DIY upgrade your laptop with an SSD and say goodbye to loading times.

Product Line: SSDs
Application Scenario: Gaming

With the release of many new AAA games, gaming visuals and quality are constantly improving, demanding more from computer hardware. To speed up game loading times, more and more gamers are installing games on SSDs. For instance, the highly anticipated game Black Myth: Wukong officially recommends installing the game on an SSD for a smoother gaming experience. Compared to traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), SSDs offer much faster read speeds. The latest PCIe Gen 5 SSDs, for example, typically boast read speeds of over 10,000 MB/s, drastically cutting down large game loading times and making game launches much smoother.

So, what are the advantages of an SSD over a traditional hard drive? Why are a growing number of gamers choosing to install games on an SSD? This article will tell you everything you need to know!

Speed Up Your Games with an SSD!

SSDs use flash memory (NAND Flash) as their storage medium. Unlike traditional hard drives that use magnetic platters to record data, SSDs lack moving parts like read/write heads and platters. This gives them inherent advantages such as shock resistance, smaller size, lower noise, and lower power consumption. Most importantly, they offer a significant speed advantage.

Current mainstream PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs can achieve read/write speeds several times faster than traditional hard drives. For random access speeds, which are crucial for operating systems and applications, SSDs are hundreds of times faster. This difference in speed is reflected in real-world usage: a system installed on an SSD typically boots in around 10 seconds, while an HDD usually takes over a minute. For gaming, according to tests by the YouTube channel Testing Games, most games installed on an SSD load in just 10-20 seconds, whereas on an HDD, it takes at least over a minute.

Installing games on an SSD has two key advantages over a traditional HDD. First, its high write speeds greatly reduce the time needed to move or download games. Second, its superior random access speeds allow for faster game initialization and asset loading, meaning less waiting and more playing.

For example, tests with Starfield showed that loading on an SSD took only 15 seconds, far surpassing the 1 minute and 37 seconds it took on an HDD.

Loading Starfield with an SSD took just 15 seconds.

Furthermore, some new technologies require an SSD to truly shine. Take Microsoft’s DirectStorage as an example. It allows SSDs to bypass memory and the processor, sending data directly to the graphics card. This results in lower game latency and reduced processor workload.

In the past, SSDs were expensive, and many games were developed with HDD performance in mind, so the benefits of switching to an SSD might not have been obvious. However, as SSDs become more widespread, more game developers are now designing games based on SSD performance. 

If players continue to install games on an HDD, it could impact game smoothness. For example, Black Myth: Wukong's official minimum specifications recommend installing the game on an SSD, clearly showing the significant impact SSDs have on the gaming experience.

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