SGMRock Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 A lot of gaming laptops have M.2 slots or msata slots build onto their motherboards but they may be empty and available for use. I for instance have a Lenovo Y700 gaming laptop I use when I travel that has a M.2 PCIe SSD slot in it that you can add an M.2 SSD to if you want. I have a Asus MB in my main home computer that has a M.2 4x PCIe slot in it like this one and I use a 512GB SSD it that, it flys. Much faster than a SATA SSD for instance. So I would check on that with your laptop, you may be able to just add an internal SDD to go with your HDD. Or as some suggested you would be better off just putting in a 512G SATA SSD and dumping the HDD all together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max_Killjoy Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Subjective opinion here: it didn't change much when I upgraded from an HDD to a Samsung SSD drive. The SWTOR loading times are similar, MAYBE slightly faster. Part of the subjectivity is from my system being fairly old and the processor is likely the main impediment. (I run SWTOR on a Mac booting Windows 7, quad core Clovertown processors, and 16GB RAM, Radeon 6550? series video card). I found going from the stock Woodcrest dual core processors to Clovertown had a bigger impact on gameplay. My next computer will be home built and optimized for gaming. I've seen not just a remarkable improvement in the startup, instance, and "zone" loading times for SWTOR, but also a slight overall improvement in the "feel" of the game. Oddly, as discussed in another thread on this general topic, I'm also running what some may consider a Mesozoic CPU (AMD Phenom II x4 925 2.8GHz ), with 8GB of RAM. However, I built the PC from scratch and fuss over it constantly, always making sure that I know exactly what's installed, what's running, etc. I've been holding out until the GB/$ ratio on a drive I felt I could trust was at a point I could accept, and now I'm glad I did it (just installed the SSD last night). It didn't even take a clean install to see the major improvements, this is just a "ghost" of the old HDD to the new SSD. Edited February 23, 2016 by Max_Killjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omisri Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 I noticed quite a difference in loading time decrease with a samsung 850 evo 500gb, but the improvement (in my opinion) wasn't worth the money spent. Considering I spend a majority of my time either on the fleet, stronghold, guildship, WZ's, or FP's (areas which take the least amount of time to load anyway) - It wasn't worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexhorn Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Performance for me with a SSD is 200%, everything loads twice faster than an HDD Edited February 23, 2016 by Lexhorn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maurr Posted February 23, 2016 Author Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) I would not buy that drive, that is really expensive for 128GB of storage, and it will be slower than an internal drive and you can't boot Windows from it (not easily anyway, you could, but I wouldn't). Crucial BX200 240GB SSD ($65) http://amzn.to/1QuXhFB This drive is actually less expensive than the one you linked to, it is twice the size, and it is intenal, so it will be really, really fast. Crucial provides free drive cloning software that will image your existing drive to this one and allow you to install it as your main C boot drive: http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Crucial-SSDs/Cloning-using-Acronis-True-Image-HD/ta-p/125596 Should I do some research to figure out if this is compatible with my laptop or are they standard? And is 240 enough to hold Windows 10 + SWTOR comfortably? My main concern would be that if I got this I would have to buy an HDD as well to put all of my other games on since I have only 1 internal slot. Edited February 23, 2016 by maurr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX_Angel Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Should I do some research to figure out if this is compatible with my laptop or are they standard? And is 240 enough to hold Windows 10 + SWTOR comfortably? My main concern would be that if I got this I would have to buy an HDD as well to put all of my other games on since I have only 1 internal slot. Post your laptop to be sure, but these are standard 2.5" SATA laptop drives, it should work in just about any laptop made in the past... well, anything that runs SWTOR... But if you post a link to the laptop page on Amazon or NewEgg, I'm happy to double check for you. And 240GB is enough for Windows 10 + SWTOR + a small handful of other games, but with games taking 30+ GB these days, it does go quick. The 480GB model might be worth considering if you're worried about space. Crucial 480GB BX200 - $130 http://amzn.to/1T5mHk1 It is exactly double the price of the 240GB drive, so if you can swing it, it will give you some peace of mind on the space issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maurr Posted February 24, 2016 Author Share Posted February 24, 2016 Post your laptop to be sure, but these are standard 2.5" SATA laptop drives, it should work in just about any laptop made in the past... well, anything that runs SWTOR... But if you post a link to the laptop page on Amazon or NewEgg, I'm happy to double check for you. And 240GB is enough for Windows 10 + SWTOR + a small handful of other games, but with games taking 30+ GB these days, it does go quick. The 480GB model might be worth considering if you're worried about space. Crucial 480GB BX200 - $130 http://amzn.to/1T5mHk1 It is exactly double the price of the 240GB drive, so if you can swing it, it will give you some peace of mind on the space issue. http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5748-5000sLV-17-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00K4PATR0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452750458&sr=8-4&keywords=dell+inspiron+5748 