HDD or SSD?

[Laurenzio 0]

Hello there! 

I am new to this forum (so I'm sorry if this is not the right place to ask this question) but not to flight simulators, since I've played fsx for a while now. I am planning on buying fs2020 asap, but the fact that it requires 150 gb is a problem for me, since my pc has got a 256 gb SSD and a 1tb HDD. I could install it in the HDD, but I'm not sure that it would run smoothly. If you know the difference between these 2 disks, can you please tell me if that is a real issue? Installing it in the HDD might be a problem for the performances? 

Thank you for the attention (and sorry if I made mistakes, English is not my native language)

[BuboBubo 35]

IMO an SSD would be preferable but I think 256 GB will be to small once you start putting in addon scenery, aircrafts and etc. If possible I would buy a new larger SSD (like 1 TB one) which will make sure you have sufficient space.

[ckyliu 1,749]

A hard disk will be just fine, don't worry. Yes the initial loading will be much faster on an SSD, but after that I don't think it'll make much difference to performance in game (i.e. framerates and smoothness) although potentially might lead to a rare blurry texture or pop in. If you are spending money on hardware you'd see more improvement investing in more RAM or a faster graphics card.

Edited August 11, 2020 by ckyliu

[stans 702]

I ran my flight sims on HDD's for decades, but I will say that once I put FSX on a SSD, I noticed faster load times.  If you can, I would add another SSD for MSFS.

[Superdelphinus 718]

I haven’t tried it in an hdd, but I’d definitely recommend trying to use an SSD. Don’t forget that you are likely to need a lot less disk space than you might have used previously for other flight sims. For me, I don’t expect I’ll ever really install anything else other than new planes. 

[Farlis 2,277]

Just to give you a perspective of the difference I'll give you the read benchmarks for my own setup.

I have a 750GB HD with SSD Cache and 3 SSD's variying fom 60gig to 500gig. One holds nothing else than Windows the others I use for flightsim add-ons and games that need fast loading times, the HD holds P3D and work applications and games that aren't dependant on fast loading.

My operating System SSD of 60gig reads at 511 mb/s, the other two SSD's read at 391 mb/s and 280 mb/s.

The HD reads at 90 mb/s.

That should give you an idea whether you rather want to spend money on another SSD or install MSFS on your HD.

 

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by Farlis

[GearUp180 55]

In absence of dedicated disk benchmark for the new MSFS, you may check this video from Michael Brown for X-Plane 11:

 

[SierraHotel 974]

2 hours ago, Laurenzio said:

Hello there! 

I am new to this forum (so I'm sorry if this is not the right place to ask this question) but not to flight simulators, since I've played fsx for a while now. I am planning on buying fs2020 asap, but the fact that it requires 150 gb is a problem for me, since my pc has got a 256 gb SSD and a 1tb HDD. I could install it in the HDD, but I'm not sure that it would run smoothly. If you know the difference between these 2 disks, can you please tell me if that is a real issue? Installing it in the HDD might be a problem for the performances? 

Thank you for the attention (and sorry if I made mistakes, English is not my native language)

An SSD for sure, pref a 500 Gig M2 NVMe if your MB can accomodate it.

Edited August 11, 2020 by SierraHotel

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

HDD all the way. If you have the OS and other applications on your 256GB SSD, it means that installing the simulator in there will bring it very close to full. If your SSD is a cheaper one, which is quite likely if your system is pre-built, then filling its capacity above 70% could introduce slowdowns that end up making it slower than an HDD.

Investing in a bigger SSD is the way to go of course, but if you cannot afford a new one, then install the simulator in the HDD.

[EmaRacing 302]

Oh God please why do we still have HDDs around in 2020?
Just kidding, I have a 2TB HDD where I store photos to never ever be opened again.

[Chock 17,769]

I made my own hybrid, I mounted a SSD on an electric turntable so that in addition to having no moving parts, it also spins around to allow a traditional seeker head to access the data even faster. Now all I have to do is figure out how to stop the raid cable winding up like the rubber band for a balsa aeroplane's propeller. 🤣

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

5 minutes ago, EmaRacing said:

Oh God please why do we still have HDDs around in 2020?

HDDs are superior to SSDs for long-term storage and back-ups, since they do not require frequent power-ups to maintain their stored charge. Not to mention they're a lot more affordable.

Of course HDDs are not perfectly reliable either, but they still have a place in 2020 and will continue to do so for a long time.

[Laurenzio 0]

Well thanks everyone, amazing forum! 

[HighBypass 2,339]

Granted I've no idea of the effect of using an SSD on the latest whizz bang sim as I'm on FSX:SE. However I was thinking about an SSD, until I found out that whilst it will provide faster loading times to get the sim running, it won't help with any blurries etc. I'm fairly patient, I can wait a few minutes for the sim to load photoreal scenery... 

[scott967 62]

SSD up to 1Tb are now price-competitive (relatively) so I don't see a reason to go to HDD for simming.  Now if you need 6Tb+ in a RAID config then sure.

 

I have a lappie with Intel Optane but I think that is kind of snake oil.  I'm sure in some workloads it helps.

 

scott s.

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