Are SSD Drives Better Than Hard Drives?

By John Schmon

You may have read some of the numerous articles about solid state drives, or SSDs, in the last couple years. Do they make you wonder what they are all about and are they right for you? This article will give you the details on the latest SSDs so you can make an informed decision.

Standard hard disk drives, or HDDs, are designed using moving mechanical components that use considerable amounts of power, restrict the computer's performance speed and incorporate fragile moving parts that can malfunction and aren't difficult to damage. Solid state drives use microchips to store information in more stable memory chips and have no moving parts. Therefore SSDs use less power, are extremely durable, are very quiet and give better performance.

Below are some reasons why a solid state drive is better then standard hard drives.

More reliable:

The design of a SSD doesn't use disks or have moving components at all, therefore the drive doesn't have any mechanical parts to malfunction. The longer a regular hard disk drive is used the more likely that the rapidly spinning disk may become misaligned or a mechanism will stop functioning correctly.

Resistant to vibration, shock and temperature:

Because there isn't any moving parts or disks spinning at high rates of speed, SSDs are far less sensitive to vibrations and the shock caused by an impact. SSDs are also able to continue performing in a wider range of temperatures, they work well in temperatures ranging from 32-158 degrees Fahrenheit. This is compared to 41-131 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the safe operating temperatures for a HDD.

Faster data transfer speeds:

When you turn on your computer or open a program, the wait time that you experience is caused by your HDD finding and retrieving the necessary files. Since an SSD is built without any moving parts to slow it down, data is transmitted much faster then with a HDD. For example, applications load 67% faster and Windows XP boots around 45% faster from an SSD compared to a standard HDD.This gives you an idea of the difference you may enjoy, even though actual speeds may differ with different SSD capacities and models.

Less power consumption:

SSDs use up to 45% less power, when compared to a HDD. Creating less of a strain on the computer and extending the battery life for laptops.

Produce less heat:

Since they don't have any moving parts they produce less heat, in fact they run about 20% cooler. This means that all the components of the computer are less susceptible to heat related damage. It also means that less cooling fans are required, reducing the power requirements of the entire system.

Quiet and light weight:

With the absence of moving parts, an SSD produces absolutely no noise. It also ways about half as much as a HDD.

SSD simply offer improved durability and performance. The only draw back of a SSD is the cost, as is usually the case with new technology. Right now they are a more expensive then a HDD but, this gap is closing lately and will continue to do so in the future.

John Schmon is an expert on security cameras and security camera systems.

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