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SSD drive is already becoming a mandatory attribute not only of laptops and netbooks, but also of desktop computers.
In this article I will try to figure out what an SSD drive is, describe its strengths and weak sides. We will also consider its use in home computers.
What you will learn by reading this article:
What is an SSD disk?
An SSD is a solid-state drive that uses flash memory (NAND) to store data. The abbreviation SSD can be deciphered as Solid State Disk or Solid State Drive, but the second option seems more correct to me.
An SSD drive has no mechanical or moving parts, which makes it more reliable than a mechanical HDD.
The first prototypes of modern solid-state drives were produced on the basis of RAM memory, and in order not to lose information after turning off the computer, a battery was connected to it.
Now, of course, SSD drives are made using a different technology and turning off the computer will not lead to loss of information.
What does an SSD disk consist of?
The main parts that make up an SSD are a flash memory chip, a controller, a disk connection interface, and a housing.
Flash memory chip.
IN currently Modern SSDs use three types of memory: SLC, MLC and TLC.
SLC (Single-Level Cell) - one bit of information is written to each cell of this memory. The number of rewrite cycles is 100,000. It has the largest rewrite margin, but it is also the most expensive memory and is used in expensive server systems.
MLC (Multi-Level Cell) – two bits of information are written to each cell. The number of rewrite cycles is 3000. This memory is used for the production of most SSD drives, as it is less expensive and has the potential for large amounts of disk space.
TLC (Triple-Level Cell) – three bits of information are written to each cell. The number of rewrite cycles is 1000. The cheapest type of memory has long been used in the production of flash drives. They are starting to use it in production SSD drives, which makes them even cheaper to produce, such as the Samsung 840 EVO.
The number of rewrite cycles may vary depending on big side, it depends on the production technology, and it does not stand still.
When memory cells wear out, they become blocked, so the disk itself remains functional, it only loses capacity. But if you use it correctly, and take into account its size, then the service life of an SSD will be several years.
The main manufacturers of memory chips are Intel, Hynix, Micron, Samsung, SanDisk and Toshiba.
If we talk about sizes SSD memory disks, then on this moment you can find disks with a capacity of 1TB. But the price of such a disk is still too high, for example an 800GB disk with SATA interface 3 costs about 80,000 rubles, and with PCI-E interface, about 160,000 rubles. Not everyone wants to buy themselves a fast flash drive for that amount.
Controller.
The controller is the processor that manages read and write operations. This is the second most important element in a solid-state drive, after memory.
The controller's duties include:
Constant monitoring of the state of memory cells and blocking them when completely worn out;
Uniform distribution of files throughout the disk for uniform wear of memory cells;
Transferring data from memory to RAM memory, if available;
Compress files to speed up transfer;
Reading and writing speed depends not only on the memory, but also on the controller. So, for example, in cheap disks, the speed of the controller may be limited if there is fast memory; as a result, the read and write speed of the disk will be lower.
SSD form factor.
SSD drives are available in different formats. There are currently five of them in total.
SATA – This is the most common type of 2.5-inch drives. They can be installed on both a desktop PC and a laptop. Only in a laptop you will have to remove a larger HDD or CD-ROM. 1.8-inch drives with a SATA interface are less common. I advise you to take SATA-3 format drives, their read/write speed is much higher than SATA-2, about 500MB/s and higher.
mSATA – As a rule, disks of this format are installed in laptops, where a special compartment is designed for them. In terms of speed, some models are inferior to SATA drives.
PCI-E – Highest read/write speed thanks to PCI-E bus, show disks of this particular format, up to 2000MB/s. But they are also the most expensive of the solid-state ones.
Hybrid (SSHD) – These are disks where regular media is used as the main media. HDD, and as a cache memory, an SSD drive. This method allows you to quickly launch applications that are often used. In general, the speed of such a disk is the same as that of a regular HDD, but some programs run very quickly.
USB – External drives are not very fast because USB port is here weak link. I advise you to buy drives with a USB 3.0 interface, as the speed will be much higher than USB 2.0. But the external drive never required the same speed as the internal one. So, if speed is not so important to you, then it is better to buy a regular hard drive, which is cheaper and has more capacity.
Advantages of SSD drives.
Fast file access – SSDs have no moving head or disk and read almost instantly.
High data transfer speed – For the same reason, SSD has a very high data transfer speed.
Good shock resistance – Again, there are no fragile mechanisms and nothing to break under light impacts.
