Simviation Forums

Why aren't you using an SSD drive!

People search for such minutia in speeding up their favorite flight sim, and totally overlook the obvious improvement - an SSD drive!!!!

And please, STOP worrying about which is the fastest, or best, or anything!

With a few special exceptions, just about every newer SSD in the last five years will be faster than your hard drive!



For those who worry about the life of an SSD being cut short due to heavy use - FORGET IT! YOU ARE LIVING IN THE PAST!

Tech Report beat some SSD drives to death by writing over, and over, and over for a year and a half. This is something that is supposed to shorten the life of an SSD.

The SSD Endurance Experiment: They're all dead

The SSD Endurance Experiment represents the longest test TR has ever conducted. It's been a lot of work, but the results have also been gratifying. Over the past 18 months, we've watched modern SSDs easily write far more data than most consumers will ever need.



Are you paranoid and want the one that will survive longer?

Samsung turned our SSD Endurance Experiment into something incredible
As long as I know how to write, I know I'll stay alive

TR's SSD Endurance Experiment started with a simple premise: how long can today's SSDs last under a grueling load of continuous writes? We put six drives under the gun to find out. Over a year and a half (and multiple petabytes of writes) later, we had our answer.

We weren't seeking to crown a winner as part of our experiment, but Samsung's 840 Pro 256GB drive was the one that took us all the way to that 2.4PB-written milestone.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_73I5RuJCAk[/youtube]



GET THAT SSD!

SSD drives are getting so much cheaper that they can cost less than a couple of the better sim aircraft.

Really, all that most of you need (for a flight sim drive) is a 256GB SSD drive. Find prices from your favorite source, but here's a simple search on Amazon with 256GB SSD's going for less than $65.

Want/need one larger? Try a 500GB SSD for as little as $110! As I said before, it may not be the fastest, but it'll beat your hard drive.

Starting around $130, you can get a faster 500GB drive.


The speed and smoothness of your sim will prove well worth the $65 to $130 that you spend.


BTW - As far as I know, all SSD manufacturers have free cloning software that will work with their drives, although I think that reinstalling your sim is a better bet for a number of reasons.

I do not have a SSD because the system I have now works. As an electronic technician, I follow the number one rule: If it works, don't fix it.

OTOH, my next computer, I'll probably get a SSD, if I can get a 1.5 Tb or better.

Really useful, thank you.

I agree completely about ssd .... Makes discs look like something from the past. Won't be long before they are in the nostaligia category similar to VCR tapes, big old mobile phones, tube tv's and monitors ......

If it works, don't fix it.

.... There is something called progress and without that where would we be ..... not on these forums for a start!

pete wrote:........something called progress and without that where would we be ..... not on these forums for a start!

And so it is...for instance Win10.
In the development of any new OS, there are years of liaison with the hardware people, INTEL, AMD, NVIDIA, SAMSUNG etc etc.
With this, Microsoft has stated that W10 will be their last "new" OS.
From here on, AS THINGS DEVELOP IN THE HARDWARE WORLD, MS will roll out new "updates" to the OS, to keep pace with these new developments.

So by not updating, eventually you will be left behind -- And it matters, because already Win 10 is superior (faster) in its use of SSD's than any OS before.

You may want to read here as well then..All very interesting..

http://www.disk-partition.com/windows-1 ... -4348.html

Jan

Maybe, its just me?.... .....

..but, every now and again, I think to myself....as I regularly do....

....Do I REALLY NEED to; "Go Faster"?..... ...!

Just down-graded my 500cc, super-fast, Honda Sports bike, to a comfy 234cc Cruiser, so that I don't die!

My Heart Rate is a steady; 60BPM, and I'm quite happy with that.... ...!

Paul...taking life as it comes....gently!.... ...!

pete wrote:

If it works, don't fix it.

.... There is something called progress and without that where would we be ..... not on these forums for a start!

