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SSD vs HDD

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SSDs and HDDs are both storage devices, but the way they work is quite different. The main difference between a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD) is how data is stored and accessed.

Pros and Cons

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• Speed: (SSD) Faster x (HDD) Slower​

• Price: (SSD) More Expensiver x (HDD) Cheaper

• Hardware: (SSD) Non-mechanical (Flash) x (HDD) Mechanical (Moving parts) 

• Resistance: (SSD) Shock-Resistant x (HDD) Fragile

• Purpose : (SSD) Best for storing Operating Systems and Gaming Apps x (HDD) Best for storing extra Data, like Documents, Photos and Movies

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Speed

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Solid-state drives are much faster than hard disk drives, and the speed difference between the two types is significant.

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On the paper performance:

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• HDDs: It can copy 30 to 150 MB per second (MB/s)

• SATA SSDs (Standard): Perform the same action at speeds of 500 MB/s

• NVMe SSDs (Newer): It can get up to astounding speeds of 3,000 to 3,500 MB/s

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Real performance for an average user:

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SDD

• Read 3000 MB/s

• Write 2000 MB/s

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HDD

• Read 60 MB/s

• Write 30 MB/s

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Warning: If you are transferring files from an HDD to an SSD (or vice versa), speed will be the bottleneck of the lower speed one (HDD)

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Lifespan

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These days, the lifetime of an SSD is nearly the same as that of an HDD: around five years on average. A bad device may fail after three years, but a good one can last you ten or more. SSDs used to have shorter lifespans, but SSD technology has improved substantially.

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While it’s true that SSD cells can’t be written to as many times as the disk in an HDD, this isn’t really an issue in practice. In theory, if more data is written to a cell, it wears out faster. But thanks to wear leveling, the SSD spreads write operations evenly across all cells to minimize cell death and prolong the lifespan of the drive.

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Additionally, modern SSDs contain spare cells that replace dead cells. This is called bad block management, and it’s why the larger the SSD, the longer its lifespan. If you were to write data to an SSD 24/7, it would still take decades for the drive to break down. SSD vs. HDD lifespan is now about equal. But if you’re worried, you can always run a hard drive test to monitor your drive’s health.

Reliability

Since SSDs don’t contain moving parts, they’re less prone to damage if you drop or bang your computer. This also makes SSDs more reliable in extreme environments and in high or low temperatures. You can typically expect a modern SSD to last at least as long as an HDD.

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SDDs fare better than HDDs in laptops because they’re portable; the rough handling of a laptop can more easily damage the intricate moving parts of an HDD.

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You can safely run Windows CHKDSK on an SSD so that it avoids the parts that have decayed and died, but never try to defrag an SSD. Defragmenting the drive writes and rewrites data, which can age your SSD faster. If you’re still working with an HDD, it’s good to know how to defrag on Mac or PC.

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Security and data recovery

If your drive fails, you can usually recover the data on it. This is true with both HDDs and SSDs, though with a few key differences. Since SSDs are newer, many data recovery services charge more to work with them. But since they’re faster, you might be able to recover your data faster than with an HDD.

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SSDs use the TRIM command to destroy data when files are deleted. This is part of how SSDs equalize wear across all cells, but it also makes it harder to recover deleted files. You should keep this in mind when considering SSD or HDD for storage. Data recovery for SSDs is best handled by professionals in a lab with specialized equipment and software.

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Whichever type of drive you use, the best way to protect your data is with regular backups to external storage devices or cloud storage. Look up how to clone your hard drive so you have everything handy in case of an emergency. You won’t need to worry about SSD data recovery when you already have a fresh copy.

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Capacity

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If you’re concerned about how much information you can store on each type of drive, don’t worry. There are no differences in storage capacity. You can get HDDs and SSDs from as small as 128 GB up to 20 TB or more. However, one of the biggest differences between HDDs and SSDs is the price per gigabyte, so the SSD will be much more expensive.

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Prices

The market for flash storage is volatile and varies based on supply and demand. While SSDs are much cheaper than they used to be, there is still a significant price difference.

• 1 TB internal HDD costs roughly $60

• 1 TB internal SSD averages around $120

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Additional Information

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• Energy Consumption: With no mechanical components, SSDs draw less power than their spinning counterparts. That means better battery life, and it’s one reason why most newer laptops come with SSDs. Hard disk drives require more power because they’re constantly in motion.

• Noise: You’re probably familiar with the sound of an HDD spinning up as it gets to work — 7200 RPMs to be exact — or perhaps the clicking sound that indicates an impending hard drive failure. SSDs, by contrast, don’t have moving parts and are completely silent.

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Best For

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HDD:

• Those looking to back up and store large amounts of data that they don’t need to access frequently

• People with modest computing needs

• Those buying or building a PC on a budget

SSD

• Those who use resource-intensive programs like multimedia editing suites

• Gamers who want to play anything new

• Anyone who opens and copies files from their drive often