Less power consumption – There are no drives or moving parts, and much less energy is required to operate solid state devices.
Low noise level – Same story here, nothing moves or makes noise.
Disadvantages of SSD drives.
High cost of solid state drives.
Less disk space compared to HDD.
Limited data rewrite cycle.
Of course, all these shortcomings are a temporary phenomenon and soon solid-state ones will catch up and surpass mechanical ones, and they, in turn, will become hopelessly outdated.
Now, of course, you can use an SSD drive in personal computer, but only as the main one where the system is installed, and not as storage for your files.
I will tell you how to extend the life of a solid-state drive in one of the following articles. If you have not yet subscribed to updates, you can do so now.
If you are going to buy a computer and don’t know how to choose a processor, then I recommend reading this, which describes the main criteria for choosing a processor for a computer.
Good luck!
In this article I will try to explain to you, what is an SSD drive, how it differs from a regular hard drive, I’ll tell you about its advantages and disadvantages, and you will also learn by what parameters (criteria) you should choose an SSD drive when purchasing.
This article today about SSD drives was not born by chance. It turned out that many readers have absolutely no idea what it is.
So, after my description SSD programs life, the vast majority of users rushed to check their regular hard drives with this utility, which caused confusion in the comments. There I promised to write in more detail about SSD drives - I’m doing it.
What is an SSD drive
In “dry language” the definition of an SSD disk sounds like this: solid state drive(SSD solid-state drive) - a computer non-mechanical storage device based on memory chips.
It is unlikely that you are imbued with this meager definition. Now I’ll try to explain what an SSD drive is with a “wet tongue,” as they say, on my fingers.
I’ll come from afar... First you need to remember (or find out for the first time) what it is regular computer new hard drive (also called a hard drive).
A hard drive (HDD) is a device on your computer that stores all the data (programs, movies, images, music... operating system Windows) and it looks like this...
Information on a hard drive is written (and read) by reversing the magnetization of cells on magnetic plates that rotate at wild speed. Above the plates (and between them) a special carriage with a reading head rushes like a frightened one.
This whole thing is buzzing and moving constantly. In addition, this is a very “thin” device and is afraid of even a simple wobble during its operation, not to mention falling to the floor, for example (the reading heads will meet the rotating disks and hello to the information stored on the disk).
But now the solid state drive (SSD) comes onto the scene. This is the same device for storing information, but based not on rotating magnetic disks, but on memory chips, as mentioned above. It's like a big flash drive.
Nothing spinning, moving or buzzing! Plus - just crazy speed of writing/reading data!
On the left is the hard drive, on the right is the SSD drive.
It's time to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of SSD drives...
Carefully! Useful Additional Information Online:
Advantages of SSD drives
1. Speed
This is the biggest plus of these devices! If you replace your old hard drive with a flash drive, you won’t recognize your computer!
Before the advent of SSD drives, the slowest device in a computer was the hard drive. It, with its ancient technology from the last century, incredibly slowed down the enthusiasm of a fast processor and fast RAM.
2. Noise level=0 dB
It makes sense - there are no moving parts. In addition, these drives do not heat up during operation, so cooling coolers turn on less often and do not work as intensely (creating noise).
3. Shock and vibration resistance
I watched a video online - a connected and working SSD was shaken, dropped on the floor, knocked on... but it continued to work quietly! No comments.
4. Light weight
Not a huge plus, of course, but still, hard drives are heavier than their modern competitors.
5. Low power consumption
I’ll do without the numbers - the battery life of my old laptop has increased by more than one hour.
Disadvantages of SSD drives
1. High cost
This is at the same time the most limiting drawback for users, but also very temporary - prices for such drives are constantly and rapidly falling.
2. Limited number of rewrite cycles
A regular, average SSD drive based on flash memory with MLC technology is capable of producing approximately 10,000 read/write cycles of information. But the more expensive type of SLC memory can already last 10 times longer (100,000 rewrite cycles).
As for me, in both cases the flash drive can easily last at least 3 years! This is just average life cycle home computer, after which the configuration is updated, components are replaced with more modern, faster and cheaper ones.
Progress does not stand still and tadpoles from manufacturing companies have already come up with new technologies that significantly increase the lifespan of SSD drives. For example, RAM SSD or FRAM technology, where the resource, although limited, is practically unattainable in real life (up to 40 years in continuous read/write mode).
