Getting my new 360 elite on friday and just wanted to know if i should bother to install all the games i will be playing on it? Are there any games where it has a negetive impact on a game (example halo 3...any others)?
Halo 3 is the only one I've heard of. Google around for this because I remember coming across some chart with just about every game listed and it had stats on install size and load time decrease.
[QUOTE="DJ_Magneto"]Here's one such website. http://www.bingegamer.net/2008/so-how-much-time-are-you-saving-xbox-360-nxe-hard-drive-install-chart/Salamat. I think another advantage of installing games, is it makes your console even more whisper quiet. I usually install my most played and recent games on my HDD, because of that.
I just dont get why you would install the game on the HDD and you still have to have the disc. Dont get me wrong, i know the loading times are faster, but i dont think its worth 6 GB of your HDD on some games.
Honestly Halo 3 was worth installing on the HD just to save extra wear and tear on the DVD drive - the increase in load times really didn't seem that different. If you have the space, I'd recommend installing all your games, as most of the noise on the 360 is from the dvd drive spinning - take that away and it's a very quiet system.
I just dont get why you would install the game on the HDD and you still have to have the disc. Dont get me wrong, i know the loading times are faster, but i dont think its worth 6 GB of your HDD on some games.Killzone_Master
It stops (or at least slows down) piracy - as if you didn't need the disk so many people would just borrow games from friends or rental places and it would cause major issues with game publishers.
I just dont get why you would install the game on the HDD and you still have to have the disc. Dont get me wrong, i know the loading times are faster, but i dont think its worth 6 GB of your HDD on some games.Killzone_Master
You need the disc in your drive to combat piracy. Otherwise, people would be renting games or lending games to people, installing them and never buying them. This way, you still have to own the disc or have it in your possession to play. MS isn't that stupid. Also, as someone else said, the console runs quieter because the disc isn't spinning away when you play. But you don't need to install all your games if you don't want to. Some like you said aren't worth the space. But for the few games you play quite a bit, you might as well. And when you're done, just uninstall. No big deal.
I ALWAYS install games to my HDD. Do you hear how it sounds when you don't? That grinding sound makes me cringe every time I hear it. I will NEVER play a game without it installed.I like having an Xbox in one piece.
Now that we can install games, I dont know why you would not. It makes the console so quiet when playing games. The loudest thing about my Xbox is just turning the console on. And to answer your question TC, I believe that the only game that couldnt be installed to the HDD was Crackdown but they have since made an update allowing installation. Bungie also reccomends not installing Halo 3, but I have heard that installing it is still the way to go.
Bungie also reccomends not installing Halo 3, but I have heard that installing it is still the way to go.SNESMaster420
No, Halo 3 is the one game that you don't install. Here's why... [QUOTE="Bungie"]Bungie Chief Caching Officer Mat Noguchi explains that the way Halo 3 works with a 360 HDD is the root of the problem: "When Halo 3 runs, if a HDD is present, we copy maps from the DVD to the utility partition on the HDD." As a result, if players install Halo 3 to the 360's HDD, the game will still go about its normal procedure of copying maps to the utility partition. The slow loading screens occur here because a 360 HDD mechanism is being asked to do two things at once when Halo 3 loads. "You read and write through the same mechanism (i.e. the hard drive read/write head) and those reads and writes cannot occur simultaneously through a single mechanism," Noguchi explains. Bungie has also revealed that it has no plans to administer a fix for the problem. "The risks of doing that and the resources required has to be carefully considered against what could really be a rather insignificant change to the player experience," Noguchi says.
[QUOTE="Killzone_Master"]I just dont get why you would install the game on the HDD and you still have to have the disc. Dont get me wrong, i know the loading times are faster, but i dont think its worth 6 GB of your HDD on some games.DJ_Magneto
You need the disc in your drive to combat piracy. Otherwise, people would be renting games or lending games to people, installing them and never buying them. This way, you still have to own the disc or have it in your possession to play. MS isn't that stupid. Also, as someone else said, the console runs quieter because the disc isn't spinning away when you play. But you don't need to install all your games if you don't want to. Some like you said aren't worth the space. But for the few games you play quite a bit, you might as well. And when you're done, just uninstall. No big deal.
well he didn't ask why the disc needs to be there im sure he knows. Hes saying that he doesn't see the point and i agree. If it were the ps3 then id be for installs but 360 games load quickly off the disc as is. Yeah you see improved load times but it not like it eliminates load times. Often you are only shaving a few sec off and some games see no improvement at all. There are also a few games that have some glitching as a result of installing. All of this at cost of 5 or 6 gigs for each game you install. Its just not worth it imo just play the game off the disc since you have to have the disc in there anyway.
Also ive had my current 360 for 3 years now and have been playing games off disc the whole time. My disc drive hasn't failed or showed any signs of failing. So don't believe the hype about disc drive wear and tear. The only valid reason i see is the sound issue. I personally don't have the problem because my 360 is not located right next to my tv. Some people should try that.
