Smaller, faster, more expensive: SSD drives have become an alternative to classic HDDs. But these devices are very different from each other. What is the difference and which drive to choose, we will figure it out together with Laptop or.
What to choose: SSD or HDD? We compared the two types of drives and found the benefits of each type of device.
HDD and SSD: different principles of operation
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HDD and SSD function completely differently.
Classic HDDs consist of one or more magnetic disks and read heads. During operation, magnetic disks rotate. The read head (mounted on a lever) moves over the surface of the disc and recognizes the stored data.
An SSD, on the other hand, consists of a large number of separate Flash drives that are built into the drive in the same way as USB flash drives. This means that there are no moving mechanical parts in an SSD.
Benefits of an SSD
It seems that for several years now, SSD drives have been slowly but surely bypassing classic HDDs in all respects. The reason for this is a large number of advantages:
- As already mentioned, SSDs have no mechanical parts, which makes them more durable than HDDs. Such devices can easily survive even falls (in most cases). Whereas with HDD it will most likely lead to design defects and data loss.
- Due to the lack of mechanical parts, SSDs make little to no noise. HDD, on the contrary, constantly makes some sounds during operation. This noise is especially noteworthy in laptops and PCs with a thin bodies.
- The most important advantage of SSDs is that they are significantly faster than classic hard drives. Thanks to this, PCs and laptops with an SSD drive startup about twice as fast as with classic hard drives. And files and programs open up to four times faster on such devices.
- After all, SSDs are lighter than HDDs. In addition, in most cases, they consume significantly less energy. This makes them particularly interesting for mobile applications as it increases their battery life.
Advantages of HDD
In addition to a large number of advantages, SSDs also have some disadvantages. We have put together your information on how HDDs are superior to popular SDD drives.
- HDD is currently much cheaper than SSD. However, you can also save money by purchasing a new type of storage media. To do this, just look at our rating and sort the models according to the ratio of price and quality.
- Classic hard drives offer much more storage space. Volumes up to 10 TB are possible here, while SSDs are still limited to 2 TB.
- When data is lost on the HDD, as a rule, there is some hope of salvation: it is often easy to recover information using special utilities. When it comes to SSD, the data will be very difficult to save.
Disadvantages of SSD over HDD
Expensive: SSD prices have been falling for years, but their HDD predecessors remain a much cheaper and more affordable option. One of the reasons for the biting prices may be that the popularity of the former is currently much lower than that of classic SSDs. Perhaps in a few years, everything will change in favor of SSD.
Loss of data due to a power outage: Although SSDs are more reliable storage of information, a sudden power outage can affect the stored data. If the power is suddenly interrupted, you risk losing all data.
Limited Lifespan: The biggest disadvantage of an SSD is that it loses its write capacity over time. This is because it is not possible to change the number of bits on a disk. In order to fix this, it is necessary to delete and rewrite a large block of data, because when information is erased in an SSD cell, a residual charge is stored in it. This charge increases the resistance of the cell and eventually, the current may stop flowing through it and it becomes useless.
In the previous article, we already discussed the method of creating conditions for stable wear of disk resources, however, as much as we would not like, this only leads to slower degradation of the SSD, but not to its “immortality”. It is important to note that the indicated negative moment in the operation of the disk does not affect its ability to read the information in any way, since the charge value does not change during this process.
Fortunately, manufacturers have ways to deal with these issues. In particular, a hybrid disk (SSHD) , based on a method such as SSD Cashing, should not be confused with the cache memory inside the SSD. With this method, frequently used data and applications are copied to the SSD, which acts as a cache, while the HDD acts as the main storage device. Thus, you have a lightning-fast disk with important and frequently used data, and an HDD for storing music and movies, which can be downloaded and deleted without consequences.
Summing up the results of the first half of the article, SSDs have an incomparable advantage over HDDs in terms of information write speed, but the previous generation of drives is still a financially more profitable option.
The growing popularity of SSDs does not mean that HDDs will leave the market soon. To this day, new technologies are being created, such as HAMR (Thermal Assisted Magnetic Recording), the development of more advanced hard drives that will help them remain a profitable choice today. Hard drives have done an incredible job and are an important branch in the evolution of information storage. Given the pace of development of computer technology, it is likely that soon a formidable candidate for HDD – SSD will take the place of its ancestor. Not so long ago, Samsung launched the “PM1633a 15TB SSD 15TB” module,
We’ve discussed the difference between the two competing types of drives but still haven’t touched on the important topic of why you should buy an SSD. Time does not stand still, everything develops and new solid-state drives threaten to soon capture the computer technology market in the field of information storage.
Let’s get straight to the reasons why SSDs look so much better than their predecessors.
Reasons to discover SSD
- SSDs are colder. Why is that? They don’t have moving parts like HDDs, so SSDs can’t physically generate the same amount of heat. This is especially important if you work with many programs at the same time or if you live in a country with a high ambient temperature. Hence, your PC is much less prone to overheating.
- As we discussed above, SSDs are much quieter than HDDs and have a significant speed advantage.
- Solid-state drives are stronger. You can safely throw it on the floor, being sure that nothing will be damaged, while the HDD may be damaged.
- SSDs are not affected in any way by magnets. Since HDDs store information using magnets, a strong magnetic field near them can damage data. By purchasing an SSD, you can be calm if the drive suddenly finds itself in a magnetized area.
Summing up, we can safely say that although SSDs are not without their shortcomings, their advantage is undeniable. It is quite possible that in the very near future they will become a new standard for data storage, but for now, the best option will be hybrid – in which you connect both SSD and HDD to the PC, which complements each other perfectly.
