Have you ever thought about purchasing an SSD for gaming and other productive tasks? If yes, then you might confuse which SSD is good for you and which is not.
Maybe you don't even know what is the difference between an SSD and a HDD. Don't worry in this article I will answer all your doubts about SSD.
Recently a word called SSD got really famous among gamers and tech-savvy people, they say SSD improves the performance of the computer but is it real or just a misconception?
Hi guys I am Shivanshu Sharma here and today we are gonna figure out everything about SSD so keep reading.
What is SSD?
SSD (Solid State Drive) is a drive that uses a circuit for data storage rather than a moving mechanical system like an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).
SSD was invented by Fujio Masuoka at Toshiba in 1980.
A perfect example of SSD is flash drives we use every day, where HDD has a moving disk inside of it but a pen drive or a memory card are just circuits.
SSD is a new technology nowadays it is very expensive but it's very fast, power-saving and durable.
What is the Full-Form of SSD and HDD?
Full Forms of SSD and HDD are -
- SSD - Solid State Drive
- HDD - Hard Disk Drive
Difference between SSD and HDD
SSD and HDD are both made to store data but their technology is wholly different, Let's know about the differences.
SSD (Solid State Drive)
Solid State Drive is made of a circuit to transfer, store and read the data, it doesn't have any movable parts.
- SSD has a long life span in comparison to HDD.
- SSD is more durable if it felt down it will not damage as HDD happens.
- SSD does not make noise.
- SSD has a low power consumption.
- SSD is much fast than an HDD.
- SSD is very expensive compare to HDD.
HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
- HDD has a rotating disk inside of it to store, transfer and read data.
- HDD has a short life span in comparison to SDD.
- HDD is more fragile, a small impact can corrupt the entire drive.
- HDD does make noise when the disk is rotating.
- HDD has a High Power Consumption.
- HDD is very slow in comparison to SSD.
- HDD is cheaper than an SSD.
Benefits of SSD
Some major benefits of SSD are -
SSD does not have any moving part
HDD (Hard Disk Drive) has a rotating disk inside of it, because of it HDD becomes slow in speed and high consumption in electricity. HDD also has lots of mechanical parts inside of it, if a single part is damaged then the whole hard drive can collapse.
SSD doesn't have any movable parts or a disk to store data, SSD is based on silicon chips to store data because of that SSD uses less power and produces less heat with very high read and write speed.
SSD has a long life span
As we already read SSD doesn't have any movable part because of this SSD has fewer chances to get corrupted.
SSD is much faster than HDD
To read data from a rotating disk becomes a longer process than getting data from a few inches silicon chip. A normal 7500 RPM HDD can give us 80 - 160MB/s whereas a normal SSD can produce 200 - 550MB/s.
Disadvantage of SSD
SSD is very expensive than HDD
I know SSD is very expensive than HDD but when we focus on the benefits it doesn't look very expensive, SSD has many features like a faster speed and safe option to protect or store important data.
SSD for gaming
Lot's of people consider SSD for gaming and to be honest SSD is the best option for gaming because it's fast and has fewer chances to get damaged but only if you have money to spend on gaming,
The size of games nowadays is more than 60GB and some games can go up to 100+ GBs and as I said before SSD is really expensive so if you buy an SSD of 500GB it will get full soon after storing approx 7-8 games.
There are lots of HDD are available in the market which is good for gaming and also for professional software like adobe premiere pro and photoshop.
SSD Lifespan
SSD (Solid State Drive) is really durable in extreme conditions like vibrations, shocks, magnetic waves, different temperatures and etc.
In comparison to HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD looks very durable but when we talk about its life span then we found some interesting findings.
Currently, the data we have is not enough to know the accurate lifespan of SSD but estimates are SSD can last up to 10yrs which is pretty great.
We should also know the lifespan of HDD to find which is best for us SSD or HDD.
A normal HDD can run smoothly for 3-4 yrs, after this time period we have to replace or repair it because it has a high chance of collapse.
Read and write speed of an SSD
SSDs are generally faster than HDD, the reason is SSD doesn't have any moving parts like HDD which makes them more durable and faster.
SSD is based on circuits, not on a moving disk which makes it smaller in size and faster to transfer data.
As per research, a normal SSD can deliver 200MB/s to 550MB/s of reading and write speed.
HDD is based on moving parts like a disk, it has more chances to get damaged, an HDD has to read the whole disk to find the particular data which makes it very slow.
An average speed of a 7200RPM HDD is 80-160MB/s.
Best Portable and External SSD in the market
Till now we have talked about internal SSD to use for day-to-day purposes but external SSD is also very important for you.
Often I don't prefer SSD for just storing data, SSD has speed and power so we should use it in productive tasks like installing Operating systems or Games and other software.
If you just wanna store photos and videos SSD is not the right option for you cause it's very expensive. For that purpose, an HDD can give you the speed you want.
You can purchase a portable SSD for storing Softwares, Games, and OS for external use. otherwise, you have your own choice if you have money then obviously SSD is the best option in every aspect.
