Solid State Drives(SSD) vs Hard Disk Drives(HDD)

SSD vs HDD

Hey everyone,

  I'm going to explain now a most FAQ SSD(solid state drives) whats the big deal with it ,and how is it different from HDD(hard disk drives) ?. If you bought a Ultraportable you will most likely have solid state drive as the primary drive(C: on Windows ,Mackintosh HD on mac). Now-a-days you can configure your system with a SSD or a HDD or both. So I'm here to explain to you about both and their advantages and disadvantages and how to choose between them. 

SSD and HDD

Hard Drive

A Hard Disk Drive(HDD) is a traditional spinning storage device which stores information permanently(non volatile). That is information doesn't go away even the system is turned off. It is basically a metal plate with a magnetic coating which stores data which may be latest photo to a high end video game, or a action movie. While spinning, a read/write head arm accesses the data. 

Solid State Drive

An SSD does basically the same thing as an hard drive but in a different way. Data is stored in interconnected flash chips which can be accessed even when there is no power.This chips can either be installed directly in the motherboard(for laptops and portables),on a PCI Express Card, or in a small size shaped and wired to a  slot in laptops or desktops. These flash chips are different from usb's and are super fast and extremely reliable.

The beginning of HDD and SDDs.

Evolution

IBM RAMAC 350

It all started in 1956 when the infamous IBM released its 350 RAMAC hard drive which used 50 24 inch metal platters and has a storage capacity of 3.75MB and it occupied the space of two commercial refrigerators. Then evolution started,the standard size of harddrive was reduced to 5.25 inch in 1980's with 3.5 inch desktop class and 2.5inch notebook-class drives coming after. Now-a-days PC's use standard 3.5 and 2.5 drives which use SATA interface. Though some high speed SSDs use PCIe instead. Capacities of storage devices have grown from multiple MB's to GB's to Lots of TB's.

The history of SSD is pretty short there was a need to store data without a constant power supply. The first SSD was used in OLPC XO-1 with a 1GB capacity then by Asus Eee PC 700 series which used a 2GB SSD. SSD's capacities have been increasing tremendously with a standard 2.5 inch notebook form factor. The 2.5 inch SSD currently tops at 4TB, but it was said there will be a 16TB release soon.

Comparison

Performance:

As you can see the booting time response is 3.5 times faster in SSD than HDD and also its read and write rate.

Moving Parts:

The HDD revolves at 7200 RPM whereas the SSD doesn't have any moving parts in it.

Resistance:

The HDD is more shockproof  and resistant to voltage fluctuations as it doesn't have any flash memory chips in it and  it turns off with power.

Durability:

The HDD is more durable and can withstand severe stress and strain whereas SSD should be handled with care.

Power Usage:

The SSD consumes only 10% power compared to a HDD.

Noise:

SSD is totally silent makes absolutely no noise whereas a HDD makes a 27dB noise(which is not much but still it is a sound. 

What's best for you?

HDD:

• For Multimedia users and Heavy downloaders.
• Budget buyers
• General Users
• Arts and Engineering Professionals.

SDD:

• Travellers
• Speed demons(those who can't tolerate loading)
• Arts and Engineering Professionals(ya i know i said it in HDD but the speed in SSD will make a big difference in completing the task in a easier way.
• Audio Engineers and Musicians. 

Fact Flash:

There are some other drives called as the Hybrid Drive which is the combination of both SSD and HDD. It was first manufactured by Samsung and Seagate they thought why not we add some gigabytes of flash chips in an harddrive and then BOOM we got hybrid drive. The specialty of hybrid drives are they are just little much expensive than HDD and it helps you to access frequently used files faster and in a more efficient way.

Hybrid Drive

I guess this blog was helpful in understanding the basics and working of Hard Disk Drives and Solid State Drives. If you have any doubts regarding the concepts explained feel free to leave a comment..!

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.....................Keep Calm and Love Engineering...................