When building or upgrading a gaming PC, one of the most important decisions is what type of storage to use. The two main options are a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). But which offers better performance for gaming – HDD or SSD?
TL;DR
Yes, an SSD is better than a HDD for gaming. SSDs have much faster read/write speeds, lower latency, and provide an overall snappier computing experience. This translates to faster game load times, less pop-in textures in open world games, and reduced game stuttering and lag spikes. The only downside of SSDs compared to HDDs is the higher cost per gigabyte of storage.
Detailed Comparison Between HDD and SSD for Gaming
Let’s take a more in-depth look at how HDDs and SSDs compare when used as the primary storage drive for gaming.
Speed
This is where SSDs shine compared to HDDs. SSDs use flash memory chips rather than spinning magnetic platters, allowing for much faster read and write speeds.
A typical SATA SSD has sustained read/write speeds of around 500-550 MB/s. NVMe SSDs connected via PCIe can reach sequential read/write speeds of 3,000 MB/s or higher.
In comparison, even the fastest HDDs max out at around 200 MB/s sustained transfer rates.
This massive difference in throughput allows SSDs to load games, maps, and levels significantly faster than HDDs. We’re talking at least 2-3x faster load times in many cases.
Access Times
Another major speed advantage SSDs have is vastly lower access times, measured in microseconds (millionths of a second). HDDs rely on the physical movement of the read/write heads over spinning platters, which causes access times ranging from a few milliseconds up to 15+ ms.
SSDs have near instantaneous access times of 0.1 ms or less, thanks to the direct electrical connections to flash memory chips. This reduces latency when fetching data during gameplay, cutting down on stuttering, texture pop-in, and other performance issues.
Reliability
HDDs are mechanically driven devices with many moving parts like actuator arms, spinning disks, etc. They’re susceptible to damage from shocks and vibration. SSDs on the other hand have no moving parts and are better suited to withstand accidental drops or bumps.
For mobile gaming laptops that will experience frequent movement, SSDs are the safer bet for reliability.
Noise
The mechanical nature of HDDs also makes them audibly louder than SSDs when active. While HDD noise might not bother some, an SSD drive will run completely silent for a quieter overall system.
Boot Times
SSDs allow for much faster boot up times than HDDs – often less than 10 seconds to fully load Windows and be usable. HDD boot times generally fall in the 15 to 30+ second range.
Faster boot ups are always appreciated when you just want to quickly launch into a game.
Lifespan
Consumer grade HDDs typically have a usable lifespan in the 3-5 year range before failure rates increase. Well-made SSDs can last 5 years or longer before wear begins to be a concern.
For frequently written data like your OS drive, SSDs will usually outlive HDDs. However, HDDs may have the upper hand for cold storage of archived games or media that sees infrequent access.
Capacity
HDDs are available in much higher capacities compared to SSDs. For example, 4-6TB HDDs are common, while 2TB is around the upper limit for consumer SATA SSDs.
However, game install sizes average around 30-50GB for most modern titles. So a 1TB SSD can still easily accommodate a sizable game library. For budget gamers a smaller capacity SSD supplemented with an HDD for mass storage can be a good combination.
Cost per GB
Due to higher densities of rotating platters, HDDs offer a significantly lower cost per gigabyte compared to SSDs. Currently HDDs average around $0.02/GB while SSD pricing sits around $0.20/GB. The price gap has narrowed over the years but HDDs remain the value option for bulk storage needs.
Advantages of SSDs for Gaming:
- Faster load times
- Faster level transitions and texture streaming
- Decreased game stuttering and lag
- Faster boot ups
- More reliable with no moving parts
- Silent operation
Advantages of HDDs for Gaming:
- Much higher storage capacities available
- Significantly cheaper cost per gigabyte
- Still viable for storing game libraries if used with a smaller SSD for active games
Real-World Game Loading Time Differences
Let’s look at some real-world examples of how switching from an HDD to an SSD affects game load times across various titles.
| Game | HDD Load Time | SSD Load Time | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| World of Warcraft | 35 seconds | 12 seconds | 3x faster |
| The Witcher 3 | 50 seconds | 25 seconds | 2x faster |
| Battlefield 1 | 59 seconds | 31 seconds | 1.9x faster |
| GTA V | 1 minute 50 seconds | 1 minute | 1.8x faster |
As you can see, switching from a HDD to SSD can shave significant time off loading screens. In some cases tripling the load speed. This gets you into the action as fast as possible.
