Operating systems and gaming on SSDs offer faster performance due to quicker data access.
Operating systems and gaming on SSDs offer faster performance due to quicker data access.
Operating systems are improving, games are getting better. You'll experience faster load times, though there aren't any FPS gains. Most users choose a smaller SSD for the OS and a larger one for general storage. I prefer the largest possible SSD and store all other files (photos, videos, etc.) on external drives. Skip HDDs altogether.
When your operating system is installed on your SSD, boot times improve significantly and Windows applications run more smoothly. For gaming, performance gains are minimal, but loading times become noticeably faster. I recommend using a compact SSD with your OS and essential daily programs. Store all other files on your HDD. Maintaining a clean SSD also helps boost speed.
It becomes clear mainly during startup delays. With Dragon Age: Inquisition on my old hard drive, the average load time was about two minutes. After switching it to an SSD, those times dropped to roughly thirty seconds. This effect works best for games that take a long time to load, meaning you can keep smaller titles on the HDD for better performance on your faster storage.
SSDs mainly speed up loading times, not overall performance. The biggest difference compared to HDDs appears during tasks like photo/video editing and with a scratch disk. That said, loading speeds improve significantly with a good SSD such as the Samsung 850 Evo series.