Steam Library on HDD or SSD
Steam Library on HDD or SSD
I nearly used up my 1TB SSD, which is also the boot drive.
I also have a 2TB HDD that I used to store backups before setting up a storage server.
Will there be a noticeable change if I transfer my Steam library to the HDD?
Just trying to avoid purchasing additional storage if possible.
You'll definitely see slower load times. It's not a major issue, but it can vary from seconds to minutes depending on the game.
Choosing between time and cost is up to you.
The separate drive library would be helpful if you need to reinstall Windows and didn't partition the SSD.
The only time I have my Steam "library" on an SSD is when I have a single-drive laptop that can only handle one or two games and can only fit one or two games on the drive anyway.
As stated above, you *might* notice a difference in load times, but you won't notice a difference during gameplay. Hell, there probably isn't even a difference at all when playing.
I store my main games on an SSD, particularly for serious titles such as Rainbow Six or CSGO, and my bigger games that consume a lot of space like GTA V and Shadow of War. However, some games I've played, like Fallout 4, gain a lot from quicker load times on an SSD.
The impact of HDD speed on performance varies depending on the game. In some titles (such as Insurgency Source or GTA V), you might not even notice much difference. In others (like Insurgency Sandstorm or Fallout 4/76), the effect can be quite noticeable.
It seems you're minimizing the impact of SSDs on load times, where drives really do play a key part.
The advantages you notice when starting Windows, launching programs such as Chrome, Adobe, or Office 365... are common in games, appearing early and also during load times for zones in MMORPGs.
In heavily modified titles like Skyrim, Fallout 76, Ark, etc., you can save significant time.
Even standard games "start" more quickly.
Whether this is important to the user depends on personal preference, but suggesting they "might" overlook it is unreasonable.
The two games I've played on both HDD and SSD (TF2 and Minecraft) show almost no variation in performance. In Minecraft, chunk loading remained unchanged, and in TF2, the only noticeable difference was a slight delay of 2-4 seconds between launching and reaching the main menu.
I understand the budget considerations. It's about timing and cost, as I said before. Whether it's worth it depends on the games you play and how much you're prepared to invest.
Minecraft won't offer any advantage unless you join heavily modified servers, where you experience long waits.
I really don't mind long load times. What matters to me is having smooth performance for my hard-to-run open world games. I tested a 5tb WD Black but it caused stutter in some titles and made certain modded games like Fallout 4 unplayable. It's that sensation when your frame rate seems okay but the game feels slow. The assets just aren't loading fast enough. Now that prices are better, I'm just planning to upgrade to larger SSDs.
I never thought about keeping games installed permanently. The ones I'm playing right now are on my SSD if they have slow load times. The others I just use the HDD.