What is better, an HDD or an SSD? Many people ask themselves this question when buying or upgrading their computer. In this post, we will further explain the differences between these two types of hard drives, with their advantages and disadvantages.
An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is the traditional hard disk drive, which stores data on magnetic platters that spin at high speed. An SSD (Solid State Drive) is a more modern hard disk, which stores data on flash memory chips, with no moving parts.
1. Speed
The main difference between the two storage units is speed. An SSD can transfer data much faster than an HDD, as it can access it instantly, without having to wait for the platters to spin up. This translates into better performance in the operating system, and faster speeds when opening programs and files.
An HDD can have transfer speeds of up to 200MB/s, which, at present, can be quite slow, so they are recommended for mass storage.
On the other hand, a SATA SSD has speeds of up to 550MB/s, sharing the SATA interface makes it ideal for upgrading older or low-cost PCs. There are also M.2 format SSDs with NVMe interface with speeds from 3,000MB/s up to 10,000MB/s. These are recommended for more modern computers with an M.2 port on the motherboard.
2. Capacity
Generally, mechanical hard drives tend to have more capacity than solid-state drives, since magnetic platters take up less space than memory chips. This makes the cost per GB of HDDs lower than SSDs. However, the capacity of today’s SSDs is increasing, and their prices are dropping, so there is less and less difference in this regard. Therefore, if you are looking for massive storage capacity regardless of transfer speed, an HDD may be the option you are looking for because of its prices and capacity.
3. Durability
In terms of durability. An SSD can be more resistant than an HDD, since it has no mechanical parts, making it practically invulnerable to falls and sudden movements. In contrast, an HDD can fail if it is hit hard or exposed to magnetic fields. However, it has also been proven that mechanical hard disks can have a longer life span despite their disadvantages.
It should also be noted that a solid-state drive can also fail for other reasons, such as memory cell wear and tear or power loss.
In conclusion, solid state drives (SSD) and mechanical hard drives (HDD), have their pros and cons, with the SSD having a better data transfer speed and a more efficient power consumption, this is recommended for the installation of operating systems and basic programs. But if what you need is a large storage capacity, either for videos, or large files, the most recommended is an HDD due to its lower cost, higher storage capacity, and long lifespan.
At Zimaxx, we have the mentioned storage units and many more products for your business. Enter our store section or contact our sales consultants so you can access our catalog and find out the wide variety of products we have for you.
