The difference between SSD and HDD
Many laptops in the market use a combination of SSD and HDD memory. SSD memory is used to install Windows and start the operating system, and HDD memory is mainly used to store information. But if you had to choose one of these memories, which type would you go for? Do you know the difference between SSD and HDD? Stay with yazpoz to learn more about these two types of hard drives and their uses.
What is HDD?
Before going into the difference between SSD and HDD, we must be familiar with the concept of these two storage spaces. HDD stands for Hard disk drive and is a fixed storage space that stores information based on the rotation of a mechanical disk. The history of these hard drives dates back to about 60 years ago when they were much more significant, and their storage space was less than 4 megabytes.
In the 80s and about 30 or 40 years ago, the size of these disks gradually decreased, and their storage space increased. These hard drives are still used internally and externally in today’s computers and laptops. They have a capacity of up to 20 terabytes in external models and two terabytes in internal models (there are also higher capacities, but they are unique and not in general use).
What is an SSD hard drive?
SSD, or solid-state drive, is a newer and much faster storage space used internally and externally. SSDs no longer have mechanical or moving parts, so they are quicker and quieter. SSDs themselves have different types, which we will briefly mention below.
What is the difference between internal and external hard drives?
In English, internal means internal and external means external. The internal HDD or SSD hard drive is placed in the heart of your system, and you will never have physical access to it, and you cannot remove it from the system (meaning it cannot be done quickly). An external hard drive is like a flash memory; you can remove it from the system and carry it with you.
Can SSD and HDD be used at the same time?
Yes, this happens a lot in today’s laptops, and it is called hybrid memory. In these laptops, 256 or 512 GB SSD is used so that the system has a faster performance, and on the other hand, 1 or 2 TB HDD is used so that there is enough space to store information.
What is the difference between SSD and HDD?
According to the above, both types of memory can store data and help boot your system and data, so what’s the difference? In this section, we describe the difference between these two types of memory to give you a more detailed view of these storage spaces.
life span
As we mentioned above, mechanical parts are used to manufacture HDD hard drives, which reduces the lifespan of these products compared to SSD hard drives. In general, it is not possible to give an exact number for the lifetime of SSD or HDD; Because this issue depends on the amount of data used and the amount of data transferred, but according to the available information, the useful life of the HDD is between 3 to 5 years. The SSD is between 5 and 10 years. These numbers may need to be more accurate, but one clear thing is that SSDs last longer than HDDs.
Keep in mind that the lifespan of the external hard drive will be longer than the internal one; Because you use these hard drives only when you need them, but the operating system and programs permanently use the internal hard drive, and that’s why it lasts less and breaks down sooner. So, regarding longevity, we consider the SSD hard drive the winner.
Vulnerability
You’ve probably heard the saying that doesn’t move the laptop when it’s on or shake it too much when the external hard drive is working. This is because the HDD has mechanical rotating disks, and high vibration and muscular shaking cause damage to these disks and the loss of part or all of the information on the hard drive.
In the case of an SSD hard drive, this problem does not exist, and you can quickly move these hard drives while working; Because no mechanical and moving parts can be damaged. This superiority of SSD over HDD allows you to move the laptop while working, and you can, for example, transfer your computer to your colleague’s desk while coding and checking the written code together.
Price
One of the most important factors when buying a product is its price tag, and this is where the HDD dictates its decisive superiority over the more modern competitor. The SSD hard drive costs almost twice as much as the HDD hard drive, and it can be claimed that the price of the SSD hard drive with a capacity of 512 GB is still higher than the HDD hard drive with a total of 1 TB. If you want to buy an SSD hard drive for your system, it is better to go for 512 GB or even 256 GB models.
Speed
One of the reasons for the advancement of technology in any field is the increase in speed. This applies to smartphone chips, laptop CPUs, the Internet, and cars; naturally, newer models are faster. SSD hard drive is a more recent version of HDD hard drive, and it seems reasonable that it has a much better speed. But in practice, what is the difference between the speed of SSD and HDD?
HDD speed is between 30 and 150 MB/s depending on the model, while this speed reaches about 500 MB/s for SSD hard drives, and newer NVME models have a rate of 3000 to 3500 MB/s. This means, depending on the type of SSD and HDD you have, an SSD is five times faster and up to 20 times faster or even more at best.
This difference in speed shows the data transfer time and is effective in doing any work. When the operating system of a laptop or system is installed on the SSD hard drive or the programs are installed on the SSD hard drive, the system boots faster, and the software runs much more quickly. Also, the games installed on the SSD hard drive have shorter loading times, which can be an essential issue for gamers.
So if your laptop is old and does not have a good speed, one of the ways you can increase the speed of booting and running programs is to replace the HDD with an SSD. This will significantly impact the rate and allow you to use your old laptop for a few more years.
sound volume
The SSD hard drive does not use any mechanical parts, and as a result, it is 100% silent, while the HDD hard drive produces sound due to having a mechanical disk, especially during data transfer. Of course, this amount of sound is not so much that it will bother you, but in general, it is a point that can be pointed out as the difference between these two types of hard drives.
What are the types of SSD hard drives?
In general, the market has two categories of SSD hard drives, each of which is divided into several types. The SSD hard drive is either a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, SATA, Non-Volatile Memory express, or NVMe. Of course, the second category includes Peripheral Component Interconnect express or PCIe.
SATA model
SATA-type SSD hard drives are the cheapest and, of course, the oldest type. This model is the best option to replace old HDDs; Because you can easily replace a 2.5-inch SATA SSD hard drive with a 2.5-inch hard drive, and you won’t need to check the motherboard. This type of hard drive is five times faster than SSD hard drive and makes your laptop much faster. SATA SSD also has a mini model that is only smaller in size.
Model M.2
This type of SSD hard drive is a thin, small rectangular piece mainly used in thin laptops due to its compact format. To use this type, your motherboard must have a particular slot. This type of SSD has a capacity of up to 2 TB and is faster and more expensive than SATA. After checking the motherboard, you must buy a suitable size when buying this type of hard drive. For example, M.2 SSD 2280 means 22 x 80 mm.
PCIe model
The PCIe model SSD has more bandwidth and, therefore, a higher speed than SATA, and this model can be considered the fastest type of SSD. This type of SSD is also connected to the motherboard and compatible with sound and graphics cards. Buying this type of SSD is recommended for gamers if you don’t mind their higher cost.
NVMe model
NVMe is made for new-generation SSDs with the best performance and the shortest response time. This type of SSD is compatible with PCIe and can transfer data at a speed of 3 to 3.5 GB/s. Moving a 30 GB file will take about 10 to 15 seconds.
Should we buy SSD or HDD?
If you want to buy an external hard drive, we recommend going for the HDD hard drive; Because the external hard drive is not going to be used constantly, and its speed may not be critical (unless you want to have an external hard drive that transfers data at a high rate).
But if you want an internal hard drive, we suggest you go for an SSD complex purpose so that the speed of the laptop or system will increase a lot, and you will be at ease about moving the computer and causing damage. Of course, the price of an SSD hard drive is twice as much, which you should keep in mind, although the lifespan of this hard drive is also longer.
Buy HDD if:
You want an external hard drive;
You intend to store a lot of data;
You have a small budget to buy a hard drive.
Buy an SSD if:
You want a much higher speed;
You want a longer lifespan;
You want to move your laptop a lot while it is on;
You have an old laptop, and you want to speed it up.
Conclusion
If we want to summarize the full description in a few lines, we must say that if you want space to store data, choose HDD, and if you want to increase the speed of your laptop, go for SSD.