Hey everyone! I recently purchased a prebuilt gaming PC from Costco, and I want to talk about upgrading the SSD. The model I got is equipped with a WD Green SN3000 drive, which I've heard isn't the best. I have a few questions regarding this upgrade. I'll mainly be using the PC for AAA games on my 120 Hz 4K TV, so I want to optimize it as much as possible.
1. If I swap out this SSD for a faster one, will it improve loading times or overall performance?
2. Once I get a new SSD, can I just install my games on it, or do I need to reinstall Windows too? I'm happy with how Windows runs, so I'm hoping not to have to reinstall it just for gaming performance.
3. Any recommendations on which SSD to get? I've noticed the WD_BLACK SN7100 is frequently mentioned, but the SN850X is on sale and looks even better in terms of speed. What do you think?
2 Answers
Upgrading from the WD Green SN3000 to a faster SSD probably won't make a huge difference in loading times while gaming. The QLC NAND in your current drive might not deliver the best performance, but once the games are installed, you shouldn’t notice much of a difference in actual gameplay. If you've got a prebuilt like yours, I’d say stick with the current drive for now unless you're really feeling the need for speed.
1. You might be disappointed to hear that switching to a faster SSD like the SN850X won’t noticeably speed up game loading times. The performance of the current SSD is quite alright once games are installed.
2. Most game launchers allow you to set a second library on a new drive without having to reinstall Windows. So you can just use the new SSD for your games.
3. Yes, the SN850X is a solid choice overall because of its better DRAM cache, but in normal use, the difference may not be noticeable.
Just to clarify, does that mean if I upgrade from the Green SN3000, I'm not likely to see much difference in load times? Thanks for the info!