Now let me tell you some amazing Portable SSDs you can purchase.
Samsung 970 Evo Plus.
Corsair MP400.
Add link S70.
Intel SSD 665P.
WD Blue SN550.
Crucial P1.
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro.
Sabrent Rocket.
SSD Form Factors
There are so many types of SSDs are available in the market for each according to their need. You can choose size, capacity, and speed as you want.
Two SSDs M.2 SSDs and 2.5 inch SSDs are the most common SSDs varients.
2.5-inch SSDs are plugged by using a cable where M.2 SSDs are plugged directly into the motherboard.
Before choosing an SSD make sure you check the compatibility with your computer, there are lots of SSDs in the market with different specifications.
You can also check this nimbus 3.5 inches 100TB SSD these SSDs are not very common, Just kidding I know it's very big and expensive.
When I was researching for this article I found AIC (add-in card) SSDs that plug directly into the computer's PCIe slot, these also come in different sizes usually HH/HL (Half-height half-length) and FH/HL (full-height half-length) here are some examples for you.
If you are buying an SSD today there are very high chances that you might be buying an M.2 or 2.5 inch SSD.
SSD interface
SSDs are available in many interfaces but the most common are SATA and PCIe NVMe.
SATA (serial advanced technology attachment) can provide a maximum data transfer speed of 550 MB/s
PCIe stands for "Peripheral Component Interconnect Express"
NVMe stands for "Non-volatile memory express" - a PCIe SSD standard. Max 7000 MB/s
What capacity do you need?
It depends on your work maybe you just want to store data and maybe you are using professional software, games, and similar stuff. I will not say that everyone should buy an SSD because if you don't need then just use a good HDD.
If you just need to store data then you need an HDD along with an SSD for your windows, installing windows in an SSD will provide you better speed, Good boot time, and great experience, meanwhile purchasing an SSD of approx 1 - 2 TB will be very expensive that's why I am saying to also have an HDD of 1 - 2 TB which is very cheaper than SSD.
You can have an SSD of 256 - 300GB will be sufficient.
If you are a professional person who uses heavy software daily I will suggest you have an SSD of 1 - 2 TB and a Secondary HDD of 1TB, this upgrade will be expensive but very useful and valuable for money.
What cause can fail the SSD?
SSD is generally more durable than a normal HDD but there are things that can seriously hurt the SSD, SSD's lifespan, and data.
Moisture - Moisture can hurt any electric device or part, SSDs are made on circuits that's why it's a potential threat for SSD, make sure while cleaning your devices you use a dry cloth.
Age - everything has its age, SSD also gets weaker after some time, some research says that an SSD can last up to 10yrs and even more.
Physical damage - Dust is really not a good thing in the machine, Dust stick with the machine parts and works as a blanket to trap more heat which can lead to physical damage.
Physical damage by human beings - Dust makes more heat to counter this we need to clean our hardware once in 6 months by a vacuum cleaner, or air blower, Mostly people uses clothes to wipe the dust but SSD and other parts have very small and tiny Resistors, capacitors and similar other stuff which can be get broken due to cloth, cloth can stick in the electric components which will hurt SSD seriously.
What about power consumption?
Power consumption is one of the major factors which can decrease or increase the performance of the computer.
More power consumption creates more heat and heat can damage the performance.
Well, I have good news for you where HDD uses more electricity SSD consumes very low and that's why SSD creates less heat.
As you know the structure of an HDD and SSD, HDD uses a rotating disk which leads to more electricity consumption, vibration, heat, and more chances to get damaged.
SSD is made up of circuits which leads to less power consumption, no vibration, less heat, and very low chances to get damage.
Specifically, the conventional multi-channel SSD requires 4 watts at most, whereas the power consumption of the many-resource SSD, employing more flash chips, cores, and channels, consumes 18 watts read more about this on Usenix.
Using SSD can help you to extend your laptop's battery life, if you are an owner of a mobile machine then this must be a very important feature for you.
SSD for Apple MacBook
Do you have an old MacBook and looking to upgrade or increase its speed?
Your old MacBook might be running on HDD (Hard Disk Drive) which is good technology in the past but in the modern world where we have very heavy software we all are hungry for more power.
Apple's MacBook is a great product no doubt but nothing in this world is perfect, SSD can help us to increase its power by 2x or maybe 3x depending on what SSD you install.
Before we understand how to install the SSD into the MacBook, we need to know do we really need to install an SSD (Solid State Drive)?
Even Apple has launched MacBooks which are based on SSD and you can easily purchase them.
Maybe you don't need a new MacBook because you have an existing one, MacBook isn't old enough that gives you a problem.
In these cases installing an SSD by yourself or by any shop would be value for money and less expensive.
If you have a MacBook that is trouble-causing or damaged like a screen or keyboard then I will recommend you to get a new MacBook with by default installed SSD.
In the long term, this will be a very great deal because a damaged device cause problems every once in a while.
