The standard hard drive (HDD) has been the predominant storage device for computers, both desktops and laptops, for a long time. The main draw is the storage size and low cost. Computer manufacturers can include large hard drives at a small cost, so they've continued to use HDDs in their computers. The solid state drive (SSD) is available and can replace an HDD relatively easily. As you'll find by reading the below pros and cons, the SSD is a clear winner, but because of the price it still doesn't make sense to use SSDs for all uses. For most computer users, we suggest using SSD as a primary drive for your operating system and most important programs and then having either one or more HDD inside the same computer or an external HDD to store files like pictures and music, which doesn't need the fast access times of SSD.
Topic
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SSD
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HDD
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Access time
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An SSD has access speeds of 35 to 100 micro-seconds, which is
nearly 100 times faster. This faster access speed means programs can run more
quickly, which is very significant, especially for programs that access large
amounts of data often like your operating system.
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A typical HDD takes about 5,000 to 10,000 micro-seconds to
access data.
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Price
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The price of a solid state drive is much more than an HDD
which is why most computers with an SSD only have a few hundred gigabytes of
storage. Desktop computers with an SSD may also have one or more HDDs for
additional storage.
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HDD is much cheaper than SSD, especially for drives over
500GB.
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Reliability
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The SSD drive has no moving parts. It uses flash memory to
store data, which provides better performance and reliability over an HDD.
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The HDD has moving parts and magnetic platters,
meaning the more use they get, the faster they wear down and fail.
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Capacity
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Although there are large SSDs realistically for most people's
budgets anything over 512GB SSD is beyond their price range.
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Several terabyte hard disk drives are available for very
reasonable prices.
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Power
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The SSD uses less power than a standard HDD, which means a
lower energy bill over time and for laptops an increase of battery life.
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With all the parts and requirements to spin the platters the
HDD uses more power than an SSD.
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Noise
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With no moving parts SSD generates no noise.
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With the spinning platters and moving read/write heads an HDD
can sometimes be one of the loudest components in your computer.
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Size
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SSD is available in 2.5", 1.8", and 1.0",
increasing the available space available in a computer, especially a desktop
or server.
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HDDs are usually 3.5" and 2.5" in size, for desktop
and laptops respectively with no options for anything smaller.
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Heat
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Because there are no moving parts and due to the nature of
flash memory, the SSD generates less heat, helping to increase its lifespan
and reliability.
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With moving parts comes added heat, which is why the HDD
generates more heat. Heat can slowly damage electronics over time, so the
higher the heat, the greater the potential of damage being done.
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Magnetism
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SSD is not affected by magnetism.
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Because a hard drive relies off magnetism to write information
to the platter information could be erased from an HDD using strong magnets.
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