▷ Ssd vs hdd: everything you need to know ??

Today we bring you the comparison between SSD vs. HDD (Solid State Drive vs. Conventional Hard Drive). Soon all our data will be stored in the cloud (on the Internet), including the operating system. Meanwhile, our PCs need a hard drive, the speed and fluidity of the system depends largely on it, so it is not a minimum that we can do is know the units that we have in the market and their benefits.

During these times we have seen new possibilities and storage technologies that some classifications were invented to facilitate the division and understanding of files. Here, we are going to describe the differences between hard drives and solid state drives… along with their differences and similarities in this comparison between SSD vs HDD. Go for it!

Index of contents

SSD vs. HDD: Which is Better?

To get into context, let's see what the operation of each of these hard drives is based on. Although the purpose is the same, the technology used is totally different.

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

The HDD (hard disk drive, or in Spanish, mechanical hard drive) is a physical and integral part of computers and laptops responsible for data storage. Its memory is non-volatile, that is, the data is not lost if the computer is turned off.

All data is recorded on magnetic discs, and the finer the discs, and the more they are, the better the recording will be. That is why disks of the same size can have very different storage capacities from each other, since they have a greater amount of writing cassettes (up to 4, which would be 8 faces). Each double-sided disc rotates at very high speeds, up to 10, 000 rpm, and using magnetic heads the information is recorded or read from each side.

These units have evolved since they were first built in the early 1960s, doubling capacity every 18 months. This evolution has also caused a drop in production costs and, consequently, a drop in the final price of the product. Until a few years ago, all desktops, laptops, and servers exclusively used this type of mechanical storage until the arrival of SSDs.

SSD (Solid State Disk)

SSD is a little different. Its abbreviations mean " solid state drive ", in Spanish " solid state drive ". Its construction is based on a semiconductor integrated circuit, made in a single block or PCB together with a controller and usually a DRAM cache system. The controller is a processor that is responsible for carrying out all the operations and instructions for the unit's input and output, while a cache acts as a buffer to further increase the performance of reading and writing data.

Unlike conventional hard disk, where storage is done on magnetic disks , SSDs have chips or flash memories. These chips are made up of thousands of cells built with NAND gates to store the bits of information in blocks of 1, 2, 3 or up to 4 elements. The fundamental difference with RAM is that the content is not erased even without electricity, a property of NANDs.

Smartphones, tablets and laptops are the devices that use SSDs the most. However, we can not forget also digital photo cameras, which use this kind of storage to give a longer response time on your photos and store a larger number of images, but on SD or MicroSD cards. But with the evolution of technology and the miniaturization of transistors, the cards from a few MB became several GB, thus creating solid storage for PCs. We currently have capacities up to 2TB (2000GB) on simple 22 x 80mm size SSDs, amazing.

Key differences between SSD vs HDD

We have already seen what the technology of each of the storage units that we have on the market is based. In most PCs, both types of units still coexist, especially mid-range portable or mounted equipment. Now we will know the reason for this.

Capacity

SSDs with more storage can be very expensive. While a TB is considered a basic mechanical hard drive for any system, price concerns may lead you to opt for a lower capacity SSD. Equipment to view and store videos, photos and music will demand even more capacity. Basically, the more storage capacity, the more files you can save on your computer. HDDs still have more capacity and are cheaper.

In any case, we recommend using an SSD to install the operating system together with the basic applications. While the conventional hard disk can take care of storing all your data. The positive aspect is that the price of GB in SSDs is getting lower, especially with the appearance of QLC memories, cheaper to manufacture, but also with less durability. To this we add a considerable increase in capacity with M.2 drives that go up to 2TB in standard 2280 format packages and SATA drives of the same capacity at a fairly good price.

This is one of the reasons why manufacturers have relegated HDD to the background even on laptops. It is very common to find M.2 drives of 512 GB or more as the main and only storage in an ultrabook. However, HDD is still well-liked and needed for users on tight budgets and in need of massive storage.

Speed and performance: the biggest gap

This is the place where solid-state drives gain a mechanical advantage over mechanical disks. A PC or Mac with SSD is much faster to start, opens applications faster, and has write and read performance that is not comparable to an HDD. HDDs have a more than obvious limitation, they are mechanical. Everything mechanical in a PC is a huge bottleneck before processors that perform billions of operations per second. You will all know that the goal of RAM has always been to alleviate the limitations of mechanical main storage.

However, an SSD is still far from the performance of a RAM memory, which is capable of reading and writing at a speed of, eye, 51, 000 MB / s. The fastest SSDs work on a PCI-Express type interface with 4 lanes that theoretically reach 3940 MB / s in the PCIe 3.0 version and up to 7880 MB / s in the PCIe 4.0 version with the new AMD Ryzen 3000 and its X570 chipset.. This is thanks to the NVMe communication protocol, with SSDs that currently go up to 5000 MB / s in the first PCIe 4.0 models. Meanwhile, the SATA interface works on AHCI an older and more limited protocol.

And if we talk about the performance of HDDs, it is infinitely lower, with read and write rates that barely reach about 400 MB / s and file transfers at a maximum of 190-200 MB / s working on SATA 3. This means that They can't even get the most out of the interface, which is capable of reaching its actual maximum of 600MB / s with SSDs. To put numbers, they are about 45 times slower than a PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Whether for fun, study or business, speed can be an important difference for the type of equipment you are assembling. Here is where the SSD wins once again wins in our comparison between SSD vs HDD.

