You’re looking for a new laptop but just can’t decide between an SSD (Solid State Drive) and HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The first difference that’s most obvious to you will be in price – SDD laptops tend to be more expensive than those using HDDs. But, there are a number of other differences that are relevant to your choice that we will detail and asses for you.
We’ll do our best to pick a winner. But, we also plan on giving you as much key information as we can, to help you make the best decision for your needs.
SSD and HDD, What’s the Difference?
There are a number of differences between an SSD and HDD. The first one we’ll discuss is how they operate. An SDD has no moving parts, with information stored in microchips. This has a number of effects including making the boot-up time of an SSD device quicker and quieter.
An HDD, meanwhile, does having moving parts. It uses a mechanical arm that has a read/write head to move around to read various information on the storage platter. This mechanism makes booting up a slightly slower process than for the SSD. It also means those moving parts emit noise. While the HDD is much faster than it was when it was first used back in 1959 – yep, eons ago in the world of technology – it’s still beaten by the SSD, every time.
If speed and quiet are important to you, the SSD wins.
Storage Capacity and Related Costs
An SSD can comfortably store up to around 1 terrabyte of information. You can buy SSD supported devices with storage of up to 4 terrabytes, but they come at a cost.
An HDD, meanwhile, will give you storage capacity of up to 2 terrabytes on a laptop and 10 terrabytes on a desktop. And, the cost of that increased storage is low. Research suggests HDD storage could fall as low as 5cts for 2 gigabytes. That’s a level SSD’s will never reach.
When it comes to storage and related costs, then, the HDD is the clear winner.
Durability
We’re now going to compare the durability of the SSD and HDD.
For an SSD, the lack of moving parts means it’s not easy to damage the drive from minor bumps and bashes during transit. Those little chips don’t care if the machine they’re in are present during an earthquake or roughly handled by airport security. But take note, they are susceptible to power surges and electrical damage, and when they are fried by a power surge they can be difficult to recover the data from.
For an HDD, it’s a different story. Those moving parts are a bit of a hindrance when it comes to its durability. If you’re the sort of person who’s always rushing around, trying to fit some work in between meetings or getting on and off busy public transport, a HDD is more vulnerable to damage, but also able to withstand more damage from power surges.
So, on durability, the SSD is still the winner, but not by much.
The Winner between the SSD and HDD is…
…the SSD!
We will say, though, if you need a lot of storage and don’t want to pay too much for it, the HDD would work well for you too.
And that’s our verdict – minus much of the ultra-techy details, of course.
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