SSD vs. HDD + The HARD facts...

Justin Hathaway
Jun 23, 2016
6 min read

As you have been gazing over the most recent adds for electronic retail stores, one of the acronyms you will most likely see listed under the "Storage" specifications is the typical "HDD" or more recently, even the elusive "SSD". You may have rightly assumed there are performance differences between the two, and perhaps looked them up; so at this stage it is likely you have discovered the differences between the two. But if you are like most consumers, you may not have looked that deeply into the "naming conventions" under Storage specifications and assumed the difference is as little as brand name or some irrelevant technological innovation not important enough to make a substantial performance difference. Well, in fact there is a very large difference between the two storage types, particularly in the areas of read/write speed mechanical operation, storage capacity, and ah, of course, price.

Let's take a closer look at the differences between these two storage conventions and determine what's best for each type of computer user.

Read/Write Speed - Read and write speed is the area that defines the significance of the two storage mediums and will likely be the major determinant as to whether or not you will choose to upgrade your device to SSD. One of the advantages of the SSD that drives earlier adopters to proceed with the upgrade is the sheer difference in speed the SSD possesses over the HDD. One of the main drivers of this effect is that lack of moving parts the SSD drive has. The SSD, based off of flash storage technology, simply locates data stored on the drive faster than that of the HDD. In addition, new data is written much faster. Typical boot times with an SSD range somewhat but you can pretty much bet it will be about 20-45 seconds from turning the computer on from a dead off. HDD's on the other hand can sometimes take up to 15 minutes depending on the robustness of the applications starting along with the boot process. Applications will boot much faster too, once the computer is up and running. Typically, it is not much more than a few seconds for most applications and for the heavy hitters, possibly a minute or two.

Some important benchmarks:

During: SSD's are:

Windows OS Boot: 160% faster

File Copying: 630% faster

Virus Scan: 33% faster*

Mechanical Operation - Another difference that plays a significant role in mobile users is the mechanical operations each storage device undergoes in order to complete its primary function.

HDD - A classic hard drive is built on a similar concept as an old

fashioned record player. It consists of layers of metal plates

that hold your computer's data and are both written and

accessed by a metal arm, similar to the needle of a record

player. (see image to the right)

The mechanical arm locates data necessary to perform the queries made by the computer user, and so therefore must physically change positions to locate and compile the necessary data. One disadvantage to this is the risk of serious damage done to the hard drive for computer users who are on more than often mobile computer users, i.e. you do most of your work on a laptop that moves around as often as you do. If the laptop is dropped or otherwise experiences a traumatic collision, the moving parts could become damaged (and are more likely to) and risk of losing information on the hard drive becomes a much larger possibility.

SSD - A Solid State Drive, on the other hand relies on much

improved flash technology (think flash drives and USB Drives) that do not use moving parts but instead utilize integrated circuits and a motionless storage medium to store data even when no power is being supplied to the device. This lack of springs, mechanical arms, metal plates, and other mobile media makes the SSD drive much less prone to damage due to shock, virtually

impervious to mechanical failure, and on the positive side, quieter, and more energy friendly. In addition, electrical configuration is much faster than moving parts in reading/writing data from and onto the storage media, making SSD's much faster by comparison. (see image to the right).

Storage Capacity - Storage capacity can vary quite significantly between the two formats with traditional HDD able to support quite a bit more capacity than its modern successor.

HDD - HDD's can store easily up to 8 TB, however the price will obviously escalate at that point. To put this into perspective, 8 TB can allow storage of :

- 136,000 hours of music,

- 8,000 hours of video,

- 2,480,000 photos, or

- 4,000 hours of movies.

Of course, these values can vary depending on the quality of the files and various forms of compression, however, the capacity potential is massive. Hard disc drives of this magnitude, however, are reserved for desktop computers that allow 3.5" HDD's in the encasement. Laptops, on the other hand, are limited to only 2.5" drives making the maximum amount of storage available, internally, 2 TB.

SSD - SSD's range anywhere from 64 GB up to a maximum of 2 TB. Relatively new, 2 TB SSD's will run you about $630 to $850 on Amazon.com. While 2 TB is certainly not prohibitive, the price can definltely be a major detraction considering a 4 TB HDD would run a little over $100. Typically, 500 GB SSDs are found at a pretty good deal, especially around the holiday sale times, at around $130 or less.

One important note about SSDs is their comparitve longevity versus HDDs. SSDs can typically survive less read and write instances than a HDD making them less than optimal actual storage devices. Instead, files that are stored, edited, moved, or otherwise updated frequently ought to be stored on a HDD which has a longer life and lower cost for massive storage. Instead, operating systems and executable files, such as applications, and other software can be stored on the SSD where it will perform much quicker.

Price Comparison - Here is a table of various storage capacities for each type of hard drive and their relative prices. As you can see, HDDs, especially in the higher capacity region, are much more affordable than their SSD counterparts. Due to the collective differences between the two storage mediums, following the graph is a strategy for implementing the best choice of hardware for your system.

The Verdict - So has this helped you decide which drive is best for you in your system? Maybe this will help:

Individuals who perform basic computing tasks such as running office suites (spreadsheets, word processors, database, etc.), i.e. Microsoft Office and other suites, most web-surfing, e-mail, music, etc. should definitely consider switching to an SSD if you don't already have one in your system. Most computer tasks are greatly enhanced by the speed offered by an SSD and, especially if you are a mobile computer user, benefit from the stability and energy conservation offered the more advanced drives.

On the other hand, if you are a multimedia producer/editor, i.e. you create/edit movies, produce 3D content to be used in animation software, gaming engines, record and produce music, etc. a regular HDD might be the best choice as your PC's primary storage device as these activities can consume significant amounts of storage on a storage drive and also consist of significantly more instances of drive reading, writing, and deleting (remember that SSDs have a slightly more limited read/write life than HDDs).

One solution that is available to desktop users is the ability to combine the strengths of both types of drives all in one system. In this case, an SSD might serve as the primary drive where the OS (operating system, such as Windows, Linux) is stored to keep boot times fast and efficient. A second HDD may be installed to store and manage all documents, files, projects, etc. in order to accommodate large, frequently changing/edited files. Frequently used programs can also be put on an SSD for quick startup times and the documents and other files saved as a result of those programs can be automatically stored onto your HDD storage drive. Windows 10 allows the redirection of library folders onto a secondary hard drive with no issues. This way, your "Documents", "Music", "Video", and "Pictures" folders will automatically be located on your larger HDD drive. A strategy implemented this way could use, say, a 64-128 GB SSD with a 1 TB HDD which capitalizes on both the speed of the SSD and the longevity and cost effectiveness of a HDD. Some larger laptops, typically 17" and above, contain two slots for storage drives which allows laptop users to take advantage of the hybrid combination as well.

In the near future it is likely that the prices of SSDs will continue to decline and with computing performance so competitive in the market, you're likely to see more computers with SSDs already on board. Keep on the lookout for these features in any PC or Mac as you're shopping around for a new computer and keep in mind that although a computer may have 1 TB of storage and seem like a great deal, it may not necessarily suit your needs in attaining a new computer with the ability to process fast.

For more information on storage devices and your current computer, contact us and inquire about what can be down with your current PC or Mac setup to optimize its speed, efficiency, and longevity.