Time for a computer upgrade? To choose an HDD or an SSD depends on a couple of things, such as price, storage space and speed. If you want to store big files and programs, it’s better to buy an HDD because the price per GB is much lower than if you buy an SSD. But if you want to get faster access to applications, games and videos, you should definitely consider checking out an SSD. Price is also a big factor, and if you are struggling with a tight budget, I think it’s better to choose an HDD.
What Is An SSD Drive?
SSD stands for solid state drive and compare to traditional hard disks (HDD), an SSD got no moving mechanical components. An SSD is flash-based and like USB flash drives, it stores data on a microchip and not on a disk. An SSD uses also less watts which means that it doesn’t generate as much heat as an HDD, and that makes an SSD very suitable for laptops, tablets and other portable devices that have less room for extra cooling fans. Generally an SSD has a better performance than mechanical hard disks.
How Much Better Is An SSD Drive?
The Windows boot up time was 20 seconds with my new SSD, and the old boot up time was 50 Sec, so around 60% faster is my conclusion. I have heard that some manufactures claim that an SSD is ten times faster than an HDD, but that’s pretty far from my own experience. I think that the biggest advantage an SSD has, is a faster speed and less power consumption. But it can’t compete with storage units yet, because the price is till way too high for average computer users, like me.
Is A Hybrid Drive a Good Compromise?
A solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) uses both the flash-based technique and the mechanical technique. You can expect to get faster access to files and programs, but not as fast as with an SSD. Personally, I think that a hybrid drive is a waste of money. I think it’s much better to buy an SSD and use it as the main operating system unit, and having an HDD for storing large files and other items. As the price per SSD GB is getting lower, I think that hybrid drives will disappear from the market.
I know that it feels painful to pay 200 bucks for a 256 GB SSD. And if you can wait for the price to drop further, you can expect to get it for a couple of bucks cheaper in a year or so. But if you need a new drive now, a good solution is to buy a cheap HDD, and wait until the SSD is in your price range. A normal HDD uses about 6-8W and a green HDD uses 4-6W, and if you want lower heat, use the green drive, but the price must of course be right.
Once you have installed an SSD in your computer, there’s no difference in the way it save and load programs and files. It’s faster, silent and produces less heat but the price per GB is high, so you have to decide what’s best for you.
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