HDD vs. SSD load times. I'm leaning toward HDD as SSD is 70gb free without the game

[solfizz.5730]

@SlippyCheeze.5483 said:

@solfizz.5730 said:

@SlippyCheeze.5483 said:

@solfizz.5730 said:I guess another question, since I'm more leaning toward installing it on my HDD as I really wouldn't have that much space on my SSD if I were to install it there (<20gb): for those who

do

have it on their HDD (or have experience in the past), would you say that it feels like a drag every single time you load into a new zone? Does it adversely affect other aspects of the game too? One person posted saying that it creates jitters even when you're not loading into a zone. Can anyone else confirm this for me?

So, some graphics are loaded lazily after zoning in: you will get the longer delay on the loading screen as you get all the static stuff, but some skill effects, finishers, character effects, etc, will be loaded dynamically, and that necessarily slows down their display in the game.

I can't say I personally noticed it causing "stuttering", but rather things drawn with default textures and/or models, or invisible, but I can't say that it wouldn't ever cause that. So: yes, it will cause at least some noticeable effects in the map as well as at the start.

However ... remember that this whole SSD everywhere thing is really quite new, and so the vast majority of players used to be loading off a hard disk perfectly happily, for years. GW2 definitely predates that, so doesn't

assume

an SSD. It just works a bit nicer with one, the same way most anything will when reading from disk.

Thanks for the detailed response. That makes me hesitant to want to install it to be perfectly honest. Sorry to all you guys who are rooting me on to give GW2 a try again and I'm sitting on the fence. It's just that these days my gaming has to be a bit more limited, and if I find myself frustrated at load times and the scenario this poster painted above, I may quickly regret the fact that I got back into it at all, not to mention the time I feel I would have wasted redownloading the client and playing long enough to run into these annoyances. Is that being too dramatic?

IDK. I mean, personally, I'd just give it a shot and see if I found it annoying. I'm not gonna tell you to do that, though. (I also have fast, unlimited Internet, so the download time isn't a big deal for me.)

I'd also say that you are wise to look at this, think "this thing would annoy me too much", and decide not to subject yourself to it. Like, it's totally sensible not to do something that'll annoy you.

I don't think it will be a problem, but I'm not you, and I can't tell you what you find "too slow" vs reasonable.

Thank you again, and especially that you understand my predicament. I have deleted a few things off my SSD, preemptively to make space for GW2. I still am not 100% sure yet but I will probably come to a decision after a little more researching.

[Ardid.7203]

SSD changes it from horrible to acceptable. HDD whit this game is just that: horrible.

[Menadena.7482]

@solfizz.5730 said:

@Menadena.7482 said:Is there anything on your SSD that can move to your HDD? For example, MP3 files do not usually need to be read quicker than you can listen to them. You should leave as much free space on the SSD as you can.

HDDs are best for backups and data that does not need fast storage.

Not really man, I have pretty much Windows 7 Professional, Adobe CC which I need for work, Overwatch, Civ 5, Dragon Ball Fighterz, and Cities Skylines as the biggest programs. I looked through each folder in the C:\ yesterday and those were it. I am considering uninstalling Civ 5 and possibly DBFZ if the next batch of DLC tomorrow proves to not be able to pique my interest, but that would free up roughly 12gb, whereas Guild Wars 2 requires 50gb.

You may want to look at subfolders then. For example, I have some rather large folders of rarely used libraries that I moved to my HDD and left a link from where the program expects them on the SSD.

[Ok I Did It.2854]

There is no comparison between SSD and HDD for this game, the SSD will win hands down everytime and its not even close,

How big is your SSD that you currently have, if you running a desktop you may want to consider getting a newer one as a 2nd drive, as if your at the point where you have to uninstall something to install something else, its time for an upgrade.

[solfizz.5730]

Ok everyone, so I ended up clearing enough space on my SSD where I was able to download the game and still have 50gb remaining! The game ended up being only 30gb total, without the PoF expansion. Thanks to those who gave informative responses!

With that said, I visited some of the main city hubs (Lion's Den, Divinity's Reach) and sadly they seemed really dead to me. Granted this was around 1am this morning, but still - those are major cities. Are there places that I should be checking out instead these days? FWIW I have a level 80 Ranger and the HoT expansion, but never really dived deep into the Jungle due to the difficulty back in 2015/q1-2016 when it was first released.

[cyfinity.2078]

just do what i did, and get a totally unnecessary but cool m.2 ssd drive like the evo 970, 6 times faster than a typical sata ssd.

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

@solfizz.5730 said:Ok everyone, so I ended up clearing enough space on my SSD where I was able to download the game and still have 50gb remaining! The game ended up being only 30gb total, without the PoF expansion. Thanks to those who gave informative responses!

For the record, the downloaded file includes all the data from all the expansions, even if you don't own them. It just doesn't let you into the zones or whatever. (Otherwise, it couldn't, eg, display all those fancy mount skins as people show them off.)

So, you won't see it grow significantly after you buy HoT or PoF either.

[Sylvari.2953]

Never had a SSD. My HDD load times are pretty good, usually around 3-6 seconds when I switch maps/go to Mistlock and most of the time I'm the first person who loads into PvP in my team. If you're young and impatient, get a SSD. If you're an old fart like me who doesn't mind waiting a couple of seconds, a HDD is more than enough. :)