SSD and External HDD help

[Quintavious V]

Ok, so i have a question

can i get myself a 60 gb ssd to install windows and get a 2tb external hard drive to install all my steam games aswell as steam?

If not, please tell me what i can do

[TheGlenlivet]

4 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

Ok, so i have a question

can i get myself a 60 gb ssd to install windows and get a 2tb external hard drive to install all my steam games aswell as steam?

If not, please tell me what i can do

Yes, but the stuff on the external drive will be limited to the speed of the USB connection.  That, and you'll have to manage windows just right to keep the install under 60 GB over time.  It fills up with logs and junk.

[Quintavious V]

2 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

Yes, but the stuff on the external drive will be limited to the speed of the USB connection.  That, and you'll have to manage windows just right to keep the install under 60 GB over time.  It fills up with logs and junk.

what do you mean by speeds? like when i search something itll take a while?

[D13H4RD]

3 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

what do you mean by speeds? like when i search something itll take a while?

When you're doing I/O intensive tasks, your speed is effectively limited to how fast your USB connection is.

 

A better idea is to get an SSD that's 128/256GB and a SATA 7200RPM 2TB HDD, assuming your system can hold either 2 SATA 2.5"/3.5" drives or an M.2 + 2.5/3.5" drive together.

 

You can store games on an external drive, but games which rely heavily on loading textures from the drive may encounter some issues due to the lower I/O speed.

[TheGlenlivet]

2 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

what do you mean by speeds? like when i search something itll take a while?

No, like loading speed.  Say you are loading a game in steam, it will be limited in it's loading speed by the USB connection.  SATA from the motherboard is 6 gbs while usb 3 is 5, and realistically won't hit that when loading multiple files from an external drive.  This will make things slower to load and can cause issues in game with things like GTAV or Skyrim where the game has to load levels as you move around.

[LogicalDrm]

You could, but 60gigs is really tight fit for Windows and other stuff. Unless you get into symbolic links (I don't recommend). Better to save bit more for 120-256gb SSD.

[Quintavious V]

3 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

When you're doing I/O intensive tasks, your speed is effectively limited to how fast your USB connection is.

 

A better idea is to get an SSD that's 128/256GB and a SATA 7200RPM 2TB HDD, assuming your system can hold either 2 SATA 2.5"/3.5" drives or an M.2 + 2.5/3.5" drive together.

rt

You can store games on an external drive, but games which rely heavily on loading textures from the drive may encounter some issues due to the lower I/O speed.

 

well the thing is im on a budget, 

my storage (if i were to go with an ssd)

 

 

Seagate 1TB BarraCuda SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (ST1000DM010)

 

aswell as 

Silicon Power 60GB SSD S60 MLC High Endurance SATA III 2.5" 7mm (0.28") Internal Solid State Drive

 

 

remember, im on a budget, is this good?

[Quintavious V]

6 minutes ago, TheGlenlivet said:

No, like loading speed.  Say you are loading a game in steam, it will be limited in it's loading speed by the USB connection.  SATA from the motherboard is 6 gbs while usb 3 is 5, and realistically won't hit that when loading multiple files from an external drive.  This will make things slower to load and can cause issues in game with things like GTAV or Skyrim where the game has to load levels as you move around.

oh damn, thanks dude!

[D13H4RD]

1 minute ago, Quintavious V said:

well the thing is im on a budget, 

my storage (if i were to go with an ssd)

 

 

Seagate 1TB BarraCuda SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (ST1000DM010)

 

aswell as 

Silicon Power 60GB SSD S60 MLC High Endurance SATA III 2.5" 7mm (0.28") Internal Solid State Drive

 

 

remember, im on a budget, is this good?

60GB is fine for a Windows install, but you will have to make sure that you move as much stuff to the drive as possible.

[TheGlenlivet]

1 minute ago, Quintavious V said:

oh damn, thanks dude!

No prob.  If you can manage the windows install under 60GB then the Baracuda will do everything else you need.

As stated above though, a bigger SSD would be a better solution if you can figure out a what to buy it.

[Quintavious V]

Just now, TheGlenlivet said:

No prob.  If you can manage the windows install under 60GB then the Baracuda will do everything else you need.