3. Impossibility of recovering deleted information
Deleted information from an SSD drive cannot be restored by anyone. special utility . There are simply no such programs.
If during a large voltage surge in a regular hard drive, in 80% of cases only the controller burns out, then in SSD drives this controller is located on the board itself, along with the memory chips, and the entire drive burns out - hello family photo album.
This danger is practically reduced to zero in laptops and when using an uninterruptible power supply.
Bus capacity
Remember, I advised you how to choose a flash drive? So, when choosing a flash drive, data read/write speed is also of paramount importance. The higher this speed, the better. But you should also remember about the bus bandwidth of your computer, or rather, the motherboard.
If your laptop or desktop computer is very old, there is no point in buying an expensive and fast SSD drive. He simply will not be able to work even at half his capacity.
To make it clearer, I will outline the throughput of various buses (data transfer interface):
IDE (PATA) - 1000 Mbit/s. This is a very ancient interface for connecting devices to the motherboard. To connect an SSD drive to such a bus, you need a special adapter. The point of using the described disks in this case is absolutely zero.
SATA - 1,500 Mbit/s. It's more fun, but not too much.
SATA2 - 3,000 Mbit/s. The most common tire at the moment. With such a bus, for example, my drive operates at half its capacity. He needs...
SATA3 - 6,000 Mbit/s. This is a completely different matter! This is where the SSD drive will show itself in all its glory.
So, before purchasing, find out what bus you have on your motherboard, as well as which bus the drive itself supports, and decide on the feasibility of the purchase.
Here, for example, is how I chose (and what guided) my HyperX 3K 120 GB. Read speed is 555 MB/s, and data write speed is 510 MB/s. This drive now works in my laptop at exactly half its capacity (SATA2), but exactly twice as fast as a standard hard drive.
Over time, it will migrate to children's gaming computers, which have SATA3, and there they will demonstrate all their power and speed without limiting factors (outdated, slow data transfer interfaces).
We conclude: if you have a SATA2 bus in your computer and do not plan to use the disk in another (more powerful and modern) computer, buy a disk with throughput no higher than 300 MB/s, which will be significantly cheaper and at the same time twice as fast as your current hard drive.
Form factor
Also, when choosing and purchasing a flash drive, pay attention to the form factor (size and dimensions). It can be 3.5″ (inches) - larger and slightly cheaper, but will not fit into a laptop, or 2.5″ - smaller and fits into any laptop (for desktop computers they are usually equipped with special adapters).
Thus, it is more practical to buy a disk in the 2.5″ form factor - and you can install it anywhere and sell it (if anything) easier. And it takes up less space system unit, which improves the cooling of the entire computer.
IOPS indicator
An important factor is IOPS (the number of input/output operations per second), the higher this indicator, the faster the drive will work with a larger volume of files.
Memory chip
Memory chips are divided into two main types MLC and SLC. The cost of SLC chips is much higher and the service life is on average 10 times longer than that of MLC memory chips, but with proper operation, the service life of drives based on MLC memory chips is at least 3 years.
Controller
This is the most important part of SSD drives. The controller controls the operation of the entire drive, distributes data, monitors the wear of memory cells and evenly distributes the load. I recommend giving preference to time-tested and well-proven controllers from SandForce, Intel, Indilinx, and Marvell.
SSD memory capacity
It would be most practical to use an SSD only for hosting the operating system, and it is better to store all data (movies, music, etc.) on a second hard drive. With this option, it is enough to buy a disk with a size of ~ 60 GB. This way you can save a lot and get the same acceleration of your computer (in addition, the service life of the drive will increase).
Again, I’ll give an example of my solution - special containers for hard drives are sold online (very inexpensively), which in 2 minutes are inserted into a laptop instead of optical CD drive(which I've used a couple of times over four years). Here is a great solution for you - an old disk in place of a floppy drive, and a brand new SSD in place of a standard hard drive. It couldn't have been better.
And finally, a couple of interesting facts:
Why is a hard drive often called a hard drive? Back in the early 1960s, IBM released one of the first hard drives and the number of this development was 30 - 30, which coincided with the designation of the popular Winchester rifled weapon (Winchester), so this slang name stuck to all hard drives.
A hard drive is needed to install the operating system, programs and store various user files (documents, photos, music, movies, etc.).
Hard drives differ in capacity, which determines the amount of data it can store, speed, which determines the performance of the entire computer, and reliability, which depends on its manufacturer.