Yeah I just checked and im only using about 140gb of my main drive now so space shouldn't be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX_Angel Posted February 24, 2016 Share Posted February 24, 2016 http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i5748-5000sLV-17-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B00K4PATR0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1452750458&sr=8-4&keywords=dell+inspiron+5748 Yeah I just checked and im only using about 140gb of my main drive now so space shouldn't be an issue. Yes, you can replace the hard drive in that. Do keep in mind that it won't "snap in, snap out" the way RAM would, but it isn't rocket science either. I would suggest you search YouTube for various Dell laptop drive replacement videos to get an idea of what to expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasabi Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) I would not opt for a 128gb SSD and I'll tell you why. Here's my experience. First, I did not research SSD + HDD systems and potential problems before making the plunge. I upgraded to a gaming PC with 256gb SSD + 1tb HDD running Win 8. Installed SWTOR. Tried playing and game was unplayable. Discovered there was a bios update for my new pc, so updated. Then saw there was an update for my graphics card, so started to install. Bam, not enough available space for update. I thought the system would automatically load bulk files to the HDD and only load files needed for operation and performance to the SSD. Not the case. Everything was going on the SSD. It took me a long while of searching online, teaching myself, and trial and error, before I got things set up right. I still run into hiccups ever now and then. You really have to keep an eye on your SSD to make sure it isn't getting cluttered with junk. You have to set it up to send downloads, load programs, save pics, and such to your HDD. DO NOT TRY LOADING/MOVING ANY PART OF WINDOWS TO YOUR HDD, unless you are prepared to restore system and try again and again(trial and error). You can do it and make it work, but you have to fiddle with hidden files/settings. Windows wants all it's parts on the main drive. I finally got pretty much my entire win32 and win64 program files to my HDD, but can't tell you how...lol It literally took me a few days of trial and error, reading online tutorials, and copying/pasting strings where they needed to be to trick windows into thinking it was all on the same drive. I had to do multiple system restores and try different things during the process. In short, knowing what I know now, I would have just stuck with HDDs back then. However, now you can get 1tb SSDs and that's what I would recommend if you are going the SSD rout. SSDs definitely boost performance and load times, but I have not noticed any real benefit to actual game play with SWTOR. You'll load everything in game a little faster, but doesn't make you better, doesn't allow you to fire off attacks/heals faster, so on. You can only be/play/fight as fast as the server and global cooldowns allow. Now SSD's might give you a bit of an advantage in First Person Shooters, I don't really know. I have a standard laptop that runs the game fairly well on decent settings with a 5400rpm 1TB HDD. If I were to buy a 128gb external SSD with ~400MB/s speeds (exact one http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-128GB-External-Solid-TS128GESD400K/dp/B00K75U6G6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456185905&sr=8-1&keywords=128gb+external+ssd) and just put SWTOR on it, would I notice a significant increase in load times for Ops and other instances. Right now if I am on a planet and use a H2 travel to a diff heroic on the same planet I can get there in a few seconds, but it takes close to a minute or more for OPs. Will I be getting $70 worth of decreased load times out of this or not? Thanks. Edited February 25, 2016 by Wasabi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil_Fusion Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) I switched to an SSD back in 2013 and will never look back at a HDD. On my old 5200 RPM 1TB HDD it was like on the closer end of around 5 minutes to load Belsavis for example. With my SSD to go to Belsavis it's around maybe 2 minutes. It definitely cut the time down a lot I would suggest getting an SSD in general because it makes everything you play have faster load times over that of a HDD. I also enjoy the near instant boot to windows fully loaded. Get at least a 500GB SSD. Getting 128 GB will do you no good, the space is filled up too fast with the size of games and various programs or movies these days. I have a 1TB SSD and love it, though 3 years ago it was pricey. Edited February 25, 2016 by Lil_Fusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max_Killjoy Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I switched to an SSD back in 2013 and will never look back at a HDD. On my old 5200 RPM 1TB HDD it was like on the closer end of around 5 minutes to load Belsavis for example. With my SSD to go to Belsavis it's around maybe 2 minutes. It definitely cut the time down a lot I would suggest getting an SSD in general because it makes everything you play have faster load times over that of a HDD. I also enjoy the near instant boot to windows fully loaded. Get at least a 500GB SSD. Getting 128 GB will do you no good, the space is filled up too fast with the size of games and various programs or movies these days. I have a 1TB SSD and love it, though 3 years ago it was pricey. The GB/$ ratio is getting sweeter all the time on SSDs. The above comment about the HDD is why I went to 7200rpm HDDs as soon as it was practical. And BTW, every time I read this thread title, I want to post "SSDs are usually too light to have much impact, HDDs tend to hit a lot harder." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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