SSDs (Solid State Drives) are “flashing” on to the scene and altering the entire computer storage landscape as we know it. So why are SSDs being utilized more now than the traditional hard drive (HDD) and how are they different from one another? Well, let me tell you…
The traditional spinning HDD has a stack of physical discs or “plates” that will spin at a rate of at least 5400RPM and has an arm that moves back and forth to read the information stored on these plates. On these plates is where all of your information is stored: your photos, documents, music, etc.
Conversely, an SSD has chips that do not move at all. On these chips are, you guessed it, all of your information: your photos, documents, music and so forth. The SSD is nothing more than a big ol’ thumb drive that’s built into your computer and holds much more information. Having more individual moving parts, like an HDD does, means there is the possibility of smaller issues arising with each separate part, therefore creating more opportunities for malfunction of the hardware or, in some extreme cases, complete drive failure. With an SSD, there are no moving parts hence there is much less opportunity for the same types of failures and malfunctions. The fact that there are no moving parts is how they get the name “Solid State”.
With the traditional HDD, you typically will have more room for storing information. While the SSDs have typically less storage space, the access speed to the data on the drive is almost 3 times faster than that of the HDD, allowing everything on your computer to communicate at a faster rate. This means that your applications, install times and updates will run that much faster.
Why choose a Solid State Drive over a traditional spinning hard drive? Because they are faster and more reliable, saving you headaches in the future. They are definitely a SOLID choice!