What is an SSD drive and why is it needed? Leaders among solid state drives

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In recent years, SSD drives have become increasingly accessible and cheaper. However, they still remain more expensive than traditional ones. hard drives HDD. So, what is an SSD, what are the advantages of using it, and how will working with an SSD differ from an HDD?

What is a solid state hard drive?

In general, solid state hard drive technology is quite old. SSDs are on the market in various forms for several decades now. The earliest of them were based on RAM memory and were used only in the most expensive corporate and super-computers. In the 90s, SSDs based on flash memory appeared, but their price did not allow them to enter the consumer market, so these drives were familiar mainly to computer specialists in the United States. During the 2000s, the price of flash memory continued to fall, and by the end of the decade, SSDs began to appear in mainstream personal computers.

Intel Solid State Drive

What exactly is an SSD? First, what is ordinary? HDD. An HDD is, simply put, a set of metal disks coated with a ferromagnet that rotate on a spindle. Information can be written to the magnetized surface of these disks using a small mechanical head. Data is stored by changing the polarity of the magnetic elements on the disks. In fact, everything is a little more complicated, but this information should be enough to understand that writing and reading on hard disks not very different from playing records. When you need to write something to the HDD, the disks rotate, the head moves, looking for the desired location, and the data is written or read.

SSDs, on the other hand, have no moving parts. Thus, they are more similar to the well-known flash drives than to ordinary hard drives or record players. Most SSD drives use NAND memory for storage, a type of non-volatile memory that doesn't require electricity to store data (unlike, for example, the RAM on your computer). NAND memory, among other things, provides a significant increase in speed compared to mechanical hard drives, if only because it does not require time to move the head and rotate the disk.

Comparison of SSDs and regular hard drives

So, now that we know a little about what SSDs are, it would be nice to know why they are better or worse than regular hard drives. Here are a few key differences.

Spindle spin-up time: This characteristic exists for hard drives - for example, when you wake up the computer from sleep, you may hear a click and spin-up sound that lasts a second or two. SSDs have no spin-up time.

Data access time and latency: in this regard SSD speed differs from conventional hard drives by about 100 times, not in favor of the latter. Due to the fact that the stage of mechanically searching for the necessary places on the disk and reading them is skipped, access to data on the SSD is almost instantaneous.

Noise: SSDs do not make any sound. How can it make noise? regular hard disk, you probably know.

Reliability: failure of the overwhelming majority of hard drives is a consequence of mechanical damage. At some point, after several thousand hours of operation, the mechanical parts hard drive they simply wear out. At the same time, if we talk about lifetime, hard drives win, and there are no restrictions on the number of rewrite cycles.

In turn, solid-state drives have a limited number of write cycles. Most critics of SSDs most often note this factor. In reality, when normal use computer regular user reaching these limits will not be easy. SSD hard drives with warranty period service life of 3 and 5 years, which they usually survive, and sudden SSD failure is the exception rather than the rule, it just makes more noise for some reason. For example, 30-40 times more often people come to our workshop with damaged HDDs rather than SSDs. Moreover, if the failure of a hard drive is sudden and means that it’s time to look for someone who will get data from it, then with an SSD this happens a little differently and you will know in advance that it will soon need to be replaced - that’s exactly what it is “aging” rather than suddenly dying, some blocks become read-only, and the system warns you about the state of the SSD.

Energy consumption: SSDs consume 40-60% less energy than conventional HDDs. This allows, for example, to significantly increase the battery life of a laptop when using an SSD.

Price: SSDs are more expensive than regular hard drives per gigabyte. However, they have become much cheaper than 3-4 years ago and are already quite accessible. average price SSD drives fluctuate around $1 per gigabyte (August 2013).

Working with an SSD

As a user, the only difference you will notice when working at a computer, using the operating system, running programs is a significant increase in speed. However, when it comes to extending the life of your SSD, you will have to follow a few important rules.

Don't defragmentSSD. Defragmentation is completely useless for a solid-state drive and reduces its operating time. Defragmentation is a way to physically move fragments of files located in different parts of the hard drive to one place, which reduces the time required for mechanical actions to search for them. This is irrelevant in solid-state drives, since they have no moving parts, and the time to search for information on them tends to zero. By default, in Windows 7, defragmentation for SSDs is disabled.

Disable indexing services. If your operating system uses any file indexing service for faster file retrieval (Windows does), disable it. The speed of reading and searching for information is sufficient to do without an index file.

