3D SSD & Mod Creation

[NexBeth]

I have a 1T WD Velociraptor and since its just over half full, it's time to add to it or upgrade. I haven't considered an SSD because of the limits on the writes/erases--something that I do quite a lot of as a mod author. However, I frequently check what is going on in the SSD market, and I see now that WD and SanDisk are coming out with 64 layer 3D SSDs that perhaps seem to offer greater leeway for the write/over-write/erasing issue applicable to solid state drives.

 

I'm by no means an expert on this topic and would appreciate anyone's insight in to this and perhaps some modder input on use of this drive for mod creation (good or bad idea?) or alternatives.

 

I've also thought of getting the 3D ssd for my os and also setting up a separate steam directory for games that will not be mod projects. I could then use the VRaptor as the sole mod creation drive with the CK. I have 2 WD ultra passports for mod backup.

Edited July 28, 2017 by NexBeth

[HeyYou]

SSD tech has come a long way since their inception. Read/write cycles are a lot less of an issue now, to the point, that I have two SSD's in my machine, and no mechanical hdd at all.

[NexBeth]

SSD tech has come a long way since their inception. Read/write cycles are a lot less of an issue now, to the point, that I have two SSD's in my machine, and no mechanical hdd at all.

Thanks for input, HeyYou. Do you work on your mods on the SSD? I do a lot of writing and erasing to the Data folder, Meshes/Textures, etc. I supposed I could just continue to use my VRaptor exclusively to work with modding work and CK, and the SSD for OS and gaming.

[HeyYou]

I haven't been doing a lot of modding lately. :) But, I shuffle files on my machine on a daily basis.... just downloading, installing, shuffling load orders, etc..... All of my games are installed on an SSD separate from the one the OS is on. Been like that for a year now, and not a single issue.

[TheMastersSon]

The write issue with SSDs was addressed years ago, since Windows 7. TRIM and other firmware/OS developments have made the concern a practical thing of the past. My advice is to jump in. Offhand I don't know (or even know of) anyone who went back to mechanical drives after using SSDs.

 

To give one example, starting the CS on a mechanical drive takes 30 seconds or longer. It takes under 10 on a SSD. Multiply that by the number of times you'll be loading the CS, and by the number of other apps you run.

 

Also for editors I highly recommend (if you don't already have one) a mouse with a quick-scroll (friction free) wheel. Scrolling long lists/scripts/web pages etc is instantaneous instead of a constant struggle with the wheel and scrollbars.

Edited July 30, 2017 by TheMastersSon

[NexBeth]

Yes, just making myself knowledgeable about ssds and I see that WD and SanD (which are the brands I'm looking at) have their own firmware that monitor endurance. Didn't realize that a few days ago and that is certainly a big plus. My MB does not have M.2 capability, so I'll need to go with the standard 2.5 ssd.

 

Thank you both for input!.

Edited July 30, 2017 by NexBeth

[TheMastersSon]

I think all SSDs have similar endurance monitoring, it's just a set of bytes that tracks the # of read-write retries, redirects, bad blocks etc on a drive. I mention it because Intel and Samsung are a few R&D generations ahead of other companies in SSD development so their products imo are preferable. Edited August 1, 2017 by TheMastersSon