High Storage Requirements and the Need for SSDs in Starfield, Bethesda’s New RPG
In the world of gaming, storage devices have always played a crucial role in ensuring optimal performance and seamless gameplay. Back in the days when SSD prices were sky-high, gamers relied on a combination of SSDs and HDDs to store their operating systems and games respectively. This setup offered the advantage of fast boot times and efficient storage utilization.
Although SSD prices have significantly dropped in recent years, the practice of using SSDs for operating systems and HDDs for game storage continues to persist. This is especially evident in the case of large-scale games like those found on the popular online gaming platform, Steam. However, there’s a new game on the horizon that is challenging this conventional storage setup – Starfield.
Starfield: A Next-Generation Sci-Fi RPG
Starfield, developed by Bethesda, is an upcoming sci-fi open world action role-playing game (RPG) that promises players a thrilling journey through the cosmos. Players will have the ability to create their own characters and explore a vast universe filled with mysteries waiting to be unraveled. This game offers unprecedented levels of freedom and immersion.
As exciting as Starfield sounds, it is not just its gameplay that sets it apart. The game’s technical specifications also demand attention. For optimal performance, players will need a minimum of a Core i7-6800K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X processor, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 1070 Ti or Radeon RX 5700 graphics card. Those aiming for a 4K gaming experience will require even higher specifications, including a Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, Radeon RX 7900 XT graphics card, and 20GB of VRAM.
The Storage Requirement: SSD Only
While the hardware requirements might seem steep, it is the storage requirement that has raised eyebrows among gamers. Starfield demands a substantial 125GB of storage space. However, there’s a catch – it explicitly states that it requires an SSD for installation. Although the game can technically be installed on a traditional HDD, doing so would result in excruciatingly long loading times and potential performance issues like lag and audio glitches during gameplay.
Starfield is not the first game to impose such strict storage requirements. Other recent releases, including the Dead Space Remake and the Phantom Liberty expansion pack for Cyberpunk 2077, have also mandated the use of SSDs. This suggests a growing trend in the industry where AAA games are increasingly relying on the speed and reliability of SSDs to deliver optimal gaming experiences.
Performance Comparison: The Impact of SSD Choice
To uncover the impact of different SSD types on Starfield’s loading times, we conducted a series of tests using a state-of-the-art gaming setup. Our test system consisted of an AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, X670E motherboard, and high-speed DDR5 RAM.
We utilized four types of SSDs for the tests: a PCIe Gen5 SSD, a PCIe Gen4 SSD, a PCIe Gen3 SSD, and a SATA3 SSD. The PCIe Gen5 SSD used was the Seagate FireCuda 540 2TB, boasting impressive sequential read and write speeds of 10,000MB/s. The PCIe Gen4 SSD was the Seagate New FireCuda 520 2TB, with speeds reaching 4,850MB/s and 4,750MB/s for sequential read and write respectively. The PCIe Gen3 SSD represented a more common variant, offering speeds of 1,800MB/s read and 1,700MB/s write. Lastly, the SATA3 SSD provided speeds of 560MB/s read and 500MB/s write.
The results of our tests revealed that the FireCuda 540 and the New FireCuda 520 showed similar loading times for Starfield. The PCIe Gen3 SSD performed slightly slower, while the SATA3 SSD exhibited the slowest loading times. These findings indicate that for gaming purposes, the New FireCuda 520 is an excellent choice.
It is worth noting that the differences in loading times between the SSDs were not overly significant during gameplay. However, the installation process proved to be where the gap became apparent. Copying the Steam folder between different SSDs demonstrated that the FireCuda 540 was the clear winner in terms of speed, followed closely by the New FireCuda 520. Surprisingly, the performance of the QLC NAND DRAMless PCIe Gen3 SSD was disappointingly slow in this regard.
The Importance of SSD Choice for Installation Ease
While the impact on gameplay may not be drastic, the installation process poses the biggest challenge. Opting for a top-tier SSD like the FireCuda 540 enables seamless file transfers, providing an experience akin to sipping from a refreshing stream. The New FireCuda 520 offers a similarly smooth experience, with exceptionally fast game loading times. Additionally, the FireCuda series boasts high endurance, ensuring longevity and long-term usage.
Ultimately, when it comes to playing Starfield, the choice of SSD might not greatly affect gameplay, but it can significantly influence the installation process. For those seeking an optimal gaming experience, it is worthwhile to consider the FireCuda series of SSDs, which offer a perfect balance of performance and reliability.
A long time ago, back in the days when tigers smoked cigarettes and played around. Actually, it’s not that old, but when the price range of SSDs was high in the early days, every storage device had in a different role playing system. The operating system is stored on the SSD, and the games are stored on the HDD. That’s how it was at the time. HDDs were cheap but had a lot of storage space. This method of use can be found even now that SSD prices have become much cheaper. In particular, Steam games, which are mostly big games, are a good example. However, a blockbuster game appeared that specifically stated the need for an ‘SSD’. Starfield.
There are games that are only for SSD!?
Starfield is a sci-fi open world action role-playing game and is Bethesda’s new IP. This next-generation role-playing game takes place among the stars, where players create their own character and embark on a journey to answer humanity’s questions. The degrees of freedom are quite high.
