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We often think of a slow PC for a number of reasons, be it faulty components, malware, or apps taking up a lot of hard disk space (HDD).

One way to solve this problem is SSD. It is a data storage medium that has fast performance and is used as an additional or primary storage for computer files. SSD drives often store important computer files and programs, such as operating system data.

What is SSD: How is it different from HDD?

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So how does an SSD drive work and how is it different from a hard drive? Both external and internal SSDs are considered superior to hard drives because the parts inside are completely stationary. In other words, an SSD disk works on the principle of a regular USB flash drive: data is stored and processed not mechanically, but on the memory chips on the disk.

Why is this important? Very simple. HDD works on the principle of a magnetic mechanism, so the parts on the disk are constantly moving. This means that the HDD can fail over time and irreversibly damage or delete the data stored on the disk. On the other hand, knowing what is inside an SSD, we can say that such disks are less likely to fail and the data stored in them is much safer.

Advantages

You might be wondering if it’s worth buying an extra storage device just to have a more secure place to store your files on your computer? In fact, SSDs have countless other benefits that ensure fast and high-quality computer performance.

Speed

Every modern computer user seeks quick access to the software files on the computer. To do this, of course, we need to turn on the computer. It is interesting that computers with operating systems installed on an SSD disk start up almost twice as fast as on an HDD disk.

Let’s not forget about file transfer and how other programs work. It takes up to five times less time to transfer files to SSD than to HDD. Also, SSD ensures faster launch and operation of programs or computer games.

Also, SSD drives help with RAM RAM for activities – accelerates the process of processing high-quality videos, pictures or 3D models. This is especially important for people who are involved in creating video montages and digital art.

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Quality

After learning what an SSD is and what are its operating principles, it is no secret that we must also consider their quality. A good decade ago, many hard drive manufacturers believed that the speed and design of SSDs would not guarantee their longevity. However, after a long-term experiment, their performance was surprising – SSD drives were able to intensively process hundreds of terabytes and fiercely surpassed the performance of hard drives.

Size

If we put SSD and HDD side by side, we would see a clear difference between these hard drives. As we mentioned earlier, HDDs have several moving parts and work on a mechanical principle, so the shape of such disks is much larger. So, inserting multiple hard drives into a single computer would be difficult.

On the other hand, SSD drives can be the smallest sizes, so fitting several of them in one computer would not be a challenge. Nowadays, many laptops are built with SSDs already installed, and when buying a desktop computer, users do not even hesitate to purchase an additional or even several SSD drives to ensure fast computer performance.

Sound

It goes without saying that a computer consists of a considerable number of moving parts. The most noisy parts are the coolers and hard drives. Let’s also remember what SSD is and how it works. Thus, an SSD does not emit any sound when operating on the principle of a USB data carrier, since it has no moving parts.

Disadvantages

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It’s no secret that SSD drives have their limitations, but they are few. First of all, standard HDDs are much more capacious than SSDs in terms of price. For example, currently, a typical 1TB HDD costs almost the same as a 256-512GB SSD.

You’d have to pay a bit more to get a higher-capacity SSD – but that could change soon. It is expected that in the next ten years, the prices of both hard drives will equalize, or SSD will become even cheaper than HDD drives.

SSD types

After finding out what an SSD is and what its advantages are, we can start choosing from a large number of hard drives. Like every computer part or accessory, SSD drives come in different types. They fall into two broad categories: internal and external SSDs.

Internal SSDs are inserted and connected inside the computer, while external SSDs can be connected to any computer’s USB port. Let’s look at the main types of SSDs.

SATA

These are the most popular SSDs that connect to a computer’s motherboard. Although the performance speed of a SATA hard drive is not impressive, this type of SSD is many times more powerful than a conventional HDD hard drive.

USB

This type of SSD is mostly used to store files, so its speed will not surprise you. On the other hand, it is a great choice for conveniently storing large amounts of data or transferring it from one computer to another.

PCIe

This type of SSD is the fastest, capable of up to 10 times faster file read speeds than SATA or USB hard drives. PCIe SSDs, like SATA, connect inside the computer to the motherboard. This type of SSD drives are usually chosen by computer game enthusiasts or users of resource-intensive programs who want to ensure smooth operation of the computer.

Which SSD to choose?

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Now that we know what an SSD is and how it works, now all that’s left to decide is – for what purpose it will be used.

Are you looking to speed up the performance of programs or the computer itself? Love the smooth running of PC games? PCIe and SATA type SSD drives are ideal options that will become an integral part of your computer. If your goal is to store various files that you want to share or use on another computer, a USB-type SSD will handle the daily data transfer processes.



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