SSD, HDD, or hybrid?

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

So I'm wondering whether to get a 1TB SSD, HDD, or Hybrid, I will be using it for anything from gaming, editing, pictures, creating random text documents to remember something then deleting it soon after, downloading programs and uninstalling them if i don't like them. and stuff like that.
Now as far as I know,
SSD's are faster but have a shorter life span if you write things to it
HDD's slower but have a longer life span
Hybrids are faster then HDD's but slower then SSD's and adapt to how you use them.

But which one do I get? Price doesn't matter.

legend001523 · Aug 5, 2014

get a small ssd, like a 120gb one, just for a os, photshop, any adobe stuff, and some games
then get a 1tb hdd for the other stuff where speed doesn't matter

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

On a 120gb SSD you won't believe how fast you run out of space. Grab a 240gb SSD and a good 6gb/s, 7200 rpm, 1tb HDD for all your other stuff, including games you don't get much of a FPS boost out of an SSD (such as online or older games).

Try this for the SSD: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/250gb-samsung-840-evo-basic-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-7mm-slim-3-core-mex-controller-read-540mb-s-write-520

And this for the HDD: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-seagate-st1000dm003-barracuda-720014-sata-6gb-s-7200rpm-64mb-cache-8ms-ncq-oem

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

legend001523 :

Well with my steam library standing at 363.4GB so far I don't think 120gb will cut it, so should I get a 1TB SSD and a 4TB hard drive? Right now I have a 1TB hard drive and thats plenty of space for me. I still have 450 GB free.

MeteorsRaining · Aug 5, 2014

SSDs are far more efficient and hence more durable. If prices don't matter, get a 250GB SSD from Samsung's EVO series to install the Windows and programs. Get a good quality 1 or 2 TB HDD to save data where speed doesn't play a big role, storage capacity does.

SSDs have high data transfer rate and lower energy needs, so a SSD for atleast the C drive is a must.
HDDs can be thought of as storage silos where you may store enormous amounts of data (upto 6 TB in one drive) and still being low profile in terms of cost. SSDs are costly no doubt, but they are really a value for money.
Update: looking at your latest post, I believe you get a 500GB SSD and back it up with a 2 TB HDD, more than enough for you.

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

JimmoR3M :

Would Steam games or League of Legends be bad for an SSD because of constant updates?

legend001523 · Aug 5, 2014

WoWees8 :

A 1tb ssd costs 750 dollars, but if you can afford it, why not?

But if you're on a tight budget, get a 512gb ssd,just for games and os, that should fill that, along with some adobe fireworks etc. and the hdd for music, apps etc.Also, on the league of leegnds thing, i play it on my laptop with a hdd and the load times don't really matter, you still have to wait for otehr people to load it, unless you have races with people to see who reaches 100% first then don't put lol on it

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

But MeteorsRaining, he's got a 363GB+ Steam library, read/write speed will still matter somewhat but storage capacity will be the priority. The SeaGate Barracuda I suggested above should be perfect. There are 2TB and 4TB versions that are comparable in read/write speed.

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

LoL would be a perfect candidate for the HDD. You won't see a loading or FPS difference using an SSD. Other Steam games, for example Skyrim or Metro Last Light (or any games that have huge open worlds and long ass loading times) will need to be on the SSD for the best FPS and loading time result.

MeteorsRaining · Aug 5, 2014

JimmoR3M :

I hope he doesn't end up on a slow as ever PC because space has its priority but can you say a system with a 2 or 4 TB HDD filled with 500 GB of games can handle the writing speeds required to read them out without clutter?
No processor can help if the drive is slow, and as he has no bounds on the cost, he may switch over to a 1 TB SSD and get another 2 TB HDD for storing DATA, not programs.

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

WoWees8, see here for a guy who bench marked his results on SSD running LoL. http://forums.euw.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=435018&page=2

MeteorsRaining · Aug 5, 2014

And as the asker said, he has 1 TB HDD which has been half filled till date.
I guess he doesn't have high DATA storage needs, but high PROGRAM storage needs, for which a SSD is a must.

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

MeteorsRaining, you are missing what I'm saying, I'm saying don't completely ignore the HDD's speed. See my above suggestion. "Grab a 240gb SSD and a good 6gb/s, 7200 rpm, 1tb HDD for all your other stuff, including games you don't get much of a FPS boost out of an SSD (such as online or older games)."

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

JimmoR3M :

But would constant updates shorten the SSD life? Also can I install some steam games on the SSD and some on the hard drive without any problems?

MeteorsRaining · Aug 5, 2014

JimmoR3M :

Ah then we're on the same track just different ways of interpreting it.
This is what I mean:
According to his needs, the best option would be:
1 TB SSD
2 TB HDD if money isn't a problem.

legend001523 · Aug 5, 2014

WoWees8 :

No, but don't install league on a ssd, it will not help, at all. And yes, I think so, just make sure before you download a game you select the right path for it

MeteorsRaining · Aug 5, 2014

That is, the SSD to store all the games, OS and programs he can think of and the HDD to store all the data he can get or make

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

WoWees8, the updates would make barely any difference to the SSD's lifespan. And yes, you can indeed set two different Steam libraries up from two different drives. I do it with mine (as my SSD is only a 120gb) where I put my SSD heavy games such as the Witcher 2 and Skyrim on and my HDD stores games like CS:GO, DotA2, WoW and Hearthstone.

MeteorsRaining · Aug 5, 2014

legend001523 :

I've seen that most older games don't show improvement if installed on SSD, but is it necessary to put games in different directories if he gets a 1 TB SSD?
I don't see any need. Enough space for all the games and more. Its only if he buys 500GB that he might consider prioritizing the games storage in terms of benefits.

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

legend001523 :

Okay thanks, And I see you're a graphics card expert, If you don't mind saving me time making another thread; What would be better? 4xGTX Titan blacks or 2xGTX Titan Zs?

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

The money you fork out for a 1TB SSD could help you in other area's of your machine, such as GPU or CPU upgrades, cooling solutions etc. I only say a 250gb one as it's cost efficient and you could even grab another of them if the need arose and it saves you some £'s.

legend001523 · Aug 5, 2014

WoWees8 :

legend001523 :

Okay thanks, And I see you're a graphics card expert, If you don't mind saving me time making another thread; What would be better? 4xGTX Titan blacks or 2xGTX Titan Zs?

Budget? Needs? For rendering, 4 titan's I would say, for gaming, sli 780 ti's will game at 4k no probs

JimmoR3M · Aug 5, 2014

Jesus, what wattage is your current PSU WoWees8? xD

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

legend001523 :

WoWees8 :

Budget? Needs? For rendering, 4 titan's I would say, for gaming, sli 780 ti's will game at 4k no probs

my budget is 15k, needs are for anything really, I just want to one up the Large Pixel Collider and also future proof a killer gaming pc

WoWees8 · Aug 5, 2014

JimmoR3M :

1500W

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