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SSD vs HDD - DCS loading times?


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hey guys,

 

 

who got some first hand loading times comparison data for DCS between a standard i.e. 7200rpm HDD and a good cosumer grade SSD?

 

 

Just would like to know how much of a difference it makes specifically for DCS and whether i should upgrade now, or wait until sometime next year when prices probably have dropped quite a bit more.

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You don't even want to try DCS on a HDD.

 

 

It's a mandatory thing, read the System Requirements.

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No offense guys, but I asked for first hand data, not for general advice. I can't test myself at the moment, i don't have access to my gamin rig. Anyway, if someone got a version both on a HDD and SSD, please share your observations.

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Anyway, if someone got a version both on a HDD and SSD, please share your observations.

 

I have DCS stand alone on a Sata3 SSD and DCS Steam edition on HDD. Both have the same User Mods and Config and their Saved Games folder are both on an M2 SSD.

 

However, I dont have the same DLCs on each .. the Stand alone has every Map & all aircrafts except the Yak-52, while the Steam version has only Caucasus, A-10C, A-10A, Gazelle & Mi-8 ... so the comparison isnt exactly fair.

 

Time to initial load of DCS Main Menu:

- HDD: 25 sec

- SSD: 47 sec

 

Time to load a Mid-size Mission:

- HDD: 32 sec

- SSD: 13 sec

 

Time to exit the game, from Main Menu:

- HDD: 3 sec

- SSD: 5 sec

 

Of these three tests, probably the most representative is the load of a mission on the Editor, as the others are being influenced by the disparity of DLCs between both versions.

 

I remember my seat of the pants impression when I first went from HDD to SSD, and it wasnt really a big difference, the SSD seemed a bit faster, but not overly so ... the game still required quite a wait to be ready to play.

 

:)

 

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I remember my seat of the pants impression when I first went from HDD to SSD, and it wasnt really a big difference, the SSD seemed a bit faster, but not overly so ... the game still required quite a wait to be ready to play.

 

:)

 

Same here. When I moved the DCSW 2.0 from a 7200 RPM HDD Raid 0 to a decent SATA3 Samsung 850, it seemed like a 20-30% improvements in loading times, not more. Moving the 2.5 to the NVME drive brought seemingly zero improvement.

 

The worst part is that it can still stutter for a moment to load some explosion effects or sounds or whatever it does occasionally when I hit some aircraft, for instance.

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hrm...thanks to both of you for sharing your experience. Damn, i won't be able to clear sufficient romm on my 120gb OS SSD to copy 2.5 OB over to see whether an SSD upgrade more or less soley for DCS is really needed or worht it at the moment. Anyway, more testimony is welcome...keep it coming :)

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There is another far more relevant aspect to disk types - when you're flying, there is a requirement to load textures and terrain files. With an HDD there will be stuttering as the load times slow down the game. That's when an SSD is required, and you'll soon get fed up with the issue if you don't have DCS World installed on one.

 

It's definitely not about how fast you can get from start screen to cockpit.

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.. With an HDD there will be stuttering as the load times slow down the game. That's when an SSD is required, and you'll soon get fed up with the issue if you don't have DCS World installed on one..

 

Then, how come I have dcs on an ssd and yet I still have stuttering ?

 

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The stutters can came from different sources.

 

Neil is talking about terrain load stutter because HDD is slow loading them

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This debate has been done a dozen³ times before, the result has ALWAYS been:

 

 

Move to a SSD, you will not regret it.

 

 

Use the search function and read up what has been said before.

 

 

Any my answer was 1st hand, I have run DCS on about any combination of hardware there is, including HDD and 6GB, Raid-1, Raid-0, NVMe, SSD...

 

 

With 6GB and a HDD was my worst test...LoL.

 

 

No offense, you will be lost with an HDD over time.

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For a PC, in general, an SSD is a worthwhile investment. The only HDDs left in my house are used as data drives, in the PCs, or as backup/multimedia drives (RAID 1 configs) in NAS boxes.

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