So I have a 500 GB SSD on which I have my OS and Star Citizen installed, and I also have a 1 TB HDD installed for storage. I figured I would do a direct comparison on the same exact hardware, only changing the variable of the SSD vs the HDD. The OS was on the SSD for both tests. Here is what I found: From RSI launcher to main menu: HDD: 133 seconds average (133,124,136,138) SSD: 34 seconds average (33,38,33,33) SSD gave 3.9 times better loading time Main Menu to waking up: HDD: 229 seconds average (242, 224, 205, 239, 234) SSD: 48 seconds average (62, 51, 44, 47, 35) SSD gave 4.8 times better loading time That doesn't tell the whole story though. Using the HDD, it took a good 2-3 minutes of really bad stuttering, with the music cutting in and out, before FPS started to stabilize at around 30 FPS, but still had frequent microstutters thereafter. Using the SSD, it was a relative smooth 30 FPS from the beginning, with minimal microstutters. So if you are using an HDD, be prepared to just lie in bed for a few minutes after the game starts before getting up, and be prepared for a less enjoyable experience thereafter every time the game needs to load some new asset. My hardware is as follows: i7 7700K @ 4.2 Ghz 16 GB DDR4 RAM (2666 Mhz) GTX 960 (2 GB) Toshiba OCZ TR150 (500 GB SSD) WD Black WD1003FZEX (1.0 TB HDD)