As many experts note, despite its rapid development, the SSD market will not be able to completely replace the hard disk drive (HDD) market in the near future.
This once again suggests that in modern realities, a bunch of SSD+HDD is one of the best collaborations between computer devices.
More than once it has been noticed in practice that such a bundle can significantly improve the performance of the operating system and breathe new life into an already outdated (morally and technically) computer, due to the increased speed of the storage device.
And in the framework of this article, we will focus in more detail on what is the reason for this superiority of SSD over HDD, as well as why you should pay attention to the transition to solid-state drives now.
SSD device features
You should start with a small description of the internal device of solid-state drives.
Among the main components of the SSD disk are listed:
- PCB circuit Board;
- NAND flash memory responsible for data storage - NAND-flash;
- Memory controller, the meaning of which is to mediate between the media and the system itself, and is responsible for performance - NAND-controller;
- Connection interface, Protocol and connection type-HOST Interface.
As for the appearance, there are many options-form factors that have not only a visual difference from each other, but also are divided by the data rate, depending on the interface they offer.
Form factor
Among the existing variations, the following solid state drive distribution formats should be distinguished:
- "2.5 inches" is the most common format using SATA interface, which is used in most portable devices.
- "M. 2" - allows you to connect the disk using the same slot, using a connection via SATA or PCI-Express.
- "PCI-Express AIC" is a narrowly directed expansion card for PCI-Express slots;
- "mSata" is an outdated format that targets portable devices.
Connection interface
The type of connection is a critical component that directly affects the maximum data transfer rate offered by the SSD.
- "SATA / mSATA" and "M. 2 SATA" - offers a maximum data transfer rate of up to 6 Gbps;
- "M. 2 NVMe" and "AIC NVMe" - up to 31.5 Gbps (PCI-Express 3.0 x4).
The choice of form factor and connection interface is entirely in the personal responsibility of each user, depending on the technical characteristics of the computer.
Why is SSD faster than HDD?
The main difference between hard disk drives (hard disk drive) and solid-state drives (solid-state drive) is that:
- HDD drives – a device consisting of several magnetized disks and a special head, which work on the principle known to all-playing vinyl records.
- SSD drives are devices that do not have moving parts in their structure. Their basis is a set of chips mentioned above, placed on a single Board. If you simplify, the essence of their work is similar to the work of a conventional usb flash drive, but many times faster.
In order to demonstrate the difference in the speed of the devices, it is enough to conduct a comparative test between SSD and HDD using any diagnostic utility, for example, "CrystalDiskMark".
As subjects will be enough budget SSD 120GB "KINGSTON SA400S37120G" and HDD 500GB "Seagate ST3500312CS", which is even a little more expensive.
If you look at the results of these budget options, even here you can see a significant difference, SSD read speed – 131.6 MB/s, HDD – 100.89 MB/s.
When testing more expensive models of solid-state drives, the difference becomes simply huge.
The Smartbuy SSD with the same 120GB offers 253.8 MB/s, and the Kingston SHFS37A120G 493.6 MB/s, which is almost 5 times the read speed of the HDD.
Also a trifle, but quite significant. SSD drives do not need to be defragmented, and in most cases do not need to give disk resources and swap file storage.
What are the advantages of SSD?
It is due to the structure of its device that solid-state drives are preferable in many aspects than hard drives, for example:
- Accelerated loading of the operating system, which is why SSD is most preferable to use as a network drive. In particular-this applies to situations when migrating the operating system to a solid state drive, and how to do this you can read in the next article.
- Low power consumption;
- Low noise;
- More compact external device and less weight.
But, taking into account all the above, it is necessary to note the negative sides of SSD-drives:
- Limited service life;
- Higher price.
Again, it's all about the specifics of the device and its internal structure.
SSD-drives have a limited service life, on average, as practice shows - it is from 3 to 5 years, of course, provided that the disk itself is in good condition and if there is a correct approach to the use of its resources.
Conclusion
So, summing up all the above material, it is worth noting one well-known truth-in order for the computer to work quickly and properly, you need to competently approach its use.
The actual presence of an SSD in the system unit does not guarantee that your operating system will run faster.
The allocation of device resources should be approached deliberately and with an understanding of the basics of their functioning.
And as for the development of the SSD-disk market, many experts predict a decrease in the cost of devices and a new "boom" in terms of user interest, after the release of a new generation of consoles from Sony and Microsoft, which will be equipped with solid-state drives.