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5064959#post5064959 ^ As you'll see on that link, almost all games have at least a slight benefit from being installed. However there are a few that do not support installation or are negatively effected by it. Halo 3 however, seems to be the only good/relevant game that is negatively impacted by installation.
[QUOTE="DJ_Magneto"][QUOTE="Killzone_Master"]I just dont get why you would install the game on the HDD and you still have to have the disc. Dont get me wrong, i know the loading times are faster, but i dont think its worth 6 GB of your HDD on some games.Gen007
You need the disc in your drive to combat piracy. Otherwise, people would be renting games or lending games to people, installing them and never buying them. This way, you still have to own the disc or have it in your possession to play. MS isn't that stupid. Also, as someone else said, the console runs quieter because the disc isn't spinning away when you play. But you don't need to install all your games if you don't want to. Some like you said aren't worth the space. But for the few games you play quite a bit, you might as well. And when you're done, just uninstall. No big deal.
well he didn't ask why the disc needs to be there im sure he knows. Hes saying that he doesn't see the point and i agree. If it were the ps3 then id be for installs but 360 games load quickly off the disc as is. Yeah you see improved load times but it not like it eliminates load times. Often you are only shaving a few sec off and some games see no improvement at all. There are also a few games that have some glitching as a result of installing. All of this at cost of 5 or 6 gigs for each game you install. Its just not worth it imo just play the game off the disc since you have to have the disc in there anyway.
Also ive had my current 360 for 3 years now and have been playing games off disc the whole time. My disc drive hasn't failed or showed any signs of failing. So don't believe the hype about disc drive wear and tear. The only valid reason i see is the sound issue. I personally don't have the problem because my 360 is not located right next to my tv. Some people should try that.
Of course there's the noise issue. That has been said. Some say the console runs cooler because the disc drive isn't wailing away. There are some decreased load times. If you look at that link I posted it actually seems that most don't show any decrease in load times, but there are some where minute load times are cut in half. We're not condemning people who don't install games. We're not saying that if you don't install, your console will crash. If you don't want to, that's fine. We're just saying, there are benefits. AND, if you have the space, be it a 120 or 250 GB hard drive, what's 5 or 6 GB here or there? That's why you have all that space right? And once you're done playing that game, you can just as easily uninstall it from your HDD in like 2 seconds. What's the harm in that? Now if you have a 20GB HDD, then that's a different story. Juggling that space is a pain.
Another thing. I personally don't install ALL my games. I've got probably more than 40 games on my shelf, so obviously I wouldn't want to gobble up all my HDD space with installs. I only install games that I'm currently playing that I know I'll put a lot of time into. Like Mass Effect 2 or RDR. And once I'm done with them and I know I won't be playing those games for a while, I uninstall. Like I said, 2 seconds. Sometimes I like to throw in Gears or something for a quick multiplayer or quick run through the campaign. I won't necessarily install for that.
[QUOTE="DJ_Magneto"]Here's one such website. http://www.bingegamer.net/2008/so-how-much-time-are-you-saving-xbox-360-nxe-hard-drive-install-chart/gago-gago
Salamat. I think another advantage of installing games, is it makes your console even more whisper quiet. I usually install my most played and recent games on my HDD, because of that.
i never thought about that!! good point. does this also keep it from getting hot enough to bake cookies on it as well?
I have found that every time i install any game to my HDD (oblivion,Battlefield Bad Company 2, Fable 2 and others) that it has resulted in a 95% noise reduction from the 360 and it has also noticeably decreased load times on all games. i would recommend it to anyone with the spare storage space. I generally only have enough room on my HDD to install one game at a time (i'm still using the old 20gb HDD) but it is definitely worth it. To specifically address the OP it is only not recommended for Halo 3 it is recommended for every other game.
I install all my favorite most played titles, like COD4, Forza 3, Forza 2 etc... I've noticed how much better games run when installed. Forza 3 for example loads faster, and runs smoother when installed to the HDD. Only problem is, installing games takes up a lot of your HDD space - Games like ME2 take like 12 gigs!
I have found that every time i install any game to my HDD (oblivion,Battlefield Bad Company 2, Fable 2 and others) that it has resulted in a 95% noise reduction from the 360 and it has also noticeably decreased load times on all games. i would recommend it to anyone with the spare storage space. I generally only have enough room on my HDD to install one game at a time (i'm still using the old 20gb HDD) but it is definitely worth it. To specifically address the OP it is only not recommended for Halo 3 it is recommended for every other game.
The-Longshot
You should upgrade to a bigger HDD. The 20GB is very limited, i think 13.9GB in total. the 60GB should be reasonable used on ebay.
I do it simply for piece of mind; I've been through four 360s and anything that lessens stress on a critical component (the disc drive) is a boon for me. I have a 120gb Elite, so I always have plenty of space.