Regular hard disks(HDD) have a large volume, low speed and cost. The fastest are solid state drives (SSD), but they have a small capacity and are much more expensive. An intermediate option between them are hybrid disks (SSHD), which have sufficient capacity, are faster than conventional HDDs and are slightly more expensive.
Western Digital (WD) hard drives are considered the most reliable. The best SSD drives are produced by: Samsung, Intel, Crucial, SanDisk, Plextor. More budget options can be considered: A-DATA, Corsair, GoodRAM, WD, HyperX, since they have the least problems. And hybrid drives (SSHD) are mainly produced by Seagate.
For office computer, which is used primarily for working with documents and the Internet, quite ordinary hard drive from the inexpensive WD Blue series with a capacity of up to 500 GB. But 1 TB disks are optimal today, since they are not much more expensive.
For multimedia computer(video, simple games) It is better to use a 1 TB WD Blue drive as an additional one for storing files, and install a 120-128 GB SSD as the main one, which will significantly speed up the operation of the system and programs.
For gaming computer It is advisable to take an SSD with a capacity of 240-256 GB; you can install several games on it.
Hard drive A-Data Ultimate SU650 240GB
As a more economical option for a multimedia or gaming PC, you can purchase one Seagate hybrid drive (SSHD) with a capacity of 1 TB; it is not as fast as an SSD, but still slightly faster than a regular HDD drive.
Hard drive Seagate FireCuda ST1000DX002 1TB
Well, for a powerful professional PC, in addition to the SSD (120-512 GB), you can take a fast and reliable WD Black hard drive of the required volume (1-4 GB).
I also recommend purchasing a quality external drive Transcend with USB 3.0 interface for 1-2 TB for the system and files important to you (documents, photos, videos, projects).
Hard drive Transcend StoreJet 25M3 1 TB
2. Disk types
IN modern computers Both classic hard drives on magnetic platters (HDD) and faster solid-state drives based on memory chips (SSD) are used. There are also hybrid drives (SSHD), which are a symbiosis of HDD and SSD.
The hard drive (HDD) has a large capacity (1000-8000 GB), but low speed (120-140 MB/s). It can be used both to install the system and store user files, which is the most economical option.
Solid state drives (SSD) have a relatively small volume (120-960 GB), but very high speed (450-550 MB/s). They cost significantly more and are used to install the operating system and some programs to increase the speed of the computer.
A hybrid drive (SSHD) is simply a hard drive with a small amount of faster memory added to it. For example, this might look like 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD.
3. Application of HDD, SSD and SSHD drives
For an office computer (documents, Internet), it is enough to install one regular hard drive (HDD).
For a multimedia computer (movies, simple games), you can add a small SSD drive in addition to the HDD, which will make the system work much faster and more responsive. As a compromise between speed and capacity, you can consider installing one SSHD drive, which will be much cheaper.
For a powerful gaming or professional computer, the best option is to install two drives - an SSD for the operating system, programs, games, and a regular hard drive for storing user files.
4. Physical sizes of disks
Hard drives for desktop computers are 3.5 inches in size.
Solid state drives are 2.5 inches in size, just like laptop hard drives.
An SSD drive is installed into a regular computer using a special mount in the case or an additional adapter.
Don't forget to purchase it if it is not included with the drive and your case does not have special mounts for 2.5″ drives. But now almost all modern cases have mounts for SSD drives, which is indicated in the description as internal compartments 2.5″.
5. Hard drive connectors
All hard drives have an interface connector and a power connector.
5.1. Interface connector
An interface connector is a connector for connecting a disk to motherboard using a special cable (loop).
Modern hard drives (HDD) have a SATA3 connector, which is fully compatible with older versions of SATA2 and SATA1. If your motherboard has old connectors, don't worry new hard You can connect the drive to them and it will work.
But for an SSD drive, it is desirable that the motherboard have SATA3 connectors. If your motherboard has SATA2 connectors, then the SSD drive will operate at half its speed (about 280 MB/s), which, however, is still significantly faster than a regular HDD.
5.2. Power connector
Modern hard drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD) have the same 15-pin SATA power connectors. If the disk is installed in a desktop computer, its power supply must have such a connector. If it is not there, then you can use a Molex-SATA power adapter.
6. Hard drive capacities
For each type of hard drive, depending on its purpose, the amount of data it can hold will be different.