Fragmentation

Due to their rotating recording surfaces, the surfaces of normal hard drives work best with larger files recorded in solid blocks. In this way, the unit's needle can begin and end its reading in one continuous motion. When hard drives start to get too full, large files can spread around the disk platter, known as fragmentation, impairing the speed of reading and writing data on hard drives. Keep in mind that it is a mechanical element, and the position of the recorded data greatly influences its accessibility.

Meanwhile, solid state drives do not have this problem, as the physical location of the recording files does not matter as much. All cells are accessible in exactly the same conditions and at the same speed, we just need a memory address to access it. Thus, solid state drives are extremely faster and it is very important to disable automatic fragmentation in your operating system. What's more, on an SSD the disk defragmenter doesn't make any sense, which is why applications have suppressed this feature for them.

Noise

Even the quietest mechanical hard drive will emit a slight noise (5, 200 RPM) when in use. The fastest hard drives ( 7200 or 10, 000 RPM ) will even make more noise than the slowest. Solid state drives do not make any noise, mainly because they have no mechanical parts. Especially in heavily used HDD drives with lots of fragmented data, the noise made by the read heads is quite considerable.

Indeed, there is no better way to store your files. Everything will depend on what you need. If your need is to store large videos, recorded in high quality, SSDs are not the most recommended today, since the size of the videos would be very large. However, on a tablet, where the size of the device is small and the response time must be very fast, SSDs are essential for this purpose. We don't know what will happen in the medium term, but SSDs are still capable of cooling properly with a simple passive heatsink, so we eliminate the need for fans. This is one of the great points of this comparison SSD vs HDD .

Physical size

Since hard drives have turntables, there is a limit to how small they can be in size, of course determined by the size of the read head needle. Solid state drives do not have this limitation, decreasing over time, being able to store more than 256 GB in a space smaller than a pen drive and on a single chip. If you have little space available or want a thinner and lighter laptop, the SSD is the right choice.

At this point we must know the different sizes available of the SSD. The most basic ones under SATA interface, and affordable, maintain a 2.5-inch format equal to notebook HDDs, although thinner. On the other hand, the fastest and most expensive are M.2. Small 22mm wide by 80mm long drives connected directly to a PCIe x4 3.0 or 4.0 type slot under NVMe protocol.

Consumption

Another not so important element but one to take into account is the consumption between SSD vs HDD. Being a unit entirely based on electronics, SSDs consume only 4 or 5W working at maximum performance. All of its memory, controller and cache chips work at 1.2 V, while HDDs, having a motor and movable heads, consume more power and 12 V.

As we say, it is not something that makes the difference in the invoice, but it must be taken into account in the face of the power supply. Since the power supply of an HDD is done through a SATA connector (also the 2.5 ”SSDs, but an M.2 is powered directly by its slot.

Hardness and lifespan between SSD vs HDD

SSDs have no moving parts, and therefore are more likely to keep your data safe from disk sector failure. As everything is installed on a PCB in the form of electronics, it is practically invulnerable to falls and sudden movements, especially what they have 2.5 ”plastic or aluminum encapsulations. Most hard drives work at high speed when connected. Plus, even impact safety systems have limits, and moving parts wear out faster, too. There are also several studies that have shown that multiple hard drives can fail before a quality SSD fails, as these implement error control or ECC.

But of course, we also have the useful life factor , where HDD still rule. Where an HDD or SSD suffers the most is in erasing and rewriting. Assuming that its placement and treatment is adequate, a mechanical disk has practically no writing limit on its disks, as it is by means of magnetism. What's more, not even the reading needle touches the disc, it is a few micrometers away. The NAND gates that form the Celts of the SSDs do have a limited life, which is between several thousand write in the SLC and MLC type, and the 1000 in the TLC or even less in the QLC. This is roughly 12 years of normal use, so the servers still use HDD in RAID instead of SSD.

Price

Solid state drives offer an average cost per GB of storage still much higher than SSDs, and can cost at least 50% more than normal hard drives. As conventional hard drives are older, their manufacturing costs are lower, the technology in them is what there is and it is only about increasing their capacity.

But the price gap between hard drives and solid-state drives tends to be narrowing, in part, thanks to the departure of so many smartphones, and the arrival of so many low-cost memory makers. Still the 1 or 2 TB drives in PCIe 4.0 exceed 200 euros, while a 2 TB HDD is worth just 60 euros. In short, an SSD is more expensive, yes, but the performance is extremely superior, even giving second life to equipment that we appreciate destined for trash.

Conclusion and summary of SSD vs HDD

We can see that the advantages and disadvantages of both storage units are evident with these sections that we have been developing. But to be more direct, let's see by way of synthesis the advantages and disadvantages.

SSD

High speed to read and write data (up to 5000 MB / s) Interesting capacities up to 2TB for M.2 or SATANoes no noise Very low consumption Very small and low weight Maximum charging speed for applications and systems Generally its heating is low Greater resistance to shock and vibration Supports more connection interfaces (SATA, M.2, PCI-E, U.2) Ideal for advanced data management technologies Lower error rate and more stability

Higher cost per GB of storage Some drives need heatsink Less lifespan than HDD

HDD

Very cheap Increased storage capacity (up to 16TB per drive) Still the smartest choice for storing lots of data

Lower read and write speed, becoming 40 times slower than an SSD Higher power consumption Emits noise Greater heating More fragile in blows due to being mechanical Suffers from fragmentation It weighs much more than an SSD The heat affects more its performance It takes up a lot of space It needs PSU power

In this way we come to the end of this small comparative article on SSD vs. HDD. We hope it has been useful to have clear ideas of when to use one or the other in function of the needs of each one.

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