How important is the boot drive vs a separate drive for game library?

[Trentonxx]

Hi all,

 

after seeing this: https://www.techspot.com/review/2116-storage-speed-game-loading/

 

I was thinking if having a faster but smaller SSD (like a 256gb gen.4 nvme) for windows + game launcher

 

and a cheaper 2-4 tb QLC NVME (or maybe even just Sata) SSD for gaming library is a good move or there are some noticeable drawbacks?

 

should I maybe get a decent Nvme of like 1tb so I can divide 2 partition, one for windows + programs and desktop of like 150gb and the rest for games? does running games from the same disk as the OS one gives them any advantage or disadvantage? like easier/harder to fetch data, memory access and so on?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Having a seperate drive for boot really won't matter. The boot drive doesn't use much io normally. Basically no difference. As that link shows, there is basically no differnce between high end and low end ssds in most games. Id just get a big midrange m.2 nvme drive for evertyhing.

 

NO need to partition the drive, just use folders if you want to use one drives.

 

 

[Kilrah]

Nothing to gain by splitting, just a pain when one partition is full and the other not...

 

Also a Gen4 SSD is overrated, in most cases you can't even see the difference between SATA and gen3 NVMe.

 

 

[Trentonxx]

Just now, Electronics Wizardy said:

Having a seperate drive for boot really won't matter. The boot drive doesn't use much io normally. Basically no difference. As that link shows, there is basically no differnce between high end and low end ssds in most games. Id just get a big midrange m.2 nvme drive for evertyhing.

 

NO need to partition the drive, just use folders if you want to use one drives.

 

 

With games like COD that takes so much space + a big VR game library (and in general I keep games installed for some time even after I finish playing like FC5 or big titles like Rust and Ark) I need a lot of space, so having a cheap 500gb drive + a 2tb drive ends up cheaper than 4tb drives that are quite expensive

I always partidioned my drive, it's a bit for keeping things organized and leave that extra headroom for SSD that they need, plus if something f-up it's limited to the single partition.

also I tend to re-install windows almost once a year to clean up all the clutter, and I just have to format and re-install on my C instead of re downloading games idk

[Trentonxx]

3 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

Nothing to gain by splitting, just a pain when one partition is full and the other not...

 

Also a Gen4 SSD is overrated, in most cases you can't even see the difference between SATA and gen3 NVMe.

 

 

so I should go with the cheapest SSD (with cache) that I can find on amazon?

is C-tier good enough or I can even go as low as D-tier for the gaming library?

https://linustechtips.com/topic/1092033-ssd-tier-list/

how about the OS drive? should I look for C or B tier? thanks!

 

[Electronics Wizardy]

3 minutes ago, Trentonxx said:

With games like COD that takes so much space + a big VR game library (and in general I keep games installed for some time even after I finish playing like FC5 or big titles like Rust and Ark) I need a lot of space, so having a cheap 500gb drive + a 2tb drive ends up cheaper than 4tb drives that are quite expensive

I always partidioned my drive, it's a bit for keeping things organized and leave that extra headroom for SSD that they need, plus if something f-up it's limited to the single partition.

also I tend to re-install windows almost once a year to clean up all the clutter, and I just have to format and re-install on my C instead of re downloading games idk

Yea then a seperate boot drive is fine, but you really don't need to reinstall windows that often.

 

Id really keep one partition. It makes it easier to manage the space with folders instead of parititions, and no reason to keep unallocated space to keep the drive for longer, the drives will manage this them selves with trim.

 

3 minutes ago, Trentonxx said:

so I should go with the cheapest SSD (with cache) that I can find on amazon?

is C-tier good enough or I can even go as low as D-tier for the gaming library?

https://linustechtips.com/topic/1092033-ssd-tier-list/

how about the OS drive? should I look for C or B tier? thanks!

 

Im not a fan of tier lists, id just get a midrange ssd for both, or even lower end is fine, id get something liek a sn550 or 665p or similar

[Kilrah]

Would go with a midrange gen3 for system and a decent QLC for the game library if you want 2 drives.

[Trentonxx]

2 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

no reason to keep unallocated space to keep the drive for longer, the drives will manage this them selves with trim.

oh really? I always tried to keep the top 15-20% of my SSD free to avoid slow downs, but that was many years ago, if it's no longer needed poggers more space for me!

 

 

1 minute ago, Kilrah said:

Would go with a midrange gen3 for system and a decent QLC for the game library if you want 2 drives.

thank you!  I guess I'll ditch NVME for the game library then, I like MX500, I have 5 of them around my builds, is a TLC with no cache better than a QLC? (I'm seeing a 50€ difference on the 2tb model)  also QLC seems to be more on NVME than sata drive, why is it that?

[Trentonxx]

 

wait, how is a BX300, cache-less and older gen SSD on the same level as a MX500? (also is MLC worth looking for in sata SSDs??)

Edit: oh wait, dram-less and cache-less aren't the same thing.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Trentonxx
added info