6.1. Hard disk capacity (HDD) for a computer
For a computer intended for typing and accessing the Internet, the smallest modern one is sufficient. hard drives– 320-500 GB.
For a multimedia computer (video, music, photos, simple games), it is advisable to have a hard drive with a capacity of 1000 GB (1 TB).
A powerful gaming or professional computer may require a 2-4 TB drive (use your needs).
It is necessary to take into account that the computer motherboard must support UEFI, otherwise the operating system will not see the entire disk capacity of more than 2 TB.
If you want to increase the speed of the system, but are not ready to spend money on an additional SSD drive, then alternative option You can consider purchasing a hybrid SSHD drive with a capacity of 1-2 TB.
6.2. Hard disk capacity (HDD) for a laptop
If a laptop is used as an addition to the main computer, then a hard drive with a capacity of 320-500 GB will be sufficient. If a laptop is used as a main computer, then it may require a hard drive with a capacity of 750-1000 GB (depending on the use of the laptop).
Hard drive Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 500GB
You can also install an SSD drive in the laptop, which will significantly increase its speed and system responsiveness, or a hybrid SSHD drive, which is slightly faster than a regular HDD.
Hard drive Seagate Laptop SSHD ST500LM021 500GB
It is important to consider what thickness of disks your laptop supports. Discs with a thickness of 7 mm will fit into any model, but those with a thickness of 9 mm may not fit everywhere, although not many of them are produced anymore.
6.3. Solid State Drive (SSD) Capacity
Since SSD drives are not used for storing data, when determining their required capacity, you need to proceed from how much space the operating system installed on it will take up and whether you will install any other large programs and games on it.
Modern operating systems (Windows 7,8,10) require about 40 GB of space to operate and grow with updates. In addition, you need to install at least the basic programs on the SSD, otherwise it won’t be of much use. Well, for normal operation, there should always be 15-30% free space on the SSD.
For a multimedia computer (movies, simple games), the best option would be an SSD with a capacity of 120-128 GB, which will allow, in addition to the system and basic programs, to install several simple games on it. Since SSDs require not only fast opening of folders, the most powerful programs and it makes sense to install games on it, which will speed up the speed of their work.
Heavy modern games take up a huge amount of space. Therefore, a powerful gaming computer requires a 240-512 GB SSD, depending on your budget.
For professional tasks, such as editing video in high quality, or installing a dozen modern games requires an SSD with a capacity of 480-1024 GB, again depending on the budget.
6.4. Data backup
When choosing disk space, it is advisable to also take into account the need to create backup copy user files(video, photo, etc.) that will be stored on it. Otherwise, you risk instantly losing everything you have accumulated over the years. Therefore, it is often more advisable to purchase not one huge disk, but two smaller disks - one for work, the other (possibly external) for a backup copy of files.
7. Basic disk parameters
The main parameters of disks, which are often indicated in price lists, include spindle speed and memory buffer size.
7.1. Spindle speed
The spindle has hard and hybrid disks based on magnetic platters (HDD, SSHD). Since SSD drives are built on memory chips, they do not have a spindle. The speed of the hard drive's spindle determines its operating speed.
The spindle of hard drives for desktop computers generally has a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. Sometimes there are models with a spindle speed of 5400 rpm, which work slower.
Laptop hard drives generally have a spindle speed of 5400 rpm, which allows them to be quieter, run cooler, and consume less power.
7.2. Memory Buffer Size
A buffer is a cache memory of a hard drive based on memory chips. This buffer is intended to speed up work hard disk, but does not have a big effect (about 5-10%).
Modern hard drives (HDD) have a buffer size of 32-128 MB. In principle, 32 MB is enough, but if the price difference is not significant, then you can take a hard drive with a larger buffer size. Optimal for today is 64 MB.
8. Disk speed characteristics
Speed characteristics common to HDD, SSHD and SSD drives include linear read/write speed and random access time.
8.1. Linear reading speed
Linear read speed is the main parameter for any disk and dramatically affects its operating speed.
For modern tough and hybrid drives(HDD, SSHD) a good value is an average read speed closer to 150 MB/s. You should not purchase hard drives with a speed of 100 MB/s or less.
Solid state drives (SSD) are much faster and their read speed, depending on the model, is 160-560 MB/s. The optimal price/speed ratio is SSD drives with a read speed of 450-500 MB/s.