It works out for me because I typically only own between 2 and 4 games at any one time; I usually either sell or trade in the ones I beat and get finished with. Then I uninstall them.
Installed games are great IMO. It makes my DVD drive, while putting the game in my console, more quieter. It also loads the games pretty fast to me. I think It's great people, especially If you play one of your favorite games while It's Installed.
[QUOTE="gago-gago"][QUOTE="DJ_Magneto"]Here's one such website. http://www.bingegamer.net/2008/so-how-much-time-are-you-saving-xbox-360-nxe-hard-drive-install-chart/HockeyPlayr1134
Salamat. I think another advantage of installing games, is it makes your console even more whisper quiet. I usually install my most played and recent games on my HDD, because of that.
i never thought about that!! good point. does this also keep it from getting hot enough to bake cookies on it as well?
it definately stays a lot cooler, played gears for about 12 hours one day/night, didnt reach that high a temperature
[QUOTE="racing1750"]I install all my favorite most played titles, like COD4, Forza 3, Forza 2 etc... I've noticed how much better games run when installed. Forza 3 for example loads faster, and runs smoother when installed to the HDD. Only problem is, installing games takes up a lot of your HDD space - Games like ME2 take like 12 gigs! I see,well i will be getting the 120gb HDD so it should be good for 15-20 games at one time,i will only download half a dozen live arcade titles and i don't bother with any video,music or anything so i concluded i will install every game that i start to play,thanks for all the helpful reply's. :)
Im a new owner of an Xbox Slim and this is quite honestly one of my favorite features. Just yesterday I learnt how to do it and installed CoD4 to my HDD... And boy was that an awesome thing to do. It ran quieter than when the disk was in, epic.
I install most all my games, I've noticed some slightly faster load times on Mass Effect 2 for example. Also it's just nicer to have the system run quieter since it doesn't have to spin up the DVD drive.
Well Bungie has specifically stated to not install Halo 3 to your hard drive, so definitely don't install that one. That's the only game I've ever heard of that shouldn't be installed. Besides Halo 3, I would say install whatever game you wish. I install all of my games so that my 360 will run quieter because I hate loud and unnecessary noises.
[QUOTE="racing1750"]I install all my favorite most played titles, like COD4, Forza 3, Forza 2 etc... I've noticed how much better games run when installed. Forza 3 for example loads faster, and runs smoother when installed to the HDD. Only problem is, installing games takes up a lot of your HDD space - Games like ME2 take like 12 gigs!blacktorn
I see,well i will be getting the 120gb HDD so it should be good for 15-20 games at one time,i will only download half a dozen live arcade titles and i don't bother with any video,music or anything so i concluded i will install every game that i start to play,thanks for all the helpful reply's. :) You should seriously consider getting the Final Fantasy 13 Super Elite bundle if you haven't bought a 360 yet. It costs $250 at newegg with a coupon code if you get it before July 5th. It ends up costing the same as the new Elite bundle price($250 US).
I recommend installing all games to your HDD minus Halo 3 (only game I know of that has a downside to installing). I don't know why people don't really talk about another bonus of installing games besides shorter load times and a quiet 360: it pretty much eliminates the RROD, at least in my experience. I've had 3 360's that RROD'd on me prior to the NXE update. Once that came out, my 3rd 360 RROD'd right around that time. The next one I got, which was an even older model, I upgraded the HDD to 120GB and began to install every game I played (minus Halo 3). I've never had a problem with the 360 since. I'm pretty sure the lack of the disc drive running causes the system to run cooler. I had that 360 for over a year, before I sold it for a new arcade unit because I wanted the HDMI output. While I recognize that the newer models are more reliable, still I installed every game to the HDD and have never had a single issue with it. So it could just be luck, but I'm pretty sure that installing games to the HDD drastically cuts down the risk of overheating your system.
It will be better if you install games into your hard drive that you play most often. It makes load times faster and your Xbox run cooler and quieter. Use this website to see how much space is used in your hard drive when installing a game.
Here's a question for ya - If you install a multi disc game like FF13 can you play the game purely off disc 1 after that or do you still need to swap discs to prove you have them?
Well back when there was no install option I used to play games from the dvd player... and I swear to you it was horrible! My 360 used to scratch almost every game... either that or throw the "disk is unreadable" message or something like that.
Now I install every game before playing it and have no problems with it.
Picture yourself playing MW2 online and suddenly, 20 secs before the match ends it gets frozen! It's not worth it.
Smoother gameplay meaning less FPS drops and texture popins
Less noise
It also runs cooler due to the drive not heating up as it's placed right above the GPU which helps cause the RROD
Less wear on your DVD drive.
I highly recommend you install your games on the HDD by laying the system down and then lay it back up when gaming to provide the best airflow and cooling.
Anyone looking to upgrade to a 250GB hard drive check this site out, it's only $55 BlackGreyThe normal price is $129.99
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