If you don't ever need your actor visible, do the second option. If you do need to change its alpha (interpolate, change attribute, etc) do the first option.
This is great for things like explosions that will pop up but not all the time. Place them on the scene and alpha 0. Then when scene loads they load. I have little experience so far, but it seems to help things run smoother. Just alpha 1 when they're needed.
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www.mammothinteractive.net
Change color>alpha> to 0.
Graphics> Visible> to No.
If you don't ever need your actor visible, do the second option. If you do need to change its alpha (interpolate, change attribute, etc) do the first option.