As stated above though, a bigger SSD would be a better solution if you can figure out a what to buy it.

ok i found a 120gb ssd for like 3 extra dollars, same brand, is that enough? Also if i get 2 120gb ssds will the speeds be faster than one 120gb ssd?

[Mira Yurizaki]

Most games are designed with slower storage limitations in mind and are often packaged in a way that minimizes the penalty for accessing the drive. The only penalty for using slower media in most games is initial loading times. But once the game or level is loaded, that's about it. Even if the game is streaming data, it's usually not enough to be painful. I've even managed to run GTA V off a NAS using 802.11ac without much of an issue (granted the computer was right next to the router).

 

The only issue you may have is if you heavily modified the game. The thing that really kills storage performance is how many files you're requesting at a time, not how much data you want. Since mods typically aren't packaged the same way game assets are, you really should get an SSD if you want to shave off loading times.

 

tl;dr, for games, you don't really have to worry about running off a hard drive, even an external one, unless you really care about load times.

[D13H4RD]

3 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

ok i found a 120gb ssd for like 3 extra dollars, same brand, is that enough? Also if i get 2 120gb ssds will the speeds be faster than one 120gb ssd?

Go for it.

 

And AFAIK, using them in RAID may improve I/O performance but I haven't had the liberty to verify that.

[TheGlenlivet]

3 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

ok i found a 120gb ssd for like 3 extra dollars, same brand, is that enough? Also if i get 2 120gb ssds will the speeds be faster than one 120gb ssd?

Yes that will fit windows fine.  It can be faster if you use a raid set up, but I would just buy 1 and then spend the rest on SATA HDDs.  Of course if you get a 500GB SSD and put everything on it then all of this is moot.

[Quintavious V]

1 minute ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Go for it.

 

And AFAIK, using them in RAID may improve I/O performance but I haven't had the liberty to verify that.

i may sound like a grandma but what the hell is RAID and I/O

[Quintavious V]

Just now, TheGlenlivet said:

Yes that will fit windows fine.  It can be faster if you use a raid set up, but I would just buy 1 and then spend the rest on SATA HDDs.  Of course if you get a 500GB SSD and put everything on it then all of this is moot.

whats a raid?

 

[D13H4RD]

Just now, Quintavious V said:

i may sound like a grandma but what the hell is RAID and I/O

RAID = Redundant Array of Independent Disks

 

It's basically multiple drives working and identifying as one.

 

I/O = Input/Output

[TheGlenlivet]

Just now, Quintavious V said:

whats a raid?

 

A way of joining drives together to make them 'better'.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

You don't need raid.  the SSD will be VERY fast.

[Quintavious V]

Ok yall, i want yall to check out my build, is this good? 

 

 

Silicon Power 120GB SSD 3D NAND With Read Up To 550MB/s S55 TLC 7mm (0.28") Internal Solid State Drive (SP120GBSS3S55S25AE) 48$

 

 

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini 3GB GDDR5 VR Ready Super Compact Gaming Graphics Card (ZT-P10610A-10L)  239$

 

 

SteelSeries Rival 100, Optical Gaming Mouse - Black 12$

 

 

SteelSeries Apex 100 Gaming Keyboard, Blue LED Backlit  25.82$

 

 

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler (YD1200BBAEBOX) 105$ + 5$ shipping

 

 

GIGABYTE GA-AB350-Gaming 3 AMD RYZEN AM4 B350 RGB Fusion Smart Fan 5 HDMI1.4 M.2 SATA 6Gbps USB 3.1 Type-A ATX DDR4 Motherboard 70$

 

 

Timetec Hynix IC 8GB DDR4 2133MHz PC4-17000 Non ECC Unbuffered 1.2V CL15 2Rx8 Dual Rank 288 Pin UDIMM Desktop PC Computer Memory Ram Module Upgrade (8GB) 85.99$

 

 

ROSEWILL Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case, Office Computer Case with 1x 80mm Rear Fan, Top I/O Access with USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In/Out and Support CPU Cooler up to 140mm (SCM-01) 27.49$

 

 

EVGA 500 B1, 80+ BRONZE 500W Power Supply, 3 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester 100-B1-0500-KR 50.99$

 

 

Seagate 1TB BarraCuda SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (ST1000DM010) 37.99$

 

where i live, i can get windows 10 for like 15$

 

the reason im asking is cuz im wondering if the ssd is compatible mainly.

