Solid State Drive (SSD)

Solid-state drives (SSD) are a new generation of storage devices aimed at replacing traditional mechanical hard-disk drives (HDD). SSDs use flash-based memory rather than spinning disks, making them faster, more reliable and more energy-efficient.

This storage technology was previously reserved for enterprise organizations and the most high-end PCs. Technology improvements have made them more affordable so they are now more common in mainstream devices. They are on average more expensive than HDDs but they provide more value. SSDs are available with storage capacities ranging from 32 gigabytes up to 8 terabytes.

SSD VS. HDD

HDDs consist of an actuator arm that moves across a spinning magnetic disc to read and write data. SSDs use chips called NAND flash memory that have no moving parts. This means they don’t experience the same mechanical failures as HDDs.

HDDs take longer to boot as the disk needs to ramp up to speed and takes longer to find the information requested. NAND memory chips boot instantly and the SSD can locate information in a fraction of the time required by HDDs. SSD’s far superior read/write speeds are the biggest differentiator over hardware-based storage.

SSDs are also smaller and lighter than mechanical disks, clearing up space for other hardware and allowing for the development of smaller, more mobile devices. They also increase battery life as they consume less energy than HDDs. Overall, SSDs outperform HDDs in how quickly they boot, transfer files, and launch and run applications.

TYPES OF SSDS

SSDs come in a variety of sizes and form factors to serve different needs. They can be external with a standalone enclosure and connect to devices via USB or Thunderbolt cables, but are more commonly internal and connect directly to the motherboard. Internal SSDs are more complicated and leverage multiple types of connections and form factors.

COMMON APPLICATIONS

SSDs are growing in popularity in consumer devices like laptops but are strongly preferred for certain applications.

Businesses: Many organizations need to store and regularly access massive amounts of data. SSDs allow organizations to access and transfer data quickly, reduce downtime thanks to their reliability, and save on energy costs.
Media Creation: Media creators, such as video editors, photographers and music producers often use robust applications for their work. These applications typically read and write from large raw media files which can be a hefty task for HDDs. SSDs greatly speed up the editing and rendering of media.
Gaming: Modern games are designed to constantly load and write files to render textures, maps, levels and other game elements. SSDs allow this to happen seamlessly, providing a better gaming experience.

Computing

SSD VS. HDD

TYPES OF SSDS

COMMON APPLICATIONS

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