NXE Extended Hard Drive vs DVD Load Times

Nov 11, 2008 (Click to Rate!) Loading ...

By now most of you probably know that on November 19th the Xbox 360 is getting an updated that is being called the “New Xbox Experience” or NXE. The “Break it Down” Blog recently covered some of the features that are being included, you can read that recap here. One of the features I’m really looking forward to is the option to install games to the hard drive.

The hard drive install option should not only decrease load times, but also help with graphical annoyances like pop-in that is caused by the Xbox 360 not being able to read the disc fast enough to get all the graphics loaded as quickly as it needs to. Setting aside the cost of the 120 GB hard drive for the Xbox 360 the Hard Drive Install option has the potential to most greatly influence my current game playing.

EuroGamer release a comparison of load times between the normal disc only playing and then with the hard drive install option being used. They compaired Gears of War 2, The Orange Box, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fable II, Halo 3, Mass Effect, BioShock, Project Gotham Racing 4, and Call of Duty 4. For the most part games seem to load at most 10 or 15% faster, but the one game that surprised me was Halo 3. It acutally loads a little slower when the hard drive installation is used. So, pretty much defeating the purpose of doing the install. Hopefully slower loading games, like Halo 3, will be rare with the hard drive installation.

Update #1: Be sure to check out GameInstalls.com for detailed breakdowns of size and performance improvement comparisons between disks and HDD installs for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Here is a breakdown of a few examples of the games that EuroGamer tested.

Gears of War 2

Install Size: 6.7GB

Section Tested	DVD Load Time	HDD Load Time
Initial Load	32 seconds	24 seconds
Tip of the Spear (Digging In)	18 seconds	15 seconds
Gathering Storm	29 seconds	29 seconds
Denizens (Scattered)	17 seconds	11.5 seconds
Horde Stage (Avalanche)	16 seconds	16 seconds
Training Grounds (The Basics)	10.5 seconds	9.5 seconds

Halo 3

Install Size: 6.3GB

Section Tested	DVD Load Time	HDD Load Time
Sierra 117	46 seconds	53 seconds
Crow’s Nest	59 seconds	70 seconds
Tsavo Highway	46.5 seconds	57 seconds
The Storm	52 seconds	64 seconds
Floodgate	54 seconds	64.5 seconds
The Ark	61 seconds	69 seconds
The Covenant	66.5 seconds	78 seconds
Cortana	40.5 seconds	48.5 seconds
Halo	80 seconds	65 seconds

Mass Effect

Install Size: 6.8GB

Section Tested	DVD Load Time	HDD Load Time
Initial Loading	25.5 seconds	20.5 seconds
Starting New Career	14 seconds	10 seconds
Normandy Quarters	12.5 seconds	10 seconds
Citadel Upper Wards	16 seconds	14 seconds

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This post was written by:

Jigsaw hc - who has written 113 posts on The “Break it Down” Blog.

When I'm not working you can find me playing on my Xbox 360 or working on XBLAratings.com.

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Why Halo 3’s Loads Slower With The New Xbox Experience | The "Break it Down" Blog Says:
November 19th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
[...] newest update to the Xbox 360, the New Xbox Experience, released today. As we reported last week one of the cool new features is that games can be saved to the hard drive. For most games this [...]

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