 

total  around 720$ (please note that i wanna keep this budget as possible, also please help me out with recommendations, thanks!

 

 

[Quintavious V]

2 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

Ok yall, i want yall to check out my build, is this good? 

 

 

Silicon Power 120GB SSD 3D NAND With Read Up To 550MB/s S55 TLC 7mm (0.28") Internal Solid State Drive (SP120GBSS3S55S25AE) 48$

 

 

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini 3GB GDDR5 VR Ready Super Compact Gaming Graphics Card (ZT-P10610A-10L)  239$

 

 

SteelSeries Rival 100, Optical Gaming Mouse - Black 12$

 

 

SteelSeries Apex 100 Gaming Keyboard, Blue LED Backlit  25.82$

 

 

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler (YD1200BBAEBOX) 105$ + 5$ shipping

 

 

GIGABYTE GA-AB350-Gaming 3 AMD RYZEN AM4 B350 RGB Fusion Smart Fan 5 HDMI1.4 M.2 SATA 6Gbps USB 3.1 Type-A ATX DDR4 Motherboard 70$

 

 

Timetec Hynix IC 8GB DDR4 2133MHz PC4-17000 Non ECC Unbuffered 1.2V CL15 2Rx8 Dual Rank 288 Pin UDIMM Desktop PC Computer Memory Ram Module Upgrade (8GB) 85.99$

 

 

ROSEWILL Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case, Office Computer Case with 1x 80mm Rear Fan, Top I/O Access with USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In/Out and Support CPU Cooler up to 140mm (SCM-01) 27.49$

 

 

EVGA 500 B1, 80+ BRONZE 500W Power Supply, 3 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester 100-B1-0500-KR 50.99$

 

 

Seagate 1TB BarraCuda SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (ST1000DM010) 37.99$

 

where i live, i can get windows 10 for like 15$

 

the reason im asking is cuz im wondering if the ssd is compatible mainly.

 

total  around 720$ (please note that i wanna keep this budget as possible, also please help me out with recommendations, thanks!

 

 

will an evga 400w be enough?

[Inversion]

2 hours ago, Quintavious V said:

Ok, so i have a question

can i get myself a 60 gb ssd to install windows and get a 2tb external hard drive to install all my steam games aswell as steam?

If not, please tell me what i can do

The 60GB for windows is doable but you'd be way better off with a 128/256GB one.

 

As far as the external goes, it works. I did t for over 18 months before I got a 2TB WD Blue drive and I can say that I don't notice any tangible difference. The SATA drive is less messy but if you want to move your games from PC to PC then the external is fine as long as it's USB 3.0 minimum.

[Inversion]

1 hour ago, Quintavious V said:

Ok yall, i want yall to check out my build, is this good? 

 

 

Silicon Power 120GB SSD 3D NAND With Read Up To 550MB/s S55 TLC 7mm (0.28") Internal Solid State Drive (SP120GBSS3S55S25AE) 48$

 

 

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 Mini 3GB GDDR5 VR Ready Super Compact Gaming Graphics Card (ZT-P10610A-10L)  239$

 

 

SteelSeries Rival 100, Optical Gaming Mouse - Black 12$

 

 

SteelSeries Apex 100 Gaming Keyboard, Blue LED Backlit  25.82$

 

 

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler (YD1200BBAEBOX) 105$ + 5$ shipping

 

 

GIGABYTE GA-AB350-Gaming 3 AMD RYZEN AM4 B350 RGB Fusion Smart Fan 5 HDMI1.4 M.2 SATA 6Gbps USB 3.1 Type-A ATX DDR4 Motherboard 70$

 

 

Timetec Hynix IC 8GB DDR4 2133MHz PC4-17000 Non ECC Unbuffered 1.2V CL15 2Rx8 Dual Rank 288 Pin UDIMM Desktop PC Computer Memory Ram Module Upgrade (8GB) 85.99$

 

 

ROSEWILL Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case, Office Computer Case with 1x 80mm Rear Fan, Top I/O Access with USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In/Out and Support CPU Cooler up to 140mm (SCM-01) 27.49$

 

 

EVGA 500 B1, 80+ BRONZE 500W Power Supply, 3 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester 100-B1-0500-KR 50.99$

 

 

Seagate 1TB BarraCuda SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (ST1000DM010) 37.99$

 

where i live, i can get windows 10 for like 15$

 

the reason im asking is cuz im wondering if the ssd is compatible mainly.