As for HDD drives, sellers in price lists usually do not indicate their speed parameters, but only the volume. Later in this article I will tell you how to find out these characteristics. With SSD drives everything is simpler, since their speed characteristics are always indicated in the price lists.
8.2. Linear write speed
This is a secondary parameter after reading speed, which is usually indicated in tandem with it. For hard and hybrid drives (HDD, SSHD), the write speed is usually somewhat lower than the read speed and is not considered when choosing a disk, since they are mainly focused on the read speed.
For SSD drives, the write speed can be either less than or equal to the read speed. In price lists, these parameters are indicated through a slash (for example, 510/430), where a larger number means read speed, a smaller number means write speed.
The good ones fast SSD it is about 550/550 MB/s. But in general, write speed has a much smaller effect on the speed of a computer than read speed. As a budget option, a slightly lower speed is allowed, but not lower than 450/350 Mb/s.
8.3. Access time
Access time is the second most important disk parameter after read/write speed. Access time has a particularly strong effect on the speed of reading/copying small files. The lower this parameter, the better. In addition, low access time indirectly indicates a higher quality hard disk drive (HDD).
A good access time for a hard disk drive (HDD) is 13-15 milliseconds. Values within 16-20 ms are considered a bad indicator. I will also tell you how to determine this parameter in this article.
As for SSD drives, their access time is 100 times less than that of HDD drives, so this parameter is not indicated anywhere and is not paid attention to.
Hybrid disks (SSHD), due to additional built-in flash memory, achieve lower access times than HDDs, which are comparable to SSDs. But due to the limited capacity of flash memory, lower access times are only achieved when accessing the most frequently accessed files that end up in that flash memory. Usually this system files, which provides higher computer boot speed and high system responsiveness, but does not fundamentally affect operation large programs and games, since they simply will not fit in the limited amount of fast memory of an SSHD disk.
9. Manufacturers of hard drives (HDD, SSHD)
The most popular hard drive manufacturers are the following:
Seagate- produces some of the fastest drives today, but they are not considered the most reliable.
Western Digital (WD)— are considered the most reliable and have a convenient classification by color.
- WD Blue– budget general purpose drives
- W.D. Green– quiet and economical (frequently switched off)
- WD Black– fast and reliable
- WD Red– for data storage systems (NAS)
- WD Purple– for video surveillance systems
- W.D. Gold– for servers
- W.D. Re– for RAID arrays
- W.D.Se– for scalable corporate systems
Blue ones are the most common drives, suitable for inexpensive office and multimedia PCs. Black ones combine high speed and reliability; I recommend using them in powerful systems. The rest are intended for specific tasks.
In general, if you want cheaper and faster, then choose Seagate. If it's cheap and reliable - Hitachi. Fast and reliable - Western Digital from the black series.
Hybrid SSHD drives Nowadays they are mainly produced by Seagete and they are of good quality.
There are discs from other manufacturers on sale, but I recommend limiting yourself to the indicated brands, as there are fewer problems with them.
10. Manufacturers of solid state drives (SSD)
Among the manufacturers of SSD drives the following have proven themselves well:
- Samsung
- Intel
- Crucial
- SanDisk
- Plextor
More budget options can be considered:
- Corsair
- GoodRAM
- A-DATA (Premier Pro)
- Kingston (HyperX)
11. SSD memory type
SSD drives can be built on different types of memory:
- 3 D NAND– fast and durable
- MLC– good resource
- V-NAND– average resource
- TLC– low resource
12. Hard drive speed (HDD, SSHD)
We can find out all the parameters of SSD drives we need, such as capacity, speed and manufacturer, from the seller’s price list and then compare them by price.
The parameters of HDD drives can be found out by the model or batch number on the manufacturers' websites, but in fact this is quite difficult, since these catalogs are huge, have a lot of incomprehensible parameters, which are called differently for each manufacturer, and also on English language. Therefore, I offer you another method that I use myself.
There is a program for testing hard drives HDTune. It allows you to determine parameters such as linear reading speed and access time. There are many enthusiasts who conduct these tests and post the results on the Internet. In order to find the test results of a particular hard drive model, just enter in the search Google images or Yandex its model number, which is indicated in the seller’s price list or on the disk itself in the store.
This is what the disk test image from the search looks like.
As you can see, this picture shows the average linear read speed and random access time, which are what interests us. Just make sure that the model number in the picture matches the model number of your drive.
In addition, from the graph you can roughly determine the quality of the disk. An uneven graph with large jumps and high access times indirectly indicate imprecise, low-quality disk mechanics.
