Delays apply exclusively to SSD storage.
Delays apply exclusively to SSD storage.
I usually save all my games on an HDD and everything has worked well for the last couple of years. Recently, I tried installing a new, lightweight game and faced some delays. Whenever I launch a game or prepare for pre-game, I always arrive last. After reinstalling it to my HDD, everything functioned normally—no lag and everything was fine. The system temperature stayed normal at 47°C, and there was plenty of free space available. I also updated the driver, but it didn’t install properly. I’m really confused and need your help! Any suggestions would be great!
My system specs: AMD Ryzen 7 1700X, GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, ASUS Prime X370-Pro, G.Skill F4-3200C16-8GTZR DDR4 (x2, 16GB), TOSHIBA HDWD 120 NVMe Samsung SSD 960 EVO.
You can watch a video explaining my situation: [link]
This situation likely involves software manipulation. To confirm, testing another machine with a different SSD and controlling other factors would help. In the past, some developers exploited loading speeds by artificially slowing them down using timers or load limits, regardless of the drive type. If you suspect this, monitor your SSD’s activity during loading phases—set polling high and note any unusual behavior. If timers appear overly aggressive, it may indicate a software-driven restriction rather than hardware limitations. Even if the issue stems from poor coding, it’s still a software problem. If you suspect developers knowingly interfered, contacting them directly is the most reliable path, though they may only provide vague explanations.
In brief, when handling game loads, challenges often go beyond simple expectations. IOPS isn't always straightforward to grasp. Most tests rely on 8kb files for I/O measurement, but this is crucial since latency can become the main constraint with fluctuating read and write operations. Those who work closely with loading optimizations spend hours discussing the difficulties, highlighting why modern SSDs can be up to 100 times faster than older HDDs—though actual load times might only improve by 20-30%. Most assume IOPS dictates performance, but it's more nuanced. For large unstructured data, latency often outweighs raw throughput. At tiny packet sizes, the drive’s speed matters less than its timing precision, and at very low depths, data movement in bits or bytes becomes more important than kilobytes or megabytes. Your CPU and memory play a bigger role than speed alone, especially when you need tight timing rather than high bandwidth. Even with a powerful processor, if the SSD isn’t being used efficiently, results won’t reflect well. In reality, HDDs usually send more data to RAM than SSDs, making the comparison misleading. Most RAM usage in small requests can still be significant, especially when only a few hundred megabytes are involved. This could shift outcomes because the SSD isn’t being fully utilized, and you’re left comparing a partial RAM setup to a solid SSD. This situation is rare and usually not worth the effort, as it suggests programmers should prioritize small data bursts on RAM rather than relying solely on drive type.
Thank you so much for the advice. I can't really test my computer with another ssd since I don't have an extra one and most of my friends don't use M.2. And if your prediction is correct, then there is nothing that I can do to fix this. I just have to stick with my hdd for now.