hdd vs ssd for new system?

[dennisjanderson]

I am building a gaming rig and heard ssd can really help with loading times and stutter issues in graphic intensive games like Skyrim. My concern is I heard solid state drives have a much shorter life span, around 2-3 years on average, depending on the size of the drive itself and how much your computer writes to it daily. Is this true? I really don't want to drop $150+ bones on it if it's not going to last. I've tried googling and checking the forums for an answer to this, but there are conflicting reports about a ssd lifespan.

Bottom Line: What is the average life span of a ssd on a gaming computer? and should I even be worried about it?

 

[Proximon]

Let me provide some answer.

I have an Intel 320 160GB purchased from newegg on 5/2/2011.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167055

My Intel SSD Toolbox program tells me that the drive is in excellent health and has a FULL 100% of it's life left. Of course, it's an Intel.

Get a good quality Intel, Crucial, or Samsung and you should not need to worry about it... no more than you would an HDD.