Best HDD size for Steam

[Anubis]

ALL of the games on my computer fit on 1 250 GB SSD

that includes steam and all Blizzard games

If im not actively playing it, there is no reason to keep it installed

 

[Fallen Kell]

Well I have a 4 disk 4 TB RAID 5 setup for my main storage and I use the different tools out there to move my games between that and a 256GB SSD.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I started with a 256 GB SSD Steam disk on my current PC, then moved to a 750 GB SSD. I'll probably get a 2 TB SSD for my next one

 

[Gunbuster]

I use the different tools out there to move my games between that and a 256GB SSD.

You would think Valve could throw down maybe 10K of their millions for one of the devs to create some functionality to have SSD and Spinning disk steam library move installs back and forth...

 

[Hippiekiller]

This thread is beyond useless.

 

[JimmiG]

You would think Valve could throw down maybe 10K of their millions for one of the devs to create some functionality to have SSD and Spinning disk steam library move installs back and forth...

I used an SSD cache drive before which was essentially the same thing but also worked with other files, not just Steam games. Nowadays you can get a 500 GB SSD for under €150 so it doesn't matter as much.

Moving Steam games between drives/libraries is a bit of a pain. I wish I could just right-click a game and choose Move-> and then pick a drive.

 

[Homerboy]

http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover


I use it quite a bit. Works incredibly well.

 

[Phynaz]

Don't forget about the Steam Cleaner

https://github.com/jonathanlermitage/tikione-steam-cleaner

 

[DealODay]

As others said, a big space is unnecessary but get as big as your budget allows or just 1tb if dont know what.

 

[ispaure]

The best thing, IMHO, is have two Steam libraries: one for older games which is on a standard HDD and one for newer, often played games, on an SSD (256gb+)

 

[BurnItDwn]

I've got a 256SGB SSD in one box and a 600ish GB Raptor in the other. Both are always out of space. I have several other TB of space on both boxes and have been installing games on the slower drives.
While I try to only keep installed what i am playing, new games are sometimes upwards of 40GB, so the space is used real fast.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I really really want to get a 1TB SSD for Steam this year, but I am waiting for that to hit a $200 price point.

 

[tdawg]

I actually use a 256GB SSD for Steam. Since I only have installed what I'm playing, it works just fine... and super fast.

Same here.

 

[TeknoBug]

I have a 1TB HDD with mostly Steam games (roughly 75 games installed) and it barely has 100GB left, but I have other stuff installed on that drive too though and a handful of recorded videos from Bandicam or Mirillis Action. I install games I frequently play on the SSD like H1Z1, 7 Days to Die, Rust, Planetside 2, etc.

I'd probably get 3 or 4TB, however I would much prefer a 7200rpm drive too, some games take forever to load.

 

[Anubis]

oops .......

 

[Zenoth]

Size definitely matters as far as Steam goes ... * clears throat * well yeah, at least in my case. I barely have enough of 2TB for all my games, some aren't installed otherwise I'd need 4TB or so. That's not even including the 10 / 15 / 20+ GB worth of mods I have for some of those games (not just Bethesda games). It's the one major reason as to why I avoid SSDs, I absolutely need 2TB+ HDDs; especially considering that I will never bother myself with installing / uninstalling games constantly on SSDs just because they can't even contain a dozen Steam games.

Give me an affordable 2, 3 or 4TB SSD and I'll be a happy panda doing the move to leave "old technology" behind. Until then I'll stay with my HDDs.

 

[poofyhairguy]

This isn't really an issue if you don't use big picture mode. You can have a SSD (for OS) and a HD and Steam will install games to the HD. That is easy. The problem is if you install a game in big picture mode it always defaults to the OS drive even if non big picture steam doesn't. That is the software bug that I want a TB SSD to fix. Dropping out of big picture mode to install a game sucks.

 

[jlee]

Size definitely matters as far as Steam goes ... * clears throat * well yeah, at least in my case. I barely have enough of 2TB for all my games, some aren't installed otherwise I'd need 4TB or so. That's not even including the 10 / 15 / 20+ GB worth of mods I have for some of those games (not just Bethesda games). It's the one major reason as to why I avoid SSDs, I absolutely need 2TB+ HDDs; especially considering that I will never bother myself with installing / uninstalling games constantly on SSDs just because they can't even contain a dozen Steam games.

Give me an affordable 2, 3 or 4TB SSD and I'll be a happy panda doing the move to leave "old technology" behind. Until then I'll stay with my HDDs.

I can't fathom playing that many different games at the same time - I'm lucky if I have time to play 2 or 3 concurrently, and even then it'll be months before I get through them.

 

[Zenoth]

I can't fathom playing that many different games at the same time - I'm lucky if I have time to play 2 or 3 concurrently, and even then it'll be months before I get through them.

Well in my case it's not a question of playing them at the same time, nor is it a question of having the time for them all. It's about the convenience of having them installed and not having to constantly uninstall and re-install games due to lack of storage space. I have 131 games in my Steam library and if I was to install everything I would need at least a 4TB drive, which I don't have (currently only have 2TB main drive and a 1TB backup drive, that's it). Heck, Steam in and of itself is convenience, you don't have to go to the store to buy retail / physical copies of the games you want; just download them. The principle of having most of my preferred games installed and not having to constantly put them aside (uninstalling) is the point here. When I come home and I want to play Witcher 3 I don't have to tell myself "Well damn, I should uninstall Fallout 4 first, and then reinstall Witcher 3 to play it for just a two hours session; and then do exactly the same again for Fallout 4 tomorrow or next week end just for a 3 hours session". That, to me, is the part that would drive me crazy.

That's not even including my GoG's and Origin's libraries (at 28 games each), along with my retail games (around 40). There's also some MMORPGs that aren't part of digital platforms like Guild Wars 2, Blade & Soul or TERA (well TERA has been on Steam for a few months now but it hadn't been the case since its launch and for a period of about 2 years and a half, possibly more) that I'd like to keep installed but I just can't. And there's also Blizzard's own "platform" with their own launcher (I own D3, have Heroes of the Storm and both Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm).

In other words, I want to keep my "favorites" installed at all times. Still, I don't play them all at the same time, obviously. But I just can't fathom having a meager 512GB SSD, or even just a 1TB one (but that's way too expensive anyway) and then dealing with installing just a dozen games or so. And I sure won't just go out and buy like six SSDs just to have 3TB worth of "faster" drives at the price of both arms and legs. I have absolutely nothing "against" SSDs as a new technology. It's faster? Ok, that's cool. Just wake me up when I can actually buy one (that's affordable) that has at least 2TB on it (heck at this point I'd ask for 4TB, even on HDDs I need that and actually I'll have to buy one in a month or two).

 

[shortylickens]

I hate uninstalling and reinstalling. So having a massive drive for all my games makes sense. Especially since hard drive space is the cheapest its ever been. I just bought a dirt cheap 3TB enterprise disk and intend to make good use of it.

I think I will put Fallout 4 on my SSD though, just because loading is too damn slow.