Essential Attributes that Differentiate SSD and HDD Storage

Jul 28,2021 by Manoj Yadav

Not long ago, there was hardly any option other than buying a laptop or PC with hard disk drive. Choice of an SSD storage system was only limited to the ultra-portable devices such as Mac with Macintosh HD. As far as the form factor of the rest of devices was concerned, buyers had to settle with Hard Disk Drive.

However, things have changed drastically and have certainly changed for better with buyers being able to choose between Solid State Drives or Hard Disk Drives while configuring their systems. One can also configure systems that have SSD as well as HDD as storage resources.

Understanding SSD and HDD

Conventional method of data storage is by using Hard Disk Drive that is designed to store data in a non-volatile form so that it is preserved even if the entire system is switched off.

Hard Disk Drive is nothing but a metallic platter that leverages magnetic properties for storing information in different forms such as audio files, video files, and so forth. The disk drive uses its arm with read and write abilities, for accessing the data as the platters keep on revolving.

As far as the basic functions are concerned, a Hard Disk Drive is identical to a SOLID State Drive except the data is stored on SSD Server in the flash storage chips that are integrated with each other for non-volatile storage of information. These flash memory systems are usually fixed on the motherboard of system or can also be installed in the form of PCI express card.

The flash memory chips are superior to the flash storage drives in terms of speed of accessibility and reliability. Obviously, SSDs are costlier than pen drives having identical storage capacity. There are multiple attributes of Solid State Drives that explain their superiority over Hard Disk Drives.

Physical dimensions

The very presence of metal platter adds to the size of a Hard Disk Drive. This requires the entire structure of the platform to be larger in dimensions for accommodating the bulkier HDDs. On the other hand, SSDs are compact in sizes and can improve the appearance of platform.

Storage of information

As explained earlier, a Hard Disk Drive operates with help of moving components and is therefore subject to mechanical failure due to wear and tear of moving parts. On the other hand Solid State Drive leverages inter-connected memory chips for seamless storage of data and does not comprise of any moving parts.

Speed of data access

It is quite obvious that Solid State Drives offer much faster data accessibility since there are no moving parts as found in Hard Disk Drives. In terms of read and write speeds, Solid State Drives are at least five times faster than Hard Disk Drives. Access to information is governed by its location on Hard Disk Drive, while there is no such limitation in Solid State Drives.

Solid State Drives outperform Hard Disk Drives as far as the speed is concerned. In just a matter of few seconds, you can boot your system which is equipped with an SSD. In contrast, a HDD fitted device will consume more time to initiate the action. SSD also boosts speed of launching apps and executes file transfers much faster than HDD fitted systems.

Hard Disk Drives require frequent defragmentation to organize the scattered files on platter. Fragmentation is no more a matter of concern in case of Solid State Drives since these obviate use of a physical read head. Data can be easily stored and accessed in Solid State Drive thus accelerating the overall speed of operations.

Cost of HDD and SSD

There is a whopping difference between prices if HDDs and SSDs with an SSD costing almost $200 more than an HDD. Hard Disk Drives are products of conventional technology that is developed over many years and this is one of the reasons for its economical price.

Many users feel that one needs to understand the large spectrum of advantages offered by Solid State Drives over Hard Disk Drives and should be prepared to shell out those extra dollars.

Storage capacity

Solid State Drives can be availed to cater to large storage demands because there are SSDs available with 4TB storage capacity. These versions are quite expensive and the more affordable SSDs offer up to 1TB space and are preferred in systems as primary storage devices.

Overall reliability

Although many individuals may think that a compact and faster SSD would be the obvious choice in comparison with a storage device that consists of mechanical and moving parts. In fact, both HDD and SSD have their own merits and demerits. SSD can suffer from failure due to weakening of its cells over a period of time.

In conclusion

Solid State Drives are found to be better options than Hard Disk Drives in terms of speed, performance and reliability. These storage devices are slightly more expensive than the conventional drives presently. However increased use of SSDs will certainly bring the prices within affordable limits.

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