CPU speeds keep increasing, and new devices operate at a rate greater than that which they can fetch data from computer hard drives. This leads to informational bottlenecks when the dataflow is not sufficient enough to keep up with processing speed. The solution is an SSD. As long as you choose a solid-state drive for your machine, which one you choose will not make much of a change in performance. The real boost comes when you change your standard hard disk to any SSD.
Will an SSD make games run better?
Whether your games will run more smoothly depends on a large variety of factors, and these depend on what precisely you mean by “better.” A solid state drive will not help with low frame rate. Instead, you need a more powerful GPU. What an SSD does for game performance is the same thing it does for a running any types of programs or applications on your computer. These drives reduce the time it takes for any program to load. SSD’s transfer data at speeds over 400 MB per second compared to the 170 MB per second of standard hard drives.
Besides loading a game more quickly, SSDs can stop “hitching” if you are playing a game with an exceptionally large world or open world. Adam Lake of Intel described “hitching” as short pauses in gameplay in a 2010 issue of Maximum PC. These occur when the graphics, audio or gameplay mechanics cannot be loaded from the hard drive quick enough to match the speed of the character’s actions.
An SSD can help with general computer performance as well. Putting your operating system on this type of drive means quicker boots and faster desktop loads. They also extend laptop battery life in case you have to work or want to game on the go.
If you are ready to get all the benefits from solid-state drives, I suggest using the largest SSD available in your budget, installing your OS and games on it and keeping a regular hard drive for other storage purposes.
Even though the bulk of the performance improvements, with any SSD, there are things to consider if you want the absolute best performance. Which one you ultimately by depends on all of the factors. For example and SATA 3 GB per second and the quicker SATA 6 GB per second drives operate differently when workloads are heavy, although performance is not noticeably different with basic programs or everyday computer usage.
If you do not have enough in-depth computer knowledge or time to do the research, check out our monthly SSD recommendations. We outline and explain all the benefits of each and help you decide what the best value is for your money.
Top Comprehensive SSD
Samsung 850 EVO
While some people complain about SATA limitations, the vast majority of computer users will never reach the benchmarks created in tests. While high-end SSD’s reach these benchmarks with ease, simple fact is that most people don’t need that kind of power.
Samsung’s 850 EVO provides over 500 MB per second for read/write operations at the same time, which firmly places this drive as one of the company’s most popular. Some of the speed comes from powerful MGX controllers in the 120, 250 and 500 GB options. The larger 1 TB model shares the MEX controller with Samsung’s 850 Pro drive.
Software also plays a role in the exceptional speed of these drives. The 850 EVO uses the TurboWrite upgraded version. This program, based on firmware, mimics single level cell memory to bring the user an exceptionally fast write operations. The SSD Magician utility program puts you into RAPID mode to increase read speeds by utilizing extra system memory.
Greater data densities are created with Samsung’s 32-layer 3D V-NAND. The flash memory increases the Total Bytes Written speed by two times compared to the older 840 EVO. DevS1p support decreases the usual for what power usage to an idling low in the milliwatts.
Samsung backs up its claims with an inclusive five year warranty. The 500 GB and 1 TB SSDs can be had for approximately $.40 per gigabyte, which makes them an affordable option on the market. Drives with higher speeds exist, but the 850 EVO delivers exceptional value for most users.
Other Budget choice
Crucial BX100
Less money does not have to mean pitiful performance. The MX100 option uses sub-19nm NAND, which makes the price much more affordable without sacrificing performance. The BX100 also uses the 16nm MLC, but has evolved to be even more cost-effective by switching from a Marvell controller to a Silicon Motion controller Most computer users will find this affordable solution quite sufficient if there cost requirements are low.
Top Performance SSD
SanDisk Extreme PRO
The Extreme Pro from SanDisk stands at the apex of the SSD market, a space only shared or surpassed by the Extreme II. Not only does it feature the best performance out of all the SATA 6Gbps drives, but it also includes unsurpassed power management. This means it is just as awesome for mobile computing as it is for your desktop. People looking for the best performance do not have to skimp on capacity either. The Extreme Pro has 1 TB of space available. The only potential drawback people may consider is the lack of hardware encryption support. If that is not needed for your purposes, this SanDisk SSD is at the top of the SATA 6Gbps list.
The Extreme Pro’s price is comparable to other top-shelf SSDs: Samsung’s 850 Pro, Intel’s SSD 730 and OCZ’s Vector 150.
Within the client SSD industry, SanDisk is quickly rising through the ranks of other popular companies such as Samsung and Intel. When they released the Extreme II, SanDisk became visible in the retail SSD world. With the quick addition of the Extreme Pro to their product arsenal, company has cemented its position in the industry. They have become the ones to watch when it comes to development of PCIe SSDs.
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