A great many people purchase desktops and laptops for their regular computing. While doing so, they need to settle on the choice between getting either a Solid-State Drive (SSD) or Hard-Disk Drive (HDD) as the underlying storage section. So, which storage component is better among the two – an SSD or an HDD? Now, what are an SSD and HDD? Which is better? You are going to answer all these questions here.
There’s no straightforward response to this inquiry; every computer user has their distinct requirements. Based on that, users should assess the choice dependent on those necessities, their inclinations, and the budget. Even after the cost of SSDs has reduced to an extent, the cost per gigabyte advantage is still unequivocally with HDDs. By the end of this article, you will be clear on which one to use as a primary storage device.
What is a Hard-Disk Drive?
A Hard-Disk Drive (HDD) is a storage device used on desktops and laptops to store data. The Hard-Disk Drive is the primary storage device. The technology used in HDD is quite vintage but cheap when anyone wants to store bulk data.
HDD uses a head that hovers over the spinning platter, allowing them to read or write information. Typically, an HDD spins around 5,400 – 7,200 revolutions per minute (RPM).
However, some hi-tech servers support 15,000 RPM too. The regular desktop or laptop carries an HDD capacity ranging between 500GB and 2TB. The maximum storage capacity of an HDD is up to 10 TB.
What is a Solid-State Drive?
A Solid-State Drive (SSD), on the other hand, is the latest technology in storage devices where there is no old-fashioned head to read or write data. Instead of the spinning platter, SSDs use microchips to store information.
Naturally, SSDs are more expensive than HDDs. The SSD is like a USB flash drive with more capacity to store data. It uses a technology called NAND-based flash memory that is much faster than HDD.
Typically, an SSD capacity is not more than 1 TB. The maximum capacity of a solid-state drive can be 4 TB.
Difference Between SSD and HDD
Here you can check out some of the key differences between SSD and HDD.
- An SSD draws less power, which enhances the battery backup up to 30 mins, whereas the HDD consumes more power in comparison.
- As SSD is the latest technology, the cost is on the higher side when compared to HDD.
- The maximum capacity of SSD is 4 TB, whereas it is 10 TB for HDD.
- An SSD-enabled device takes 10 – 13 secs to boot up, whereas HDD takes 30 – 40 secs on average.
- There are no mobile components inside an SSD. Therefore, it makes no sound. The HDD, however, has a spinning platter along with a head that often makes sounds with some vibrations.
- As an SSD has no mobile components, it produces significantly less heat, whereas an HDD often produces a considerable amount of heat, which makes the system slow at times.
- An SSD is considerably faster than HDD. The transfer rate ranges between 200 – 550 MB/s for an SSD, whereas it ranges between 50 – 120 MB/s for HDD.
The table below illustrates some of the differences.
| Parameter | HDD | SSD |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Cheaper | More expensive |
| Speed | Slower | Faster |
| Durability | Less durable | More durable |
| Highest capacity | 10TB | 4TB |
| Energy efficiency | Use more energy | Use less energy |
Which Storage Device is Better?
To determine which storage device is better, one must consider the priority. However, if performance and quick boot-up are your priorities and the budget is optional, then an SSD is probably the best approach.
If you seek high-capacity storage with average speed, you should consider an HDD over an SSD, as it is affordable and serves the purpose.
Nowadays, you can also use both SSD and HDD on your computer. You can use an SSD as a primary storage device to install your operating system and all the programs, enhancing performance. Use an HDD as a secondary storage device to store your data.
Conclusion
The difference between hard drives and solid-state drives lies in the technology used to store and retrieve data. That’s it. These are the differences between SSD and HDD. I hope this article was helpful to you. If you liked the article, you can share it with your friends.