I'm all in favor of progress, however, it can get pretty expensive if you run out and keep up-grading an existing system that works every time a newer/faster/whatever gizmo hits the market (Which is the reason the B-52H CPT is still running off a mid '70 Harris /6 computer). SSD's are the future, no doubt about it, but so is the new 5D nanostructured glass optical discs developed by the U of Southampton.

http://betanews.com/2016/02/16/eternal- ... -of-years/

Not all SSDs are created equally well. I had a Crucial SSD die after less than 2 years of normal use. Maybe from a bad batch, made on a Monday, who knows? I replaced it with a Samsung hybrid drive (SSHD) that was cheaper, and to get more storage capacity.

Unlike Crucial, Kingston SSDs have been reliable and trouble free on close to a dozen pc's I've configured for work.

B0ikat wrote:I do not have a SSD because the system I have now works. As an electronic technician, I follow the number one rule: If it works, don't fix it.

OTOH, my next computer, I'll probably get a SSD, if I can get a 1.5 Tb or better.

The Model T Ford worked very well, so did my Amiga.

logjam wrote:

B0ikat wrote:I do not have a SSD because the system I have now works. As an electronic technician, I follow the number one rule: If it works, don't fix it.

OTOH, my next computer, I'll probably get a SSD, if I can get a 1.5 Tb or better.

The Model T Ford worked very well, so did my Amiga.

The difference being a Model T would not be suitable in modern traffic conditions, and an Amiga doesn't do widows (and neither does my GF) much less FSX. My system works as is, so I do not see the point in up-grading to a SSD at this time. Why does that seem to be irksome?

On my latest Windows 10 computer I have ONLY an SSD [Kingston].
I love the speed of startups and game/sim loadings. It also shuts down almost instantly. I really like it.
From here on I will always have at least one on-board SSD.

B0ikat wrote:.... My system works as is, so I do not see the point in up-grading to a SSD at this time. Why does that seem to be irksome?

A good question, perhaps my point has gone astray amid the many answers to my post.


So, for everyone, not just you -

SSDs are VERY reliable, far more than many people still believe. As to having a bad experience with one or another, yes, that can happen. Life isn't perfect.

However, a small 256GB SSD can be had for $65 or less. For most people, this will be enough for FS9, FSX, and even Prepar3d. Anyone with really large amounts of scenery/aircraft will probably be able to afford a larger SSD.

Many people will spend a fair amount of time (and trouble when it doesn't work out) looking for ways to gain better detail, and make their flight sim experience both faster AND smoother.

SSD's can do that.



Where you go from there, is up to each person.

I have a small 256GB SSD for my OS, a 2TB for most files, and a small 256GB SSD for Prepar3d.

I don't have a lot of extra money to spend, so this works for me.

there's a TB sd portabl3 at Best Buy inexpensive. Less than I paid for a 250 WD passport.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB 2.5" USB 3.0 Portable $79.00.
I know it's not as fast as an internal, but this is small enough to take away with you, plug into laptops and someone else's PC.

My PC was built for me almost 18 months ago now.
My operating system which is now Windows 10 (was 7) is on a SSD which I requested during the PC build.
I've never regretted that decision, those SSD's absolutely fly, and the difference in load up and shut down time is amazing.
I have FSX-SE on that drive (C), but in it's own folder away from the program files.
I have another 2TB drive (D) which just has P3D on at the moment.
For storing everything FSX and P3D related I have a 500GB seagate external drive.
This set up works absolutely fine for me.
At the end of the day it's Horses for Courses for everyone really.

I haven't yet made the transition, but it has been in my thoughts for quite sometime. I have two WD 2TB each for my sim. FSX, addon sceneries and REX weather engine really are begging to get rid of where they are being housed. Even if I haven't heard much troubles and mishaps about SSDs, I am still hesitant to make the move.
I guess what is holding me back is what I am going to do with the two WDs. May be use them as back up devices for the home would be the best repurposing. Time to get enclosures too.