Gamers who are in the process of building a new PC or planning to buy a gaming Laptop/Desktop computer often wonder if a 512GB SSD Drive will be good for their gaming experience. Let’s answer this question (and more) below.
Traditional Hard Drives (HDD) are now replaced by Solid State Drives (SSD) because of speed and much better performance.
The technology unlocks possibilities and opportunities for computer enthusiasts. While different specifications on storage and speed suit different needs, the SSD effect cuts across.
As a gamer, you understand the need for speed. SSD offers the storage and performance you need to maximize your gaming experience.
However, the storage capacity should match your specific situation, for example if you are a heavy gamer with lots of local games installed or a casual gamer who plays only very few games.
Typical SSD storage capacities range from 128, 256, 512 GB, 1TB up to 8 TB.
The 512 GB SSD capacity smoothly runs most high-performance games. High-end games like GTA or PUBG have high-definition graphics that this storage capacity can support easily.
While the more storage capacity you have the better, the gaming world is unique.
Most games have an average size of 50 GB, meaning you can store around 6-8 games on a 512 GB drive.
Therefore, you can keep several of your favorite games on the 512 GB SSD without compromising performance.
512 GB SSD is also enough for storing other personal files for quick access.
However, if you are a hardcore gamer with multiple games on your local PC, you can go for 1 TB SSD. The drive can store many more games locally and other data while maintaining high SSD speeds.
Is 512GB SSD Drive Enough for Gaming?
So, the quick answer to this question is that a 512GB SSD drive will be good enough for gamers who intend to install a modest number of games on their computer (in the range of 6-8 games).
If you are a heavy gamer who wants to download and install lots of AAA high-performance games locally on your computer, then you might consider getting a 1TB SSD drive.
Is 512 GB SSD Fast?
Speed is not all about the drive capacity. The SSD technology is an upgrade of the spindle motor design previously used to obtain data from mechanical spinning discs.
The new design of drives replaced the moving parts with electrical circuits (NAND flash). Therefore, SSD technology reduces wait time and delays when the computer runs heavy tasks or opens new applications.
Is a 512GB SSD Durable?
Solid State Drives have a long service life regardless of the storage capacity. Typically, SSDs last at least up to 10 years.
The service life of an SSD largely depends on usage. Intense activities like regular writing on the disk shorten the service life. On the other hand, wear-leveling is one technique that ensures maximum utilization of the drive.
Moreover, HDD and SSD can run simultaneously on a computer. Running the two drive technologies together gives you extra storage from the HDD and high speeds from the SSD.
While you may not hold on to the HDD for a long time because of the rapid technological changes, running the two side by side allows a smooth transition.
Consider installing your operating system in the Solid-State Drive to ensure optimum benefits when using both HDD and SSD.
Typically, after installing an operating system and software on a 512 GB drive, the remaining space is approximately 400 GB.
The goal of running the OS on SSD is to ensure programs launch fast enough, and the same for booting and shutting down.
Moreover, you can use the HDD as a secondary storage for personal data like photos and videos. HDD should store files that you won’t need to access regularly.
Tips for Optimum Use of SSD
Upgrading to SSD guarantees high performance of your computer. Lower Boot times, for instance, is part of the unique features in the SSD design that improves speed of disk access. However, to fully benefit from an SSD, keep in mind the following tips.
Don’t mess up with the firmware update. Typically, the firmware of the drive comes from the manufacturer, but if the drive works fine, I recommend to not change it since it is a risky operation.
Filling up SSD storage space to the maximum of its capacity is a common mistake.
Professionals recommend maintaining a 15-20% free space on your SSD. The free sectors help in balancing performance and space utilization.
When an SSD is full, it forcefully finds a partially filled block instead of easily writing on an empty cell. There is a back-and-forth movement of data from the drive to the cache.
Also, note that SSD doesn’t need defragmentation. This is done on HDD because data can end up in different locations of the drive, thus slowing the access process.
Unlike HDDs, SSDs quickly access data from any section of the drive; therefore, defragmentation is unnecessary and harmful to SSDs.
Final Words
SSD technology offers you incredible speeds and performance as a gamer, but you still have to choose a storage capacity that matches your computer and gaming needs. A 512 GB SSD is a good capacity size for average gamers who only want to install and play a moderate number of games (6-8) at a time.
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