Competitive edge in games with SSDs vs HDDs
Competitive edge in games with SSDs vs HDDs
On the loading screen, using an SSD can help you finish quicker, especially in games like Overwatch where you need to select a character fast. The exact speed improvement depends on the situation.
It relies on the SSD model, but it will definitely improve speed.
I load quicker than most of my teammates and usually secure first pick in Overwatch. If a regular HDD is slow enough, it can cause stuttering during asset loads, but this shouldn’t be a big problem in Overwatch because the game uses arena maps. I’ve met a few people with standard HDDs who struggle to load characters at the start of their match, and sometimes they notice characters doing T-Poses.
Optane offers the quickest performance but its cost per storage unit is extremely high. The NCIX YouTube channel (goodbye) compared an NVMe SSD with a SATA 3 SSD and discovered Overwatch loaded consistently at the same pace no matter the speed improvements. Games don't gain much from the faster speeds of NVMe or other PCI-E SSDs.
It's the typical "diminishing returns" you notice when building a PC. The advantages cease after switching from a standard HDD to a solid-state drive. Thanks!