However, it is not just degrees of freedom that are high. The specifications are quite high. Minimum specs are Core i7-6800K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, 16GB of RAM, and a GTX 1070 Ti or Radeon RX 5700 graphics card. 4K specs require Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Radeon RX 7900 XT, and 20GB of VRAM.
So what about storage devices? The storage requirements are quite surprising. First of all, the capacity is 125GB. But there is a condition here. The condition is ‘requires SSD’. To put it simply, installing an SSD is a prerequisite. So what if I install it on the hard disk? It works. However, the loading time is very long and problems such as lag or sound not playing while playing games occur.
▲ Specifications are unusual
Of course, Starfield is not the first game to come out with the requirement to install an SSD. Previously, Dead Space Remake required an SSD installation as a prerequisite. Additionally, Phantom Liberty, an expansion pack for Cyberpunk 2077, also requires SSD storage space. Given this trend, it seems that new AAA games to be released in the future will be released with the requirement that an SSD be installed.
Anyway, if you use an SSD as a storage device while playing Starfield, there don’t seem to be any problems. So, is there a difference in loading time depending on the type of SSD? I verified this with a simple test.
As per this article, we have just configured a PCIe Gen5 test system. It is a system based on AMD Ryzen 5 7600. X670E motherboard and high clock DDR5 RAM were used.
CPU – AMD Ryzen 5 7600
RAM – CORSAIR DDR5-6000 CL30 VENGEANCE RGB BLACK package 32GB(16GB x2)
M/B – ASUS TUF X670E-PLUS WIFI STCOM Gaming
VGA – SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 7700 XT PULSE D6 12GB, AMD Radeon Vega 64 Reference
Power Supply – Micronics Classic II 850W 80PLUS GOLD 230V EU White Fully Modular
Operating System – Windows 11 22H2 22621.2283
Ryzen 5 7600 is based on the Zen4 architecture of the 5nm process and has excellent single-thread performance, providing high perceived gaming performance. It also supports the PCIe 5.0 interface, so you can use the latest storage and graphics cards without bottlenecks.
The CORSAIR DDR5-6000 CL30 VENGEANCE RGB DU 32GB (16GB x2) kit can be used at DDR5 6000MHz when XMP is applied. I was able to use this system without any problems. It is beautiful with 10 RGB LEDs installed per module.
ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI STCOM is a high-end motherboard that provides Gen5 slots for graphics cards and storage. The power supply supports DDR5 6400 (OC) memory in 14 + 2 phases (70A). Network and audio functions are also optimized for games.
A total of 4 types of SSDs were used in this article. These are PCIe Gen5 SSD, PCIe Gen4 SSD, PCIe Gen3 SSD, and SATA3 SSD.
▲ Seagate FireCuda 540 2TB installed on ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WIFI STCOM
The PCIe Gen5 SSD is the Seagate FireCuda 540 2TB, and the PCIe Gen4 SSD is the Seagate New FireCuda 520 2TB. Seagate FireCuda 540 2TB is a high-end SSD capable of sequential reads of 10,000MB/s and sequential writes of 10,000MB/s. It has the best performance among the Seagate FireCuda lineup. Seagate New FireCuda 520 2TB is fast with a sequential read speed of 4,850MB/s and a sequential write speed of 4,750MB/s and supports HMB. This is an SSD optimized for gaming.
▲ Seagate FireCuda 540 2TB ▲ Seagate FireCuda 520 2TB New
Next, the PCIe Gen3 SSD is a QLC product line with a sequential read speed of 1,800 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 1,700 MB/s, and the SATA3 SSD is a MLC 3D product line with a sequential read speed of 560 MB / sa sequential write speed of 500 MB/s.
The test section was measured in two parts. The first is the time it takes for the Starfield logo to appear after running Starfield on Steam.
Second, we loaded the planet Kreet from the save file and measured the time until the screen appeared.
The test results are as follows:
What we were able to confirm from the results was that the CUDA Fire 540 and the New Fire CUDA 520 are almost similar in terms of game loading time. The SSD PCIe Gen3 was a bit slower than that, and SATA3 was a bit slower than that. If your main purpose is gaming, the New FireCuda 520 is just right.
In fact, the only time I could see the gap between SSDs properly was when I copied the Steam folder. I copied the existing Steam folder from the SSD where it was stored to the FireCuda 540, New FireCuda 520, and PCIe Gen3 SSD in order, and when it comes to copy completion time, the FireCuda 540 was second to none. FYI, the PCIe Gen3 SSD used QLC NAND DRAMless, but the file copy time was shockingly slow.
In the environment where the game was installed, the difference between SSDs was not very big in terms of time, but there was definitely a difference. In addition, it was not possible to confirm any additional phenomena such as game problems occurring after loading. In an environment where the game is assumed to be installed for the main purpose, it will not really make any difference which SSD is used, but the problem is the installation process.
When using the FireCuda 540, such as copying files, it was very comfortable, as if I had just taken a sip of living water. The New FireCuda 520 was quite usable, and the game loading speed was quite fast. In addition, the FireCuda series basically has a high TBW, so it has a long life and can be used for a long time. If you choose a gaming SSD, the FireCuda series is worth paying attention to.
#Starfield #loading #time #PCIe #Gen5 #SSD
