If you’ve ever looked into different types of drives, it’s likely that at some point, you’ve wondered about the differences between a hard disk drive, or HDD, and a solid state drive, or SSD. There are certainly differences, but some people try to make the differences out such that one drive is objectively better than the other. Here’s what you need to know about the truth regarding SSD vs. HDD.
Hard Disk Drive
A hard disk drive, or HDD, is a type of drive that has a platter spinning around a central axis at more than 5,400 revolutions per minute. It reads and writes information by changing magnetic fields.
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Significant Amounts of Storage
When you have an HDD, you’re more likely to be able to store a significant amount of data. Today, you can put about 10 terabytes of data into a space about the size of a kitchen sponge, which means that if you need to store lots of data, you can do it easily.
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Extremely Cheap Per Gigabyte
HDDs are also cheaper per gigabyte. By now, you can get an HDD storage as low as about three cents per gigabyte. If you need a lot of storage, you can get it at an affordable price.
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More Noise and Heat
One of the main drawbacks of an HDD is the fact that because it’s mechanical, it’s more likely to create a significant amount of noise and heat. This means a computer that uses one needs to have methods of dealing with that.
Solid State Drive
Whereas a hard disk drive reads and writes information physically, a solid state drive switches on and off the flash memory inside the SSD. It’s the same way the storage on a smartphone or tablet works.
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Extremely Fast at Reading and Writing
SSDs are much quicker at reading and writing data than HDDs are. This also means a computer that uses an SSD is likely to boot up and shut down more quickly.
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More Long-Lasting in General
Solid state drives tend to last longer in general. As a matter of fact, it’s typically unlikely that your computer will outlast your SSD. While it’s of course possible for an SSD to eventually wear out, it’s less likely than with an HDD.
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More Expensive Per Gigabyte
One drawback to SSDs is that they’re more expensive than HDDs per gigabyte. If your computer is running with an SSD, you’re almost certainly going to end up having less built-in storage than if it had an HDD unless you’re willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a larger one.
If you’ve ever looked into different types of drives, it’s likely that at some point, you’ve wondered about the differences between a hard disk drive, or HDD, and a solid state drive, or SSD. There are certainly differences, but some people try to make the differences out such that one drive is objectively better than the other.
Conclusion
HDDs and SSDs both have their own places in the world of computer storage, and there are important reasons to have access to both. However, it’s important that you choose between the two with the information you need. With this list of differences between SSDs and HDDs, you can feel more prepared to make the right choice between the two.
