The Pros and Cons of Solid State Drives

solid state drives (SSD)

No matter what type of computer you have, there is some sort of data storage device whether it be a traditional hard drive or solid state drive. This drive is what boots up your system when you turn on your computer. It is also where all of your applications, documents, photos, music, and videos are stored.

Like mentioned before there are two types of data storage, the hard disk drive and the solid state drive.

Hard Disk Drives (HDD)

Traditional hard disk drives (HDD) run on moving parts. They use a mechanical arm to move around on a spinning disk in order to read/write data that is stored.

Solid State Drives (SSD)

In a solid state drive (SDD) there are no moving parts. Everything is stored on flash memory microchips.

Advantages of Solid State Drives

  • Fast: A computer with an SSD will start up in seconds, and runs faster while in use as well compared to a computer with a HDD.
  • Durable: Since there aren’t any moving parts, it is less likely for a SSD to break due to drops and bumps. You won’t have to worry about replacing individual parts either.
  • Small Physical Size: SSDs are manufactured to be compact and are much smaller than HDDs, allowing them to fit into smaller devices. With their smaller size, they are also lighter so they won’t weigh down your backpack or briefcase.
  • Quiet: Without a spinning drive SSDs are much quieter when running compared to a HDD.
  • Energy Efficient: SSDs use less battery power to run and have less heat output, allowing you computer to run more efficiently.

Disadvantages of Solid State Drives

  • More Expensive: As with any new technology SSDs cost more than traditional HDDs. You can pay up to double for the same amount of storage if you buy a solid state drive.
  • Lower Max Capacity: Since SSDs are smaller, they have a lower maximum storage capacity compared to the traditional HDD. You can commonly find SSDs to have from 500GB to 1TB of storage.
  • Less Availability: There are more models and types of HDDs compared to SSDs. You may be limited on your options when shopping for an SSD.

Is a Solid State Drive For You?

Usually standard computer users don’t necessarily need a solid state drive, some may choose to have one. Some of the main reasons to get a solid state drive over a traditional hard disk drive are if you are rough with your computer, if you work with audio files and need a quiet system, or if you need to be able to power through tasks as quickly as possible.

Are you interested in upgrading to a solid state drive? You don’t need any additional hardware, simply buy a new solid state drive and replace the HDD. Flex Technology Group can get you set up and ready to go from finding and buying the drive that is best for you to installing it in your computer.

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