SSD vs HDD – Which one is best for you?
A hard drive is a hard drive right? Well, not quite. In fact, when it comes to storage there are two options to choose from: SSD or HDD. Which one will work best for you will depend on what your precise needs are. So, let’s take a look at the details of each before you make a purchase.
Hard Drive Disk or HDD
Most desktop PCs use a traditional hard drive disk to store your computer’s operating system, applications, files and folders. Their mechanical components consist of a platter, which stores all data and spins, allowing the read-write arm to read data on the disc as it passes.
The speed on your hard drive will depend on how fast this platter spins, which in turn impacts how quickly your operating system and applications respond. Usually, a hard drive disk’s speed will go between 5,400 to 7,200 RPM, though certain server based disks can go up to 15,000 RPM.
Solid State Drive or SSD
Solid state drives are a newer technology than HDDs. Coming at a much smaller size than hard drive disks, they’re usually installed in modern laptops, storing their data on a NAND (Negative-AND) flash memory. Here, an integrated processor handles the writing and reading of data, and the more efficient this is, the faster the unit will be.
SSD vs HDD
The main differences between SSD and HDD come down to prices, storage, and speed. As a newer technology SSDs are pricier than HDDs, so if you’re looking for the most capacity for the least amount of money, investing in an HDD will be your best choice.
Being able to hold capacities of 1TB up to 10TB, HDDs are certainly better if you’re used to downloading large amounts of files or need greater storage capacity, as SSDs can only handle between 256GB to 4TB.
Also, an important thing to consider when going back and forth between SSD vs HDD is the type of computer you’re using. SSDs hold no moving parts, making them more robust and a better fit for laptops and mobile devices, especially because they use less power than an HDD, meaning you get a longer battery life.
However, HDDs tend to last longer than SSDs, as the latter’s lifetime depends on the amount of data written in it, since each cell in a bank of flash memories can only be written a certain amount of times. The more NAND memory chips your SSD has, the more storage capacity it will hold and the longer its lifetime will be.
If what you’re looking for is speed, though, SSDs are certainly the ones to go for, even on the cheapest of drives, as anything loaded on it will perform actions much quicker than any HDD ever will.
So what’s the best way to go when it comes to SSDs vs HDDs? Of course it will all depend on your particular needs, but the best answer will be a combination of both: If you own a desktop computer this will certainly be possible, as it’ll be able to fit both types of hard drive at once, allowing you to store your operating system on the SSD, and helping your computer load at a much faster speed while taking advantage of the tremendous storage capacity of a HDD to keep all of your files, apps and more in it.
If your device doesn’t allow for both hard drives, consider getting a hybrid drive, also known as SSHDs which will easily fit into your device and provide all of the advantages of this winning combination.