Will an SSD Improve FPS Performance?
Installing games on an SSD will not directly increase frame rates or FPS performance compared to a HDD. FPS is mostly dependent on the game engine, graphics settings, GPU power, and CPU speed.
However, SSDs can lead to more consistent frame times and smoother perceived gameplay thanks to the speed boost. HDDs are prone to short freeze ups and stuttering during gameplay when streaming in open world environments. SSDs help eliminate this.
On PCs with older or lower-end CPUs, upgrading to an SSD can help minimize bottlenecks by reducing sluggish disk throughput limiting the system.
Ideal SSD Size for Gaming
For a dedicated gaming PC, most people are fine with a 512GB to 1TB SSD paired with a larger HDD for bulk storage. A 250GB to 500GB SSD can also work for budget gaming builds or those with small game libraries.
Some recommendations for ideal SSD sizes for gaming needs:
- Casual gamers (5 or fewer games installed): 250GB – 500GB SSD
- Moderate gamers (10-15 games): 500GB – 1TB SSD
- Power gamers (20+ games): 1TB – 2TB SSD
- PC game collectors (50+ games): 2TB+ SSD or larger capacity HDD
Remember to leave around 20-25% of your SSD’s capacity free for optimal performance.
SSD vs. HDD for Gaming Laptops
Gaming laptops should always use an SSD over an HDD for the system drive. The speed, reliability, and shock resistance advantages are extremely beneficial for a device that gets moved frequently.
HDDs work best in desktops where they aren’t subject to motion. Dropping or bumping a laptop with an HDD can lead to catastrophic failures. SSDs are far more durable in this regard.
SSDs also drain less laptop battery than HDDs, allowing for longer gaming sessions away from an outlet. Every bit of battery life matters when on the move.
Upgrading to an SSD: Cloning vs. Fresh Install
When transitioning your gaming PC or laptop from an HDD to SSD, you have two options:
- Clone your existing HDD contents to the new SSD
- Do a fresh OS and software installation on the SSD
Cloning using software like Macrium Reflect is quick and easy. It replicates your whole HDD onto the SSD so you can swap it in and be up and running fast.
However, a clean Windows install optimizes the OS for SSD by aligning partitions properly. It also eliminates any junk data accumulated over time for snappier performance.
Game installations are also best done fresh on the SSD rather than cloned over. So a combined approach works well:
- Clone HDD OS partition only
- Install SSD and boot into cloned OS
- Install games fresh on SSD
- Wipe HDD and use for extra storage
Maximizing SSD Lifespan for Gaming
To maximize the working life of your SSD for gaming and general use, follow these tips:
- Keep at least 15-20% of drive space free – A full SSD slows down
- Use the latest SSD firmware – Check for updates occasionally
- Disable the pagefile or move it to HDD – Less writes on SSD
- Disable hibernation – Prevents wear from writing hibernation file
- Optimize SSD with manufacturer tool – Tunes OS for SSD
- Defrag HDDs only – Defragging SSDs causes unnecessary wear
Conclusion
Overall, SSDs provide noticeably improved performance over HDDs when used as the primary drive for PC gaming. The dramatically faster speeds translate to an immediately more responsive and smoother gaming experience.
SSDs eliminate the lengthy load times, texture popping, and stuttering issues inherent with HDDs. Once you’ve switched to an SSD for your gaming rig, you won’t want to go back.
While pricier per gigabyte, the gaming benefits an SSD unlocks are worth the premium cost. Aim for 500GB to 1TB capacity to start out. Then supplement further storage needs with inexpensive HDDs as necessary.
For laptop gaming, SSDs are practically mandatory nowadays. Ditch slow mechanical drives in favor of silent, resilient solid state storage.
By optimizing your gaming storage setup with SSD technology, you’ll get the absolute best performance possible from your system. Game load screens will be slashed drastically. And lag will become a distant memory. Your gameplay experience receives a huge boost.