CC not on a solid state drive.

[ajshn]

I plan on buying a ssd and installing the sims 3 and all the eps and sps, but i wanted to know will the game slow down if my cc and downloads that are located in my documents are not on the ssd? I have a 11gb of it, (which i need to clean out). Would i need to install windows on it as well to make the game speed up. Right now it takes much longer than i would like to load despite having a new computer, even with significantly less cc than i have now, and i was hoping a ssd would help.

[KhaineGB]

I tested this.

Sims 3 + all EP's + all SP's + My Documents folder all on the same drive (1TB, 5200RPM): 10 min load time from desktop to getting into my save.
Sims 3 + all EP's + all SP's on SSD, My Documents folder on 1TB, 5200RPM Drive: 6 min load time from desktop to getting into my save.

So yes, it probably will help. I've seen 2-3 min loading times with EVERYTHING on an SSD.

[sims96fan]

Yes, since the cache files are in My Documents, it will be slower if they're not on the SSD.  My load times into save are under 2 minutes with Windows and all of the Sims 3 and My Documents on the SSD.  What I do is move the older saved games off to the secondary HDD if I don't play them any more but want to keep them as backups, so this reduces the total amount of space you need.  I also moved all of the Downloads folder files onto the HDD for backup after I installed everything again.

Finally, installing the last EP/SP from the Origin digital download allows you to play the game with no disc, and also using the shortcut link directly to the TS3W.exe application allows you to bypass the launcher, which also saves time unless you need to add new content.

[ajshn]

Can you even re install windows without losing everything? Would it really make less of an improvement on loading times if i didn't install it on the ssd and just moved my documents onto it and installed the games to it?

[KhaineGB]

It makes a MASSIVE difference having the game on the SSD. My load times were almost halved.

And reinstalling windows will really only help if you've been running it for a while. Make sure your my documents folder is stored off your primary HDD so you don't lose all that, and backup your bookmarks. You may lose installed programs, but you -should- save your data that way.

[ajshn]

I've only had this computer since october so i'd rather not re install it. Would a ssd help with cas loading times? It takes longer for outfits to load in cas than it does for my game to load, if i put my documents on the ssd would it cut down those loading times. It takes 13minuets to load form desktop to a one person family on vacation in egypt. I am about to check how long it takes for a bigger family that i have been playing for a longer time to load. Update: it took 14 and a half minuets.

[sims96fan]

I don't know how critical it is that Windows itself is on the SSD if you don't care how long it takes to boot up, but if you use a Samsung SSD drive, the Data Migration software does an identical clone of your original drive, so you don't have to reinstall anything.  It will just recognize the new SSD as the boot up drive if you have the same hardware otherwise.

Having My Documents on the SSD is critical though, since the Sims 3 cache files are loaded from there, and it will cut time down significantly.  Like I said, my desktop to saved game is under 2 minutes and my saves are under 30 seconds.

The SSD was the single best computer upgrade I've ever made, and it makes a massive difference in gameplay for me.  Now I can play casually even if I can only pop in for a few minutes at a time.  I really recommend the Samsung 840 EVO drives as they have some of the fastest read/writes among SSDs and integrated SLC/TLC technology.

Out of curiosity, why are you concerned about putting the CC only not on the SSD?  If you only plan to install Windows and the Sims 3 on the SSD, you should have enough space for the CC as well.

Also, to get a sense of how much you can expect your load times to improve, are you on a desktop or laptop?  What CPU, graphics card, and RAM do you have?

[ajshn]

I do now plan on putting the cc on the ssd, but now i just want to know if it will speed up the outfit loading times in cas. I'm on a desktop, i have a AMD 18-5500 apu, 8gb ram, and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti graphics card.

[sims96fan]

Yes, you should definitely see an improvement.

[ajshn]

With cas or just in general?

[sims96fan]

I'm not sure I really understand your question.  Once the cache files are generated, loading them quickly is what will speed up your game.  The cache files and your Sims 3 saved games/installed content are all located under the EA folder under My Documents, wherever you put that folder.  I recommend putting it all on the SSD for maximum speed.  It will speed up load times for both the game, saving, and CAS.

If you use CC, you'll also want to make sure you merge them into as few package files as possible to speed things up.

EDIT: Your computer is fine.  For reference, my under 2 minutes load time is on an Intel Core i5-4440 desktop with 8GB of RAM and a 192-bit OEM model of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 (3GB GDDR5 RAM).  I use the Samsung 840 EVO SSD (the 250GB model, which has faster read/write speeds than the 120GB model) with Windows 8.1 and the Sims 3 all on the SSD.  I have all of the EPs and all SPs except Movie Stuff.  I don't use CC, but I have all store worlds except Aurora Skies and Midnight Hollow and all of the other store content minus about 10 sets.  It comes out to 7GB or so in additional store content in total.  I don't change outfits in CAS a ton, but I didn't see any noticeable lag in speed compared to the rest of my gameplay.

[ajshn]

So it should, from what your saying, speed up cas loading times. Because that is why i want an ssd, i'm okay with waiting 15 minuets for the game to load , it took half an hour on my old computer, but the amount of time it takes for me to create a sim because i have to wait for outfits and hair to load is making me not want to play the game. So thank you all for your help. I'll buy one and but my documents on it.

[sims96fan]

Everything will be much faster on an SSD.   I was no longer okay with waiting 15+ minutes for a game file, screens to load, or not being able to save often because it would take 5-10 minutes.  Then my game would crash or lag after running too long, and I'd lose an hour of progress and give up.  It's like a completely new game for me now.

When I play, I want to spend my time playing, not waiting.

EDIT:  If you want to clone your entire OS onto the new SSD, you can do that with Samsung's Data Migration software if you use the drive I have.  I didn't have to reinstall anything, and the SSD is an identical image of the old drive.  I use the HDD for data storage now, but I left the original Windows installation there for a third backup.

[KhaineGB]

Ok.

I had all my store content and a -very- small amount of CC on a non-SSD. From desktop to in-game took 6 minutes to load (game on SSD).

By putting all of my store content and CC on my SSD, the load time has now decreased to 4 minutes absolute maximum. CAS seems a lot smoother as well.

[BrendaHamilton]

http://www.bestsellingreviews.com/Computer/Solid-State-Drive/