What is a SSD and a HDD ?

What is a SSD?

A SSD (Solid-State Drive) is a solid state memory storage device that uses non-volatile memory chips and provides access to data in a similar manner to traditional hard disk drives. Rather than using spinning disks like a hard disk drive would, solid state drives contain no moving parts and use microchips to store data. Solid state drives use the same interface as hard disk drives, so they are easily interchangeable for most applications. Most solid state drives retain memory without power, but some exist that are RAM-based and lack data persistence. Currently, many computer setups have a hybrid drive that contains both solid state memory and a hard drive. This gives the user the advantage of having faster boot times and faster loading for frequently accessed applications while having the large storage space and value of a hard disk drive.

What is the difference between a SSD and HDD?

Compared to hard drives, solid state drives have many advantages. The spin-up time on a solid state drive will take a few milliseconds, while hard drives often take several seconds. It doesn’t matter where you store data on solid state drives, fragmented data will not slow performance. A lack of moving parts eliminates mechanical breakdowns, and creates a silent atmosphere for solid state drives. Solid state drives are stronger when exposed to a shock or vibration, and magnets will not alter data on them.

What are the disadvantages of using a SSD instead of a HDD?

There are a few disadvantages with solid state drives. Solid state drives that use flash memory have a limited number writes over the life of the drive, while hard disk drives have an unlimited number of writes. The storage capacity of solid state drives is currently too small and expensive to replace hard disk drives, with prices ranging up to 20 times the price per gigabyte and storage spaces typically under 120GB.
Shantanu

Posted in: Hardware