Installing an SSD would be a hard task this could damage your device that's why you should visit any repair or computer shop to install the SSD.
If you want to do it on your own then you can watch some youtube videos to learn it.
Text instructions would not be easy to understand and even can hurt your device by mistake.
In what cases SSD won't be enough for you?
People purchase SSD not for just storing data or because it is very small people's main intention is to improve the computer's speed but just installing an SSD won't improve your computer very fast.
To understand this we need to know how our data is processed in our computer, We store data into our drives which are SSD and HDD, drives send data to the processor to understand the binary numbers and show it on the screen, The processor is very fast by HDD wasn't that's why RAM comes to solve the problem.
When we open any file or any data it goes from the HDD to RAM and provides data in the manner processor wants.
No matter how fast HDD or SSD you have if your computer's processor or RAM is not enough you won't see a significant difference.
Make sure your processor is the latest and your RAM has enough capacity to handle the system, Purchase at least 6GB RAM and i5 Processor.
There is no doubt that SSD increases speed, whenever you install an SSD to your pc it will show the difference.
How to clone or move windows from HDD to SSD
Upgrading from HDD to SSD is a very easy process but if you want to clone your drive to the new drive it becomes a bit difficult.
We have all use our computer for many years during this period we create or store lot's of data and change settings according to our need.
After moving from one drive to another drive we have to install a new window, install all software, change the settings, and exchange personal data, this process would take the entire day or even 2 days.
Of course, it's a very time-consuming task and also very irritating but would you like it if I tell you a way to clone your entire computer into a fresh drive within a few hours (depending on your computer's speed) and by just a few clicks.
Your all data will be cloned as it was in the previous drive.
Right now I am using a Samsung M.2 SSD 970 EVO Plus, You might be using a different SSD like we know 2.5 inches but don't worry I'll explain the process for both.
Instaling M.2 SSD is very easy but for 2.5 inch SSD, we need a SATA to USB data transfer cable and a Power cable so please get both of them as well and a mounting plate for 2.5 inch SSD.
How to clone a drive
First, we have to install a software "EaseUS todo Backup tool" to clone our drive. So download it from the link and install it.
Now we have to insert our drive if you are using an m.2 then place it in the socket or if your using a 2.5 inch SSD then insert the SATA to USB cable on the port.
Once you have installed the software then open it and on the left side, you will see a "clone" option click on it.
Now a new window opens so select the C drive we have to clone, after choosing the drive we have a target volume option to select the SSD
My SSD's capacity is 970GB maybe your using a different SSD like 256GB, make sure that your SSD has enough space to copy all data and leave some space free as well.
Click on the option "Layout" first click on the "Optimize for SSD" option and make your partition.
Mostly things are done so click on the "ok" button and then the "Proceed" button.
Our cloning process is started now this will take a few hours depending on the speed of your drive and the size of your data.
After the cloning process gets completed turn off the computer and start it again and go to the boot menu and change the booting source, every computer has a different boot menu so just go to google or youtube and search how to change the boot source and also add your manufacturer name like HP, ASUS, Dell, etc.
Change the booting drive from the old HDD to the new SSD.
After the computer gets the boot from SSD, formats the previous drive it will make the SSD as default for boot, and no need to go to BIOS every single time.
Sometimes users may find some error that their partition is incorrect, I have 970GB SSD but after the cloning, the drive shows its capacity is 223GB and the remaining 707GB is unlocated.
In this situation go to start>Disk management>select the drive c (SSD) and right-click on it>Extend volume> Keep clicking "next" and finish.
FAQ for SSD
1. What happens if SSD is full?
It doesn't matter whether your SSD is full or empty but still leave some MBs so the SSD can work easily leave SSD at least 9% free.
2. How much speed can be increased after installing an SSD?
An SSD can increase your computer speed by 6 times: reports say, There is no doubt that an SSD can increase your computer's performance.
3. How to know my SSD is about to collapse?
SSDs show some signs which can be identified and secure your data from getting lost or corrupted, signs are - unable to store more data, Computer is getting extremely slow, app freeze or crash.
4. Can we recover data from a failed SSD?
Yes, Data can be recovered from a failed or corrupted SSD.
Conclusion
Solid State Drive is a new technology and very few people know about it because of this people always have lots of doubts regarding SSDs. I hope that I cover and explained almost everything and lot number of doubts you have regarding this has been cleared.
SSD (Solid State Drive) is a circuit-based, modern storage technology. SSD has many features which make it more attractive like Speed, durability, less power consumption, no noise, etc. SSD is generally very expensive than HDD (Hard Disk Drive). SSD consumes very low power to operate which means less heat and long battery life.
Thank you for reading this article, I am Shivanshu Sharma and this is my blog you can check out more informational content here. I hope you liked it tell me in the comment section why did you like this article and you can suggest to me a topic you want me to write an article on it. your feedback is valuable for us. you can also check out my other social media platforms like Twitter you can ask me anything there and I will reply.
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