What is the difference between a Solid State Drive (SSD) and a Hard Drive (HDD), and when should you choose one over the other? The answer is whenever possible for most users except those who store massive amounts of data. Here are seven reasons why:
1. SSDs can absorb more G Force than HDDs
A key difference between Hard Drives and SSDs are in the way they are made. HDDs are literally small disks that spin around, with code embedded into the magnetic coating to store data. SSD drives, on the other hand, use flash memory and so are a great solution for mobile devices like laptops.
2. SSDs have more longevity than HDDs
The lifespan of a Hard Drive is around 25% shorter than that of SSDs because of the moving parts described above. With HDDs, you are facing a mean average of 1.5 million hours before failure as opposed to a mean of 2 million on SSDs.
3. SSDs have a faster boot up speed
Hard Drives require a warmup period before they begin working properly due to the moving parts they contain. The average system boot up with SSD storage is 10-13 seconds. The comparable boot up time for a system containing HDD storage is 30-40, which is at least three times slower.
4. SSDs are quicker at read and write operations
SSDs have a far higher read/ write speed, which means much faster upload and download of data. This can be almost double in some cases. Research shows that Hard Drives read and write between 50-120MB per second. In comparison, SSD drives read and write at a minimum of 200MB per second and PCIe SSD’s can reach as much as 2000MB/s read and write speed, which is huge in comparison.
5. You can open files faster with an SSD
The file opening speed of an SSD is around 30% faster than that of a Hard Drive too. This results in more operations and a more efficient system overall.
6. SSDs use less power than HDDs
Tests show that HDDs draw around 50% more power than SSDs, which impacts on battery life as well as electricity bills. Added to this, SSDs produce cooler machines, which can be important in environments where heat will affect the performance of the equipment.
7. SSDs create a calmer working environment
The moving parts in Hard Drives result in clicks as the system operates as well as vibration in some cases. Because SSD drives work with flash technology, their operation is silent and calm.