SSD in gaming machine. worth the money?

Soldato
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Im trying to figure out whether i should get a ssd for the gaming machine im looking to build (that will be used almost exclusively for gaming)

I know that all its going to do is make my pc boot quicker and make maps/levels/the game itself load faster (if I managed to get one big enough to fit games on)

this pc wont be used all that often, i recon i can swing about 3 hours every other day.

for anyone whos build a rig for a similar purpose, do you feel your ssd improves your gaming experience? do those faster loading times make the time spent gaming more enjoyable?

i suppose getting a 64gb ssd will be the difference between getting a 2nd hand 6950, or a new 7850....
 
Soldato
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I think an SSD does improve the experience to be honest, but it depends [as you've hinted at] what it affects for other bits of the PC. A 6950 is still a good GPU, what res are you playing at?
 
Soldato
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Definitely worth it. I always put my most played games on my SSD. The rest go on my HDD.

I'm suprised tbh. i do want a ssd, but i thought you guys would tell me to spend money on the important bits rather than a nice extra. i guess we are in a bit of a rut atm where more cpu/gpu power really isnt all that important right now.

does anyone know what win7 takes up when updated + hibernation disabled + virtual ram limited to 1gb? trying to figure out whether i could get win7 + av + diablo 3 + cs:go on a 64gb ssd.... im thinking no lol, but i dont think i could afford a 128mb one...
 
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64GB is a waste of money because you'll fill it then end up having to replace it.

If you're not convinced about spending the money on a 128GB then don't bother at all - SSDs are good but it's not the end of the world if you don't have one.
 
Soldato
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64GB is a waste of money because you'll fill it then end up having to replace it.

If you're not convinced about spending the money on a 128GB then don't bother at all - SSDs are good but it's not the end of the world if you don't have one.

fair enough. ill count my pennys when i can build the rig. if i can get a 128gb i will, i i cant i wont. tbh i havnt herd much good said about 64gb drives. maybe ill have to bring sandwiches to work for a month *shock horror
 
Soldato
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Well its difficult to say without a full budget and list of what you plan to buy to see if the having the SSD would affect what other components you buy.

As for Win7, not sure sorry! 15GB+
 
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heres with windows ultimate installed on a 60 gb ssd,pagefile at 2500mb hibernation not disabled

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your better off sticking to the os on the ssd and all your games on your big hdd,games just eat up space and the modern hdd's are pretty quick at loading the maps and levels ect
 
Soldato
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Well its difficult to say without a full budget and list of what you plan to buy to see if the having the SSD would affect what other components you buy.

As for Win7, not sure sorry! 15GB+

budget.... well thats changing all the time lol. atm its going to be whatever i can spend the week before diablo 3 is released without risk of going overdrawn....

its going to be something along these lines...

cpu - 2500k (or ivy equivalent depends how they are + 2500k prices) (+-£160)
mobo - ultra cheap z68/z77 mobo. (+-£80)
cooler - cooler good enough to get to 4.5GHzish (+-30-40)
ram - cheapest 8gb 1600MHz ram @1.5v (<£40)
gpu - 2nd hand 560ti / gtx 570 / 6950 / new 7850 (depends on price £100 - £185)

something along those lines.... i dunno a month is a long time, things change lol.
 
Soldato
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heres with windows ultimate installed on a 60 gb ssd,pagefile at 2500mb hibernation not disabled

your better off sticking to the os on the ssd and all your games on your big hdd,games just eat up space and the modern hdd's are pretty quick at loading the maps and levels ect

well.. data hard drive would be recycled from old pc. 640gb 7200rpm Weston digital cavalier black.... its ok i suppose lol. i think the previous poster was right that a 128gb one is the way to go....
 
Soldato
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I think i kinda forgot that i could just live with a mechanical drive for a bit, then get one when ive got some spare money....

reinstalling windows on a gaming pc isnt really a problem.

Excellent point!

Looks like you've got a fairly balanced rig. Don't forget: never skimp on the PSU!
Get the core components and an SSD further down the line when you can get a 128GB one :)
 
Soldato
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Have you read up on ssd caching? That's the best of both worlds on z68/z77 boards you keep OS installed on hdd and use a max of 64gb ssd to cache the hdd,you get ssd speeds but the storage space of your hdd

I have read into it but i really dont know what to make of it... most people seam to say to just install the os on it and not worry about srt, idk


Excellent point!

Looks like you've got a fairly balanced rig. Don't forget: never skimp on the PSU!
Get the core components and an SSD further down the line when you can get a 128GB one :)

psu will be carried over from last build (purchased less than a year ago due to failure (damn hyper) its a 520w antec high current gamer (re-branded seasonic) so while cutting it a bit fine, should be fine for the gpus i listed....
 
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