The question of higher storage capacity is an endless debate, and as with newer versions of video games, it's giving everyone a headache wondering how much SSD do I need for gaming? Still, the question is valid because there is no sweet spot when it comes to storage capacity for games, in which case it's safe to assume that the phrase "more is better" is almost always an advantageous strategy.
However, that's easier said than done, as solid-state drives are often expensive, and you should always consider financially managing your pennies before making an investment. Although there are two options when it comes to storage space, hard drives and solid state drives.
However, when it comes to storing game files, there's no better option than an SSD when it comes to picking everyday games.
So How Much SSD Do I Need for Gaming?
Demands for SSD are different base on your gaming.
For casual gamer
Casual gamers are people who like to play indie games and RPG strategy games that don't require much storage capacities,
Such as World of Warcraft, Age of Empires, Civilization series, and more. If your gaming style revolves around these games, then I recommend buying an SSD between 128GB and 256GB, enough for your OS and games.
For mid-range player
Mid-tier players are typically those who want to enjoy more story-driven offline games that don't require an online internet connection,
Such as The Witcher 3, Resident Evil Village, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. For such games, NVME SSDs ranging from 256GB to 500GB are highly recommended, as usually open-world games tend to require large spaces due to lots of polygons and HD textures. Plus, they have tons of loading screens, which are greatly reduced by NVME SSDs.
For hardcore gamer
These are the most loyal types of gamers who enjoy playing a variety of video games, from online competitive multiplayer to high-end graphically demanding story games like Call of Duty Cold War and Tom Clancy's The Division 2. Since these games have file sizes ranging from 150GB to 200GB,
Which is beyond standard storage expectations for video games, rest assured that you will need an NVME SSD with 500GB to 1TB of storage to store all your OS files as well as your high-end game.
Before Choosing an SSD for Your PC keep in mind
Make sure you have a solid state processor with plenty of cores and RAM capacity to handle the high transfer rates from the SSD, otherwise, you'll end up with a system bottleneck that may prevent you from taking advantage of the solid state drive's high read and write rates.
Also, you should keep in mind that a solid state drive will only give you less loading time and faster OS booting, other than that there is little difference between a traditional hard drive and a solid state drive, if you're on a budget, You can safely invest in a mechanical hard drive with higher capacity for the same price as an SSD with lower storage.
On the other hand, you should also note that not every NVME SSD has a DRAM cache, please check your NVME SSD's manual before buying.
Types of SSD
However, solid state drives have 2 subcategories, each with its own interface.
- Non-Volatile Memory Express SSD (NVME)
- Serial Advanced Technology Attachment SSD (SATA)
#1. Non-Volatile Memory Express SSD (NVME)
These are the fastest and latest form of solid state drives with transfer rates ranging from 1500Mb to 2000MB.
The reason behind the high speed is that the PCI-E interface reduces the transfer time of data from the flash memory to the processor.
They are blazingly fast and store temporary data in their DRAM cache, reducing video game download times in seconds. However, they are also very expensive compared to the (SATA) mentioned below.
#2. Serial Advanced Technology Attachment SSD (SATA):
A SATA SSD is a solid state drive that has no mechanical moving parts like a traditional hard drive, it usually has a platter and a head that reads data from different sectors. But utilize a circuit called flash memory to store data.
While they may function like regular hard drives and have the same SATA interface, they tend to be much faster when it comes to transferring rates in the 500-600Mbps range.
They are much cheaper than NVME form factor SSDs and faster than HDDs. They're budget options for anyone looking for an inexpensive memory storage solution without breaking the bank.
FAQ on how much SSD do I need for gaming?
Is a 256GB SSD enough for gaming?
Well, if you're a casual gamer looking to play story-driven games like Tomb Raider, Far Cry New Dawn, etc., then feel free to invest in 256GB of solid state memory, which will help you load times better.
Is a 500 GB SSD enough for gaming?
If you're an avid gamer, then I can assume you probably own a ton of games, both RPGs and first-person games like Crysis Remake, the Halo series, or Ubisoft's new version of Far Cry 6 ". If that's the case, then take my answer as a yes action, since you're going to need that extra storage space for those extra downloadable.
Is 128 GB SSD enough for gaming?
In short, the storage capacity is the same whether it's an HDD or an SSD, and while you may benefit from the faster load times of an SSD, compact or nearly five-year-old games benefit from the speed that Solid- provides There's very little state capacity, so if you're feeling a little tight budget, there's no shame in investing in a tiny solid-state drive. Rest assured, you'll still enjoy your favorite games like Battlefield 3, Call of Duty Ghosts, and other open-world games like Assassin's Creed Syndicate without easily breaking your space constraints.
Do I need an SSD to play games?
Yes, so much so that in several newer game series, solid state drives are actually recommended as a requirement for smooth gameplay!
How much SSD do I need to play games?
Get at least a 256-512GB SSD to suit your OS and video games for faster load times.
Is the 512 SSD enough for gaming?
Yes, the 512GB SSD storage capacity is definitely the best option by today's standards for a seamless gaming experience.
My own experience
So if your question is still how much SSD do I need for gaming then my personal answer will be "SSD is expensive so if you are a casual gamer then 500 GB is enough for you you have to create two partitions one for installing windows and the other to store your games. 100 GB space for "Local C" is enough to install windows"