The PC specifications for Starfield came as a complete surprise to most Bethesda fans. However, there was one small detail at the end of the requirements that left many gamers puzzled: “SSD Required.” While numerous next-generation games suggest Solid State Drives, Starfield is the first AAA title to boldly insist on it. Consequently, players are now questioning whether the game can be installed on Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) or if they must upgrade their PCs solely for the purpose of enjoying this epic space adventure.
Starfield SSD Requirement, Explained
Unlike any Bethesda game, Starfield’s minimum and recommended PC specs require an SSD (Solid-State Drive). This means the game will probably not run—or face performance issues—on Hard-Disk Drives. While new-gen games have previously recommended players to use SSDs, this is the first time a AAA title urges players to have them.
In pre-release interviews, Todd Howard, the game’s director, confirmed that Starfield would indeed necessitate SSDs on PC—though he didn’t specify the actual reason.
Due to the game’s file size being around 125 GB, players must have an SSD with at least 250 GB of storage.
Reasons Why Starfield Requires SSD
Starfield’s vast universe and procedural generation are why it needs SSDs to run. The game features over 1,000 planets, mostly generated on the fly as the player approaches them. This rendering process causes a heavy data transfer that would be too much for HDDs to handle.
To put that in perspective, an HDD has an average data transfer rate of 100–200 MBs per second, while an average SSD transfers up to 600 MBs of data in the same period. Additionally, Solid State Drives have an access time of 0.1 to 0.2 milliseconds, 99% quicker than Hard-Disk Drives.
Other reasons why Starfield should be installed on an SSD:
- Starfield has a lengthy load time. Without an SSD, the game’s open-world map would take much longer to load, causing stutter.
- SDD accelerates patching. Like every Bethesda game, Starfield will likely require massive patches and updates, which are easier to manage on Solid State Drives.
- Texture streaming on HDDs is slow. Starfield has already locked its frame rate to 30 FPS to avoid texture-streaming issues. But an HDD would probably negate the positive effect of the fixed FPS and hinder the performance anyway.
Installing Starfield on an HDD
The ability to install Starfield on HDDs remains uncertain, but it is clear that the game will only perform optimally on SSDs. Even high-end hard disk drives are insufficient for handling the real-time data rendering, reading, and writing requirements of Starfield. And as a result, players are urged to upgrade their storage to ensure a seamless gaming experience.
The Average SSD Price for Starfield
Typically, a player can purchase an SSD for Starfield for around $50. However, the most recent models that offer +1TB of storage may be priced as high as $150 to $300.
Although a SATA Solid State Drive would do the trick for Bethesda’s space journey, players are recommended to get an NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) since it’s a future-proof choice.
The type of SSD players can get depends on their motherboard type.
Starfield will be available for PC and Xbox Series X|S on September 6, 2023.
