SSD has become popular as a storage device although HDD was very popular over time. The debate on SSD vs HDD is not finished yet. SSD has some awesome advantages over HDD. But you should not conclude that SSD is perfect for you. If you are a new buyer of a laptop or PC then this article is perfect for your storage selection. Every buyer has their own interest and it depends on some factors. If your budget is not a problem, you can go for SSD for higher performance but if not you have to go for HDD. Like this, you have to choose SSD or HDD thinking from different angles but keep in mind, Performance and fast processing are a primary issue and money is a secondary issue.
If we want to know the comparison between SSD and HDD, then we should be clear about basic knowledge about SSD and HDD individually.
Table of Contents
SSD
It means Solid-state drive which is used for Storage demand. It has no moving parts like a USB memory stick, dislikes Hard disk drive. All information is stored in an integrated microchips circuit made by transistors. These chips can either be installed on the motherboard of the system or externally with a motherboard with SATA cable. SSD is used internally for laptops or portable devices. There is no read/write head or arms to write or read from the disk plate or somewhere else. This makes SSD better because data would not be destroyed or harmed by shaking SSD. So you can easily put it in your bag or something else and visit distant places. So, it’s perfect for carrying or using a laptop. In this case, there is no harmful effect on your SSD at all.
Why you should like SSD:
- It requires less power than a Hard disk drive.
- No need to fragment drive periodically because data can be stored anywhere.
- Operating system boot time is very low, about 10 sec.
- There are no rotating parts and as such no noise.
- As there are no moving parts, no vibration is noticed.
- It’s very fast such as above 200 MegaBytes per second.
- Disk encryption is supported.
- Every file opening is faster than HDD.
- It’s totally safe from any other magnetic devices.
- The physical Size limitation of HDD can be solved by SSD.
Why you should not like SSD:
- It’s very expensive compared to HDD.
- Heat is produced because of high-speed transistors.
- It’s not available everywhere as the demand for SSD is rising but not raised.
- Data recovery is very complicated than HDD in the case of data loss because the data deletion process is not the same as a Hard disk drive.
- The highest memory size of SSD is less than an HDD.
HDD
HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive. It has moving parts to store data using magnetism. It has mechanical arms to read/write data on the surface of the disk platter. The hard disk can be faster if the actuator R/W head is faster. Actually Head writes binary information(0,1) by changing the magnetization of a specific section of a platter surface. As the moving plate is inside the HDD, It needs to be fragmented to store data on disk rather than storing anywhere. You can also find large files easily.
So, Noise and the sound may appear from outside. There is no shocking resistant, as a result, data would be damaged after falling from higher space. It is made of various size and shape of various companies. It is connected to PC via SATA in modern days.
Why you should like HDD:
- It’s available in every marketplace.
- It’s cheaper than SSD.
- Theoretically, there is no heat production on HDD but some.
- Data recovery is much easier than SSD because data is deleted in such way that, firstly, the index is deleted and file remains unharmed before writing new data on these cells.
- It has bigger memory size for PC (around 10TB)
Why you should not like HDD:
- It requires more time than SSD because of moving of read/write mechanical arms.
- Needs also more power than SSD.
- It requires fragmentation for writing to physical addresses.
- Noise and vibration are noticed because of the rotating drive.
- Boot time and file opening speed are less than SSD.
- Its information can be erased by an external magnet or magnetic devices.
- Its physical size is bigger than SSD.
In an overall thinking- if you have enough budget, you should buy SSD for best speed, form factor, noise reduction but if you want to buy spending low budget or to avail more capacity, availability then you should go for HDD.
SSD vs HDD performance Comparison
SSHD
We have known about SSD and HDD and also which one to choose. SSHD stands for a Solid-state hybrid drive. It’s a normal hard drive disk with a small amount of SSD which is placed internally. Typically 8GB of SSD stays with HDD. Microcontroller chips control the data should be on SSD or HDD. Generally, Important data(such as- Windows or another operating system) is stored on SSD and left on HDD. As a limitation of the memory size of SSD exists, SSHD will be the solution for not only performance but also storage solution.
Why you should like:
- With a small amount of SSD can be the solution for booting operating system quickly.
- At the same period, Applications you use frequently (i.e. Editing or Graphics software) can be accessed by SSD and HDD part can be used for storage only.
- This is a combination of HDD and SSD, so both features can be availed.
Why you should not like:
- Performance is still low because of the short memory size of SSD.
- The size of SSHD is a little bit bigger than HDD, so precautions should be taken before buying an SSHD so that SSHD fit in the HDD space.
Final Verdict
Between SSD vs HDD, all things are dependent on your budget and performance requirement. More performance will cost you more but will be best for speed and overall performance and of course, it will last longer. SSD is very helpful for the faster operation like the boot to operating system, time of gaming, graphics editing etc. For a downloader, tutorial, movie lover, general users, HDD can be storage solution for them. But for travelers, fast boot speed, graphics editors, audio or video editors, SSD can fulfill their requirements.
but All features are combined in an SSHD and it’s my choice. I think SSD vs HDD battle is finished now in your mind.
