From load times to in-game performance. PC storage types have characteristics that can greatly influence the way you interact with your favorite titles, as well as give you a result that either elevates or limits your gaming experience.

So, if you’re looking for a storage option for your gaming PC but haven't decided on one yet, then keep reading because in this post we'll tell you how each type of storage impacts gaming performance, as well as the aspects that can work against each one to cause a bottleneck.

 

Understanding Storage Types

Before we dive into the details of how gaming performance is affected by the different types of storage, we'll give you an overview of the three main options used in modern gaming systems:

Hard disk drives (HDD): These are the traditional mechanical drives with spinning platters and read/write heads.

SATA Solid State Drives (SSD): Faster and more reliable than HDD. These storage drives come integrated with NAND flash memory and are connected via the SATA interface.

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) SSDs: These are solid-state drives that differ from the previous version by using the NVMe protocol, which allows them to access the flash storage through the high-speed PCIe bus.

Impact of Storage Types on Load Times

One of the most noticeable effects of storage type on gaming performance is load time. Let's take a look at how each performs in this aspect:

 

Hard Disks (HDD)

Hard disks are the slowest of the three options. When loading games from a hard disk, gamers can expect much longer waiting times. For example, loading a game like Anthem from a hard drive can take between 78 and 85 seconds, while loading in free-play mode can take between 65 and 75 seconds.

 

SATA SSD

Upgrading to a SATA SSD substantially improves load times. Using the same Anthem example, initial game load times drop to 59-60 seconds, while loading in free-play mode takes between 43 and 45 seconds. This represents a reduction of around 25-40% compared to HDDs.

 

NVMe SSD

You might think that with this type of storage, the loading time of games is much lower compared to SATA SSDs, but this is not always the case. In the case of Anthem, NVMe SSDs reflected almost identical load times to SATA SSDs with game load times of 58-60 seconds and free game load times of 43-45 seconds.

Depending on the game, system configuration, and other factors the load time results may vary. Still, with the presented data you can get a general idea of the performance differences between the storage types.

Storage Types on In-Game Performance and Dynamic Assets

We have already seen how load times are an important aspect of game performance. So is the impact of storage on in-game performance, especially when it comes to texture handling and dynamic assets. Let's explore this in depth.

 

Texture Streaming and Asset Loading

Many modern games use streaming techniques to dynamically load high-resolution textures and assets as the player moves through different scenarios. Thanks to the integration of this innovative method it’s possible to manage memory usage and create more detailed environments.

 

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Limitations

Due to the low read speed and higher latency, HDDs can have problems with texture streaming. Here, the low-resolution textures would appear before the high-resolution textures are loaded. It can also happen that the game runs choppy while waiting for assets to load from the disk.

 

Advantages of SSD

Unlike HDDs, both SATA SSD and NVMe storage offer significant improvements in this area. Both have superior read speed and low latency that allow them to withstand the demands of texture streaming and provide smoother resource loading. All this contributes to fewer texture popups and less stuttering, especially in open-world games where new areas and textures are constantly being loaded.

 

Greater Optimization With NVMe

While the initial load times shown by NVMe SSDs do not always show a significant advantage, their features will work in your favor in scenarios where you need to have fast and frequent access to data. Large, detailed open worlds will be where the performance of this type of storage excels, as well as worlds that load new assets frequently.

 

How Bottlenecks Affect Different Storage Types?

Bottlenecks are an issue that can also affect storage units in modern PCs and significantly impair system performance. This is most noticeable in games and data-intensive applications. Let's see how this situation occurs in the different types of storage:

 

Hard Disk Drives (HDD)

Considering HDDs have a structure based on rotating platters and moving read/write heads, their speed in these operations is quite limited, and so is their performance. This situation is not favorable if you’re someone who uses resource-intensive applications. Plus, the time it takes for the read/write head to locate the correct data can cause significant delays, especially if you try to access a lot of small files. All of this contributes to an HDD bottleneck over time.

 

SATA (SSD)

Although much faster than HDDs, SATA SSDs are equally prone to bottlenecks. First, the SATA III interface has a maximum real-world transfer rate of 600 MB/s, which can increase the possibility of a bottleneck on the fastest SSDs.

Another element that can contribute to an SSD bottleneck is its controller because it can limit the potential speed of NAND flash memory, especially in cheaper drives.  On the other hand, SATA SSDs can experience file system limitations, especially when handling numerous small files, contributing to the bottleneck becoming a reality.

 

NVMe SSDs

Despite providing superior performance, NVMe SSDs do not escape the risk of facing the bottleneck. In some cases, especially with high-speed NVMe SSDs, their performance can be hindered by a CPU bottleneck that can form as it cannot handle the workload when processing and decompressing game data.

 

Influence of Storage Types on Modern Games: Bottom Line

Undoubtedly, storage technology influences the performance of modern games, determining initial load times to the overall experience. In the case of SATA and NVMe SSDs, the difference in performance provided by each in gaming scenarios is small.

In the end, as a gamer you should make your storage choice by considering the performance needs your games may have, as well as your budget. For most gamers, a good quality SATA SSD will provide a significant improvement over an HDD. Meanwhile, enthusiasts looking for every possible advantage can opt for a high-speed NVMe drive.