SSD vs HDD: Which one to choose?

Contents

In the modern world, not only global technologies are developing, but also those that each of us uses in everyday life.
Computers and laptops are already common things that many people have in their homes.
There are many different ways to improve the performance of your machine.
They are all quite different: some of them are hardware solutions, some of them are software ones.
In this article, we will review the types of storage and we will talk about the difference between SSD and HDD.
We’ll go over them in detail, tell you how they work in different situations, and help you make the choice that will bring you the most benefit.

What is HDD?

HDD is a device that many computers have inside to store data. It has one or more sensitive platters, a motor to spin the platters and move the arms with a read and write heads on them. The arms are used to move the heads along the drive to access various data.
On consumer computers, the speed of the platters varies from 4200 rpm to 7200 rpm.
As you can imagine, the lower the speed, the slower an HDD will process the data and vice versa. For example, if the speed of platters is 7200 rpm, then data reading speed will be about 150 MB/s.
There are 2 common form factors: 3.5 inch and 2.5 inch. The first one is usually used in desktop computers and the second one in laptops.

What is SSD?

SSD (Solid state drive) is not as susceptible to damage as HDD.
This reliability is possible thanks to the flash memory used in this type of drive.
This means that there are no moving parts to be damaged if something happens to your computer, whether it falls or someone shakes it violently.
Of course, if the computer with HDD is turned off, nothing will happen to the drive, but with an SSD you do not have to worry about the drive whether the computer is turned off or you are working with it.
As we already mentioned, SSDs don’t have moving parts. This allows them to be smaller. And if the drive is small, it can be used not only in computers and laptops, but also in other small devices.

Capacity: SSD vs HDD

Now let’s talk about capacity. Of course, different models have different capacities, but what are the general values, what can be the maximum capacity?
HDD can provide anywhere from 250GB to 20TB, while SSDs typically have capacities up to 4TB.
But if you want your computer to be productive, but at the same time to store a lot of data, you can use both a HDD and an SSD: the first for storing files, and the second for the system.

Performance: Hard Drive vs SSD

If the disk has a large capacity, it does not mean that it will be able to efficiently perform various tasks. The efficiency of a computer does not depend on the size of the disk, but on its processing speed. SSDs are usually more efficient than HDDs, because they don’t have platters, so you don’t have to wait for them to rotate.
As there are no rotating platters, SSDs need less power which allows such devices as laptops to work longer without charge. But you should not think that an SSD is the best choice. It also has its own drawbacks. For example, HHD is more long lasting, because its lifespan isn’t as limited as SSD’s.
Solid state drives have a limited lifespan as they can wear out and gradually degrade performance, leading to the end of the drive’s lifespan. As a rule, the more data you write on a cell, the faster it wears out.
But modern SSDs have a solution. They have spare cells which are used to replace bad cells and thus the lifespan of the solid state drives can be greatly extended.

SSD vs HDD speed

As you already understood, SSDs are faster than HDDs. This is due to the fact that the SSD doesn’t need to spend time on moving the elements, apart from the HDD.
You can get more out of your computer if your system is on the solid state drive, because all tasks will be performed much faster.
When it comes to moving and copying files, SSD is better here too.
The copying speed on SSDs can be up to 20 times faster than on HHDs. This means that you can easily copy a huge file in a few seconds.

SATA Hard Drive Drive vs SSD

Another type of drive is SATA. They are usually cheaper and more commonly used than SSDs.
If you compare SATA to an HDD, there is not much difference. SATA vs SSD have much more differences.
SATA can also have a large capacity as an HDD, but the speed is not as high as SSD’s speed.
Another thing SATA vs HDD have in common is that they both have moving parts which can be damaged if used carelessly.

Do you like computer games? Games: Hard Drive vs SSD

Now let’s find out which drive is better for gamers. The answer may seem obvious: SSD.
If you enjoy playing computer games, it is important that your computer has high performance in order to enjoy the gameplay. SSDs allow the computer to access various data quickly enough, this is why you don’t need to wait for your game to load.

Price: Solid State Drive vs Hard Drive

Generally, hard drives are cheaper than solid state drives. But if you choose a quality HDD, the price will not be much lower than an SSD of the same capacity.
A few years ago the difference in price was significant, but today it is not so big.

Conclusion

Which one to choose: SSD vs Hard Drive?

As you can see, even if the drives are designed for one task – data storage, this does not mean at all that they will not differ in other parameters. There are many things to consider when choosing this device: capacity, reliability, speed, price and performance. Also, we can’t say that a certain drive will be perfect for different tasks.
You need to determine for yourself the purposes for which you will use the drive and choose the model that will suit all your needs. But if you cannot decide between the drives, you can always use them together.

Similar Articles

How to increase Google Drive space for free
Contents Google Drive is a rather popular cloud storage among many users now. This service provides various useful options that can make your work more convenient and it constantly attracts new users. In this article, we will analyze why Google…
How to Free up Space on Android - Android Free up Space
Contents Effective ways to‌ ‌free‌ ‌up‌ ‌space‌ ‌on‌ ‌an‌ ‌Android‌ ‌device‌ There comes a time when every mobile phone user enters the query "how to clear space on an android phone?" into the Google search request. Many programs are designed…
How to free up space on iphone
Contents In the modern world, a large number of people use iPhones. These devices can always be with you and help store a large amount of information, whether it's photos, videos, music, mobile apps, contacts, files and other types of…

Frequently Asked Questions

Start Dissy. The application will automatically open in the “Scan & Analyze tab”. There you will see a list of all drives connected to your computer. Click on the "Scan Storage" button next to the drive you want to scan, and the program will start scanning. To scan a specific folder, you can open it through the menu at the bottom of the window.
To fix this problem, open a terminal, enter «sudo nano /etc/hosts», then enter «127.0.0.1 localhost» and save.
Dissy is fully compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. So it can be used on almost any machine.
Yes, it is possible. To prevent the folder from being scanned, it must be added to the “Important” section. To do this, you need to scan the folder in which the folder you need is located, and opposite it in the menu select “Add to Important”. Thus, the selected folder will not participate in further scans, and you will not be able to accidentally make changes to it or delete it.