Drive) Seagate Desktop SSHD 2TB - 3.5inch
(Solid State Drive) Kingston V300 - 120GB
(Cooling Case) Fractal Design Silent Series R2 80mm
(Cooling Case) Fractal Design Silent Series R2 80mm

Do you have any tips to change a part of this setup I have atm? Feel free to comment

Is an SSD necessary?

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