Thread: SSD and decreasing load times

Perform/Buy at your own risk...

For those of you with Z68 boards, see this intel link Intel Smart Response Technology and Intel SSDs: an Overview smart response technology

For those of you like me that don't have the cash to replace your entire drive with a solid state, you don't have to replace the entire drive to improve BF3 load times. You can get a smaller solid state drive and just replace the electronic art's C:\program files folder(or x86 program files folder if you have 64 bit Windows 7).

Basically buy an SSD drive that has enough space (plus a bit extra for SSD performance 20% empty space and/or expansion) for the C:\Program Files (or X86)\Electronic Arts folder.

Install the drive

start Windows 7 (safe mode may work better)

Make sure Origin or anything else that may be access the Electronic Arts folder is shut down

Start Computer Management

Go under Storage then Disk Management

Locate the SSD drive

If Windows assigned it a drive letter, remove it by right-clicking on it, selecting the drive letter and clicking on Remove

Start Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files on 32 bit or C:\Program Files (x86) on 64 bit OS

Rename Electronic Arts (assuming you used default folder, if you didn't you should be smart enough to know the right folder) to Electronic Arts2 or EA Backup or something...

Go back to Computer Management/Disk Management, right-click on the SSD, click Add...

Select Mount in the following empty NTFS folder:

Either Browse or enter
on 32 bit OS: C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts
on 64 bit OS: C:\Program Files (x86)\Electronic Arts

Click OK and get out of Computer Management

Go back to Windows Explorer and copy the contents from your old renamed Electronic Arts folder into the new one

Restart your computer if you started in Safe mode or just restart Origin and see if there was any improvement.

Yea, SSDs make load times amazingly fast. 15-20 sounds about right. Gives you a fighting chance on grabbing an aircraft! Not to mention if you spring for a larger one(I have a 120gb one) you can get the operating system on the sdd and boot times are about 10x faster.