Your operating system must supportTRIM. The TRIM command allows the operating system to communicate with your SSD and tell it which blocks are no longer in use and can be cleared. Without the support of this command, the performance of your SSD will quickly decrease. On currently TRIM is supported on Windows 7, Windows 8, Mac OS X 10.6.6 and later, and Linux with kernel 2.6.33 and later. On Windows XP TRIM support is missing, although there are ways to implement it. In any case, it is better to use a modern operating system with an SSD.

No need to fill outFully SSD. Read the specifications of your solid state drive. Most manufacturers recommend leaving 10-20% of its capacity free. This free space must be left to use utility algorithms that extend the life of the SSD by distributing data into the NAND memory for even wear and higher performance.

Store data on a separate hard drive. Despite the price reduction of SSDs, there is no point in storing media files and other data on an SSD. It is better to store things like movies, music or pictures on a separate hard drive; these files do not require high access speeds, and HDD is still cheaper. This will extend the life of the SSD.

Install more RAMRAM. To date RAM memory very cheap. The more RAM installed on your computer, the less frequently the operating system will access the SSD for the page file. This significantly extends the life of the SSD.

Do you need an SSD drive?

You decide. If most of the points listed below suit you and you are ready to shell out several thousand rubles, then take the money to the store:

You want your computer to turn on in seconds. When using an SSD, the time from pressing the power button to opening the browser window is minimal, even if there is third party programs in startup.
You want games and programs to launch faster. With an SSD, when you launch Photoshop, you don’t have time to see its authors on the splash screen, and the loading speed of cards in large-scale games increases by 10 times or more.
You want a quieter and less power-hungry computer.
You are willing to pay more per megabyte, but get faster speeds. Despite the reduction in the price of SSDs, they are still many times more expensive than conventional hard drives per gigabyte.

If most of the above sounds like you, then go for the SSD!

If you look at modern laptop or Personal Computer, you will probably see the presence of a solid-state drive in the list of components. This form of data storage has been on the market for years, but has only recently been embraced by the industry and consumers as a viable alternative to traditional hard drives.

So, what is a solid state? SSD drive and how does it compare to classic hard drives - HDD?

What is a solid state drive

What kind of strange word is this? Solid state? The name comes from the English word “Solid”, which means “Solid State”. By solid state we mean electronic circuit, built entirely from semiconductors and is, in fact, an ordinary microcircuit (the green one, with a bunch of incomprehensible “tracks” on it).

semiconductor chip

“Hmm, yes, but this has always been the case in all the devices that we broke in childhood,” some, and maybe many, thought. But no, or rather, yes, but no. That is, yes, in those devices that you and I broke in childhood, indeed, there were already quite a lot of green microcircuits, but before that, a long time ago, most devices consisted of vacuum tubes, various wires, switches and a bunch of others all kinds of details. A good example Such a device is a transistor radio, copies of which may be remembered by music lovers from the times of the USSR and the early 90s..

So, a Solid-state drive is a solid-state drive, a device for storing digital data, based on a semiconductor memory chip. I won’t delve into the subtleties (and I don’t really know these subtleties - hehe), so as not to clog your brain with unnecessary, unnecessary garbage.

The times of vintage transistors have long since sunk into oblivion, and nowadays almost all electronic devices made on the basis of semiconductors, including that same radio.

But, if we talk about such a market niche as “data storage media,” then, until recently, the well-known hard drives ruled the roost, whose operating principle is based on the interaction of magnetic disks, and not semiconductors, as in SSDs.

Now you can object that such data storages have existed for a long time in the form of flash drives connected to a USB connector. And you, by and large, will be right, because SSD and flash use the same type of energy-saving memory circuits that retain their information even in the absence of power. The difference lies in the form factor and capacity of the drives, as well as in the fact that the flash drive is designed for external use in a computer system, and an SSD to be placed inside the computer, instead of a traditional hard drive, or next to it.

Most SSDs are very similar in appearance to classic HDDs, the only difference is in the form factor (roughly speaking, in size seat). Hard drives, as a rule, have a 3.5’’ form factor and are equipped with exactly these seats system units recent years. U SSD sizes more compact, respectively, smaller form factor - 1.8’’ and 2.5’’. But this does not mean that such SSDs cannot be installed in old cases, because the compatibility problem is solved with the help of a special carriage, or with the help of improvised means and imagination.

Some SSDs look more like memory card chips than HDDs, because they are simply a chip with a connector for connection. These SSDs include models with M.2 and PCI-Express form factors.

There are also ones that combine the advantageous aspects of HDDs and solid-state drives. They have the same form factor and storage capacity as HDDs, but they have some of the nice capabilities of SSDs.

