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SSD Over HDD for Faster Load Times

Finding load times for some games to be a little unbearable? Try installing a solid state drive inside your PS4 or Xbox One over the default hard disk drive. You can also opt for a hybrid SSD to have the space of an HDD with the speed of an SSD for the games that matter. It should be noted that this won’t exactly guarantee amazing load times for every single game so go for this only if you have money to splurge.

A new video has been revealed comparing the transfer speeds and boot times of an Xbox One equipped with a Samsung OEM 500 GB hard disk drive (HDD), a Samsung 500 GB EVO solid state drive (SSD) and a Seagate 1 TB solid state hybrid drive (SSHD). Remember: Try this at your own risk, since changing the HDD voids your warranty on the console.

Starting from a cold boot, it’s the SSD which has the edge, booting up in 46.1 seconds compared to 48 seconds with the SSHD and 50.5 seconds with the normal HDD.

How about real world gaming performance. Upon installing Call of DUty: Ghosts on each drive, it’s observed just how long it takes to load the first level. The SSD once again wins out, with a 27 second load time, though the SSHD is close at 27.7 seconds. The HDD is at last again, loading the first level in 33.5 seconds. Keep in mind that the hybrid drive calls upon the most used applications and games quickly. So if you’ve recently installed a new game, it may take some time before it functions at par with an SSD.

In terms of pure performance, the SSD wins out but the HDD is certifiably the cheapest option possible. What are your thoughts on the above? Let us know in the comments below.