A beautiful cyclical or simply uniform graph without large jumps, combined with low access time, indicates precise, high-quality disk mechanics.
Such a disk will work better, faster and last longer.
13. Optimal disk
So, which disk or disk configuration to choose for your computer, depending on its purpose. In my opinion, the following configurations will be the most optimal.
- office PC – HDD (320-500 GB)
- entry-level multimedia PC – HDD (1 TB)
- mid-level multimedia PC – SSD (120-128 GB) + HDD (1 TB) or SSHD (1 TB)
- Entry-level gaming PC – HDD (1 TB)
- Mid-range gaming PC – SSHD (1 TB)
- gaming pc high level– SSD (240-512 GB) + HDD (1-2 TB)
- professional PC – SSD (480-1024 GB) + HDD/SSHD (2-4 TB)
14. Cost of HDD and SSD drives
In conclusion, I want to talk a little about general principles choosing between more or less expensive disk models.
The price of HDD drives depends most on the disk capacity and slightly on the manufacturer (by 5-10%). Therefore, it is not advisable to skimp on the quality of HDDs. Buy models from recommended manufacturers, even if they are a little more expensive, as they will last longer.
The price of SSD drives, in addition to capacity and speed, also greatly depends on the manufacturer. Here I can give a simple recommendation - choose the cheapest SSD drive from the list of recommended manufacturers that suits you in terms of capacity and speed.
15. Links
Hard Western drive Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB
Hard drive Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB
Hard drive A-Data Ultimate SU650 120GB
Almost every user has already heard about solid-state drives, and some even use them. However, not many people have thought about how these drives differ from each other and why SSD is better than HDD. Today we will tell you what the difference is and conduct a small comparative analysis.
The scope of application of solid-state drives is expanding every year. Nowadays SSDs can be found almost everywhere, from laptops to servers. The reason for this high speed and reliability. But, let's talk about everything in order, so first let's see what the difference is between a magnetic drive and a solid-state drive.
By and large, the main difference lies in the way the data is stored. Thus, HDD uses a magnetic method, that is, data is written to the disk by magnetizing its areas. In an SSD, all information is recorded in a special type of memory, which is presented in the form of microcircuits.
Features of the HDD device
If you look at a magnetic hard disk (MHD) from the inside, it is a device that consists of several disks, read/write heads, and an electric drive that rotates the disks and moves the heads. That is, the MZD is in many ways similar to a vinyl record player. Read/write speed modern devices can reach from 60 to 100 MB/s (depending on the model and manufacturer). And the rotation speed of disks usually varies from 5 to 7 thousand revolutions per minute, and in some models the rotation speed reaches 10 thousand. Based on the special device, there are three main disadvantages and only two advantages over SSDs.
- Noise that comes from electric motors and rotation of disks;
- The read and write speed is comparatively low because certain time spend money on positioning heads;
- High probability of mechanical breakdowns.
- Relatively low price per 1 GB;
- Large data storage capacity.
Features of the SSD device
The design of a solid-state drive is fundamentally different from magnetic drives. There are no moving parts, that is, there are no electric motors, moving heads or rotating disks. And all this thanks to a completely new way of storing data. Currently, there are several types of memory that are used in SSDs. They also have two interfaces for connecting to a computer - SATA and ePCI. For the SATA type, the read/write speed can reach up to 600 MB/s, while in the case of ePCI it can range from 600 MB/s to 1 GB/s. An SSD drive is needed in a computer precisely for faster reading and writing of information from the disk and back.
Thanks to their design, SSDs have many more advantages over MZDs, but they are not without their disadvantages.
- No noise;
- High read/write speed;
- Less susceptible to mechanical breakdowns.
- High cost per 1 GB.
A little more comparison
Now that we have understood the main features of the disks, we will continue our comparative analysis further. Externally, SSD and MZD are also different. Again, due to their features, magnetic drives are much larger and thicker (if you do not take into account those for laptops), while SSDs are comparable in size to hard drives for laptops. Also, solid-state drives consume several times less energy.
To summarize our comparison, below is a table where you can see the differences between the disks in numbers.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that SSDs are better than MZDs in almost all respects, they also have a couple of disadvantages. Namely, this is volume and cost. If we talk about volume, then at present solid-state drives are significantly inferior to magnetic drives. They also benefit in cost magnetic disks because they are cheaper.
