Do I need a SSD for my simulations?

#1

I am on my way to be a FXTD, and have taken part in Allan’s mentorship. I have heard that SSD can save your lot of time, as it writes and reads very fast.

Q.1) Should I buy a SSD? Would time difference be noticeable or it would just save my 10-15 minutes?

Q.2) I have my OS and all softwares installed on a HDD. Is it really going to benefit me in terms of speed if I just use my SSD for writing cache files of my simulations? Should the OS and software be on the SSD, too?

Q.3) At this moment, I can only afford a 240GB of SSD. Should I be spending more on a 500GB or 240GB would do the job?

Thank you.

#2

I would imagine if you can set it to render out to the SSD it will cut some time down, but really you want your OS and DCC pipeline tool with the particle engine all on the SSD and then render back out to a directory on the SSD so everything that’s part of the process is electronic to really get the benefits. I would be resistant to just using the SSD as a dump drive though and would either go all in or not at all.

#3

Depends on how big your cache files are … If they are only a few MB’s it doesnt matter that much. If they are several GB’s then it sure will make a difference

#4

i agree

#5

The more I thought about this there is an alternative, but I still don’t know how well it would work practically. Getting a smaller SSD for the OS and DCC app with the particle tools and a larger hybrid HDD/SSD as essentially a dump drive might be the best intermediate solution.

#6

Yes, it would be a better idea to get one as it helps you to get many features and for more information go to https://epsonsupports.net/blog/fix-reset-ink-cartridge-epson/

#7

SSD:s are very expesive now so buy for both your system drive and one for caches. i only run ssds in my station and i would never go back to regular drives. Check out the m2 drives if you have that slot on you mobo.

#8

Also don’t forget FX data is some of the largest file data you can generate per frame!

As soon as you get beyond simple particle sims and get fluid sim caches (with detail and scale) I could see 240 GB running out extremely quickly.
Super hirez sims over many frames -a single shot might eclipse that drive!
For an extreme example a Pacific Rim type water shot with giant monsters fighting in a harbor with ships -all to scale- will likely be terabytes of sim cache data! Just be warned.

Get what you can afford but if that means too small you might not have the room you need for professional quality work. Then you might have to go non-SSD just to get by.

#9

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#10

I would go for the 500GB if at all possible.