 

total  around 720$ (please note that i wanna keep this budget as possible, also please help me out with recommendations, thanks!

 

 

9

SSD is fine if SATA. Will be fine.

 

Try to get the 6GB 1060 if possible - better longevity.

 

Good Mouse - I love mine

 

Don't know about the keyboard but I've loved any SteelSeries product I've owned.

 

Good budget processor - If you can get the Ryzen 5 1400 on offer go for it - 4 cores 8 threads again better longevity.

 

Good that you've gone for a B350 board but if you plan any overclocking, try to get an ASUS or ASRock board - better VRMs.

 

Since you're on a budget the slower RAM is okay.

 

Case is nothing special but if budget is tight then fair enough.

 

Good cheap PSU.

 

Make sure its a 7200RPM drive cause although 5400 is good enough, 7200 is better

[Quintavious V]

1 hour ago, Inversion said:

SSD is fine if SATA. Will be fine.

 

Try to get the 6GB 1060 if possible - better longevity.

 

Good Mouse - I love mine

 

Don't know about the keyboard but I've loved any SteelSeries product I've owned.

 

Good budget processor - If you can get the Ryzen 5 1400 on offer go for it - 4 cores 8 threads again better longevity.

 

Good that you've gone for a B350 board but if you plan any overclocking, try to get an ASUS or ASRock board - better VRMs.

 

Since you're on a budget the slower RAM is okay.

 

Case is nothing special but if budget is tight then fair enough.

 

Good cheap PSU.

 

Make sure its a 7200RPM drive cause although 5400 is good enough, 7200 is better

2

ok, I'll state my opinions and ask you a few questions if you don't mind

 

OPINIONS

- I'd love the 6GB one but the prices are way too high.

- Honestly, for the mouse, I just chose the simplest one, no gimmicky stuff

- For the keyboard, I'll later upgrade to a better one

- I'm happy with my motherboard

- I don't care about the ram, as long as its cheap ddr4 8gb ram

 

 

QUESTIONS

- What are VRM's?

- How does ram speed matter?

- How does rpm speed matter?

- Am I okay with an EVGA 400w power supply? If so, I can upgrade my cpu

- What do you mean by overclocking, so if I stick with my gigabyte motherboard, I cant overclock my cpu?

 

 

 

 

[Quintavious V]

4 hours ago, TheGlenlivet said:

No, like loading speed.  Say you are loading a game in steam, it will be limited in it's loading speed by the USB connection.  SATA from the motherboard is 6 gbs while usb 3 is 5, and realistically won't hit that when loading multiple files from an external drive.  This will make things slower to load and can cause issues in game with things like GTAV or Skyrim where the game has to load levels as you move around.

what if i use usb 3.0?

[Mira Yurizaki]

41 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

- What are VRM's?

It's short for Voltage Regulator Module. Basically it's in charge of the final power delivery to a part. Usually the context is either the CPU or GPU.

 

Unless you're going to be overclocking, VRMs aren't something to worry about.

 

41 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

- How does ram speed matter?

Only if you plan on using the iGPU for gaming, Ryzen, or messing with data compression. RAM speed doesn't consistently improve performance appreciably.

41 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

- How does rpm speed matter?

It dictates how fast the drive can react and shove data down.

41 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

- Am I okay with an EVGA 400w power supply? If so, I can upgrade my cpu

Bump it up to 500W to be safe.

41 minutes ago, Quintavious V said:

- What do you mean by overclocking, so if I stick with my gigabyte motherboard, I cant overclock my cpu?

Certain chipsets will allow for overclocking your CPU. So if you don't care about overclocking, then what you have is fine.