Improving Load Times in Games

[Varmint]

As far as computer hardware is concerned what is the best general way to improve loading times in games? I currently have 4GB RAM (800Mhz), would getting more RAM help a lot? Or would getting an SSD make more of a difference?

(I'm doing this specifically in anticipation for Skyrim, if the type of game makes any difference)

Thanks in advance,
Varmint

[chuckskull]

If you're only interested in loading times. Then yes, SSD would make the most difference, but that's about the only place it would make any difference whereas RAM or other upgrades would give a more general performance increase.

[Zak33]

a seperate Sata drive JUST for games is the best value way to improve boot times. (ie SSD is best. but loads of dough for small storeage)

Partition it for about 1/4 of its size... install ONLY games, it'll never fragment, always be quick and leaves you the rest of the drive for slower storeage.

1TB Western Digital or Hitachi 7200 rpm drive and you'll be good to go.



the C drive is an SSD on mine

the E and F are one 1TB Hitachi deathstar (£40), with games on the first partition, which even with many installed is only part full... and the other larger partition is all my data, downloads, drivers, etc... years of stuff

That Games drive never slows..it's as fast now as 15 months ago when it was first put together.. it's had Steam demos in and out of it, and it's still quick

[Varmint]

If you're only interested in loading times. Then yes, SSD would make the most difference, but that's about the only place it would make any difference whereas RAM or other upgrades would give a more general performance increase.

Is 4GB enough for the RAM not to be a problem (ie RAM won't be the bottle neck)? Or do you think that more RAM will boost general performance?

a seperate Sata drive JUST for games is the best value way to improve boot times. (ie SSD is best. but loads of dough for small storeage)

Thanks for this awesome bit of advice, I had never thought of that. Are the improvements from using this method anywhere close to using an SSD?

[Biscuit]

Is 4GB enough for the RAM not to be a problem (ie RAM won't be the bottle neck)? Or do you think that more RAM will boost general performance?

You wont see massive amount of performance increase with extra ram, i would possibly go so far as to say you wont see any really depending on what background processes you have running and what the rest of your system specs are.

Thanks for this awesome bit of advice, I had never thought of that. Are the improvements from using this method anywhere close to using an SSD?

Probably not. SSDs are getting close to £1 per GB at the moment, perhaps an invesment in one would be a good idea?

[jim]

Thanks for this awesome bit of advice, I had never thought of that. Are the improvements from using this method anywhere close to using an SSD?

No.

It's an improvement, sure, since you can read from OS and games separately at full speed, but full speed for an HDD is still nowhere near an SSD.

Next best option I would say is a fast drive, like the Western Digital 2.5" Black drives (cheaper than Velociraptors, faster than standard 3.5" desktop drives).

Nice thing with that is you can get a decent drive for £80 that'll do 500-750GB of games.

If you're only installing <128GB of games simultaneously, then just get an SSD.

[aonali6]

As far as computer hardware is concerned what is the best general way to improve loading times in games? I currently have 4GB RAM (800Mhz), would getting more RAM help a lot? Or would getting an SSD make more of a difference?

(I'm doing this specifically in anticipation for Skyrim, if the type of game makes any difference)

Thanks in advance,
Varmint

You will have a definite improvement by upgrading the processor....! If the processor is slow, those sequences will take longer to operate...........!

[CooperXS]

8GB of RAM can be usefull in few games like GTA4 for example.
SSD not only will decrease the loading time but also will shorten the in-game pre-loads like when new textures/objects are loaded while you moving in the game. Pretty helpful on Stalker and such.

[funke_munke]

I recently bought an SSD and Deus Ex:HR loading times got sliced to about a fifth of what they were originally. Don't even have time to read the chapter info on the screen now. Loading times were the only reason I bought one to be honest - some games take the mick these days!

[Zak33]

CPU speed is also important

Look at the hellish load times for CoD W@W ... and then see that going from a single core to a dual core makes the problem halve.. and a quad never stutters.

NO SATA drive works as fast as an SSD, but I have had CoDW@W on both my SSD and my SATA and the load times are about double for the SATA.

However.. it's still MAMMOTHLY faster than when it's on the OS hard drive.

[Zak33]

Next best option I would say is a fast drive, like the Western Digital 2.5" Black drives (cheaper than Velociraptors, faster than standard 3.5" desktop drives).

Nice thing with that is you can get a decent drive for £80 that'll do 500-750GB of games.

that's the best advice....

[Zak33]

larger physical sized and allegedly a tad slower...
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb...rpm-32mb-cache

or smaller hard drive (lapt op style) and allegedly frationally faster.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/500gb...rpm-16mb-cache

[jim]

They really are cracking drives - take a review like this one: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...review-11.html

It's only marginally slower than the Velociraptors