HDD Hard Drives vs. SSD Hard Drives

Buying a new computer or upgrading an existing machine can be fun but there is always a certain amount of work involved as well. Advancements in software and hardware components for computers are changing so quickly that even if you buy a new computer every couple of years there will probably still be new options available you are not thoroughly familiar with yet.

Of course, in the long run, this is a good thing for users because it likely means additional functionality, more responsive computer operations and better performance. However, it also means you need to take some extra time to understand recent developments in the computer world and make sure you are careful of selecting a particular configuration or option without knowing everything involved. It is relatively difficult to make a “fatal” choice when deciding on a computer configuration, although it can happen from time to time.

SSD hard drives have been around for a while now and many users who need to replace a computer that is several years old are just getting to know the details of what they offer compared to traditional HDD hard drives. Your choice of hard drive, operating system, processor and many other items will determine the performance a machine is capable of, what functions it can perform and will play a major role in the operational quality as well as your overall user experience. Your hard drive is without a doubt one of the most important parts of a computer system so ensuring you select a hard drive that serves your objectives is important.

Advantages of SSD Hard Drives

SSDs (Solid State Drives) operate much different than HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), as they have no moving parts inside like the read/write arm that physically writes data to the disk on an HDD. The internal parts and operation of an SSD is similar to USB storage devices that simply accept and save all data within microchips. In addition to no moving parts, SSD Hard Drives actually have several advantages that in most cases make them an attractive option and the preferred hard drive for a new computer.

Consume Less Power & Create Less Heat

As mentioned above, SSDs do not have any moving parts that perform physical functions so they consume less power and create less heat compared to hard disk drives. Ultimately, this translates to a longer operational lifecycle for a computer and its installed components especially laptop batteries.

Less Wear and Tear

SSDs operate much more efficiently than hard disk drives, which means, they do not require a lot of system resources putting less stress on a system. Solid state drives experience dramatically lower rates of drive failure and allow systems to operate at higher levels for long periods of time before needing complete or partial replacement.

Fast Boot Up and Quickly Open Applications

SSD hard drives typically boot up in approximately 7-13 seconds compared to an average of 40 seconds or more for systems with traditional hard disk drives. Not only do they boot up much faster, they also open files 30%-50% faster. Saving ten seconds here and there might sound trivial for some users, but if you rely on your computer to run a business or complete the daily tasks of your job it can make a huge difference.

Data Writing Speed

Booting and opening files faster certainly saves a lot of time but it doesn’t end there, SSD hard drives write data four to five times faster than traditional hard disk drives. This means they are able to process commands more quickly, transfer data to and from applications more efficiently and users spend less time waiting on their machines to finish performing functions before being able to move forward with another task.

SSD Hard Drive Downsides-Storage Capacity and Price

No computer or component is perfect and neither are solid state hard drives. In spite of the many advantages they offer, they are considerably more expensive and somewhat limited in storage capacity. Traditional hard drives can offer all the way up to 6TBs of storage space on certain desktops and they cost just about half as much as SSDs. If you choose a solid state drive, then you will be limited to a maximum of 1TB of storage space with many configurations only offering 256GB drives or even less.

So you will be limited on local storage capacity and the additional benefits SSD hard drives offer will cost you a noticeable amount of money. Making a decision between a traditional hard disk drive and a solid state drive will largely depend on how much you use your computer on a daily basis. Each user must determine how much long-term value the benefits of an SSD will return compared to the additional upfront cost of the drive and potential cost of additional data storage options.

The significant advantage for individuals that spend the majority of their days connected to their computer seems to be very clear. However, people that are light or sporadic computer users may have a more difficult time deciding what is best.