Well, now you know what the main differences between different types drives, so all that remains is to decide what is better and more rational to use - HDD or SSD.
Hello friends! Technologies do not stand still and are developing more and more rapidly every year, especially in the computer industry. It seems like just yesterday that we only learned about the three laws of robotics, written by Isaac Asimov, and today the Japanese are already designing dolls whose electronic “filling” is half as powerful as a small server room, but which have never even heard of the mentioned laws.
The changes also affected the area of data storage. Today you will find out what an SSD drive is and why it is needed, whether such a device is needed in principle or how you can do without it.
Why solid state
Such drives have been known for many years, but most users have only recently turned their attention to them as a worthy alternative to traditional hard drives. So why is it called solid state? The name comes from the English word Solid - “Solid state”. In fact, this is an ordinary microcircuit built on semiconductors - a green board with a bunch of tracks that everyone who has ever disassembled the body of an electrical device has seen.
The architecture of the device resembles the already familiar flash drives. SSDs use the same type of energy-efficient memory circuits that do not lose data even when there is no power for long periods of time. The only difference is in dimensions, capacity and recording speed. In addition, the flash drive is designed to be used as a plug-in external device, but the SSD is still in most cases an internal device.
Externally, solid-state drives resemble hard drives, but differ in size - they are smaller. According to standardization, there are slightly different form factors: for example, M2 or U2. This does not mean that an SSD cannot be installed in a regular system unit: there are special adapters for old cases, and new cases are already equipped with mounting slots.
Benefits of SSD
A logical question may arise: why such a device in a computer at all, if there are familiar and affordable hard drives. And solid-state drives have several advantages: 
Higher data read and write speed. This is especially appreciated by users who process large files, as well as gamers whose games load faster.
Less power consumption. For laptop computers, this is a decisive factor, because the device can work longer on the same battery charge.
Longer service life. Due to the lack of mechanical parts, there is a higher chance that the device will not fail at the most inopportune moment.
Impact resistance. When transporting the device, there is a higher chance that it may be dropped or mechanical impact the user will not lose important data. This is the reason for the growing popularity of portable SSDs.
Often a small SSD is installed on a computer as a system volume, for more fast loading operating system. Such a computer will not only boot faster, but the OS will also be faster due to quick access to all system files.
Disadvantages and Limitations
You may ask: if this device is so gorgeous, why don't all users use it on PC? Alas, everything still comes down to cost: for the same price you can buy a regular hard drive with a capacity ten times greater than an SSD. When assembling or upgrading a computer, users are often limited in funds, so they have to “rein on their horses,” maneuvering between the coolness of the part and its cost. And so we would instruct everyone, yeah.
There is still a misconception among users that SSDs are unreliable. Yes, this was observed at the time of their mass appearance on the market. The reason lies in the use of cheap controllers that did not cope with their task. Today, the cheapest SSD is guaranteed to “survive” up to 3,000 rewrite cycles. For higher quality devices, this figure increases to 10,000. This is even more than a traditional HDD. 
Another myth is that the operating system must be somehow cleverly configured to work with solid state drive– for example, disable the paging file. This is wrong. All the user has to do is activate it in the BIOS AHCI mode, necessary for the correct operation of the device. Please note that old motherboards this mode is not supported - instead there is a now obsolete IDE
Why is it needed?
"To be or not to be?" – the reader will think. Buy an SSD or save money by buying something else. According to reviews from my clients, no one has ever experienced dissatisfaction with the purchase of such a device. There have been several complaints about warranty repair, but this is a statistical error, which always manifests itself with large numbers of sales.
And if you get nervous every time your computer starts to slow down and freeze, the SSD is the best option get rid of such phenomena. You will most likely not stop being nervous, but you will already find another reason, but the computer will “fly” with such a drive.
True, there is one small “BUT”. You quickly get used to the good stuff, and then working on a computer with a regular HDD will be a little uncomfortable. But these are little things, aren’t they?
And if you are already heading to the online store for a new SSD drive, read these instructions - it will help you correctly. You might also be interested, of course, if you think that you can’t live without an HDD.
I advise you to pay attention to the Kingston SSDNow A400 120GB 2.5″ SATAIII TLC device - a good and affordable 120 Gb drive.
And with that, I say goodbye for today. Thank you for your attention, friends, and see you next time. Don't forget to share my blog posts on in social networks. Computer literacy to the masses! And to receive notifications about new articles.
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