Why use an SSD

Solid state drives have a number of advantages over magnetic hard drives and they are due to the fact that SSDs have no moving parts, while HDDs have motors to rotate the magnetic platters and drive heads. All storage on an SSD is handled by flash memory chips, and this provides three obvious advantages:

Less power consumption- this is a key factor why the use of SSDs in laptop computers has become so popular, because unlike hard drives, SSDs do not require power for motors, and accordingly, power consumption is significantly reduced;
More fast access to data- since the drive does not need to spin up the disk and move the heads, data is read and written at incredibly fast speeds, which adds a lot of pleasant sensations to using a PC or laptop;
High reliability— hard drives are very fragile devices and sensitive to various external factors. Even a slight shake or fall is enough to cause problems in HDD operation. Since an SSD has no moving parts and the data is stored on the chip, the drive is much less likely to be damaged by an accidental drop or transportation in a car.

Taken together, these factors make what is happening now - the gradual displacement of magnetic hard drives from the market. But, since the cost of SSD is still quite high, the complete migration of users from HDD to SSD will take more than one year, or even decades. By the way, about this.

Why SSD is not used on all PCs

The main limiting factor for using SSDs in laptops and desktops is their high cost. Behind Lately SSDs have certainly become more affordable as the price of the devices has come down to reasonable levels, but one megabyte on an SSD still costs about three times more than the same megabyte on an HDD. Or even more, because the higher the disk capacity, the greater the price difference becomes.

The capacity is also important factor in the adoption of solid state drives as the only non-alternative technology for data storage. Average laptop, equipped with an SSD, will have a memory capacity of 128 to 256 GB. This is approximately equivalent to what was installed in laptops a few years ago - today most laptops are equipped with HDDs with a capacity of 500 GB or more. Desktop systems have an even greater imbalance between SSDs and hard drives, since the average PC is equipped with a HDD of 1 TB or more.

Therefore, in this moment A complete transition of users to SSD is not advisable due to the high cost and small volume. But, in fact, it’s even more likely to be the first than the second, because there are 4 GB SSDs, but they cost quite a serious investment. In this regard, the second reason rather follows from the first - the very high price of the devices.

The abbreviation SSD stands for Solid State Drive. Which, in fact, is translated as a solid-state drive. Its peculiarity is that it does not contain moving mechanical parts: inside there are only boards and microcircuits, with the help of which information is recorded, stored and read.

The history of SSDs began quite a long time ago. For the first time, StorageTek was able to implement something similar in 1985. But at that time, the high cost and low manufacturability of components did not allow the mass implementation of solutions among the masses, and there was no particular answer as to what it was needed in a computer for. fast SSD disk if the interfaces and peripherals were still slow. But in the early 2010s, the popularity of SSDs increased greatly. Now almost everyone new laptop Comes with SSD or hybrid HDD configuration. Next, we will look at what it is - an SSD in a laptop or desktop computer.

Why do you need an SSD drive in a computer?

An SSD is no different from a HDD in its purpose. It is designed to perform the same function - to store data, the operating system, swap files and the like. Naturally, this replacement is more expensive if calculated in terms of gigabytes/ruble. It is more than likely that the situation will change in the near future.

SSD hard drive device in a laptop and computer

There is essentially no difference between what an SSD is in a laptop and a desktop computer. It can be a case similar to a HDD, or it can be made in the form of a board for installation in an M.2 type connector. If you disassemble the SSD or look at the board, it is very similar in design to regular flash drive. In general, an SSD is a large flash drive with the same operating principle.

The entire device is controlled by a controller that distributes data among cells, monitors their status, deletion, and generally performs all functions similar to the functions of a processor in a computer.

The memory itself is flash memory, the same as on flash drives. SSDs use the NAND type, which characterizes a three-dimensional arrangement of conductors where a number of cells are used at the intersections.

Based on the method of writing data to a cell, there are two types of implementation: SLC - Single-level Cell and MLC - Multi-level Cell. As you might guess, in the first case only one bit is written to one cell, in the second - several. Now another type has emerged from MLC, the name of which has become established in everyday life, although it is part of a subset of this type - TLC, Triple-level Cell.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to each implementation. MLC is cheaper in terms of volume/price ratio. This makes the SSD hard drive cheaper in the long run, which also affects consumer choice. But the multi-layer recording structure imposes limitations on the number of write cycles and performance. The more nesting levels are used, the more complex the algorithm for working with cells becomes and the smaller the resource. SLC is proportionally more expensive and has greater service life and performance.

Manufacturers solve problems with memory resource and reliability using algorithms that allow them to control the process of cell use: recording is done in those areas of memory that were used least often. Another approach is used - memory reservation. Almost every SSD leaves about 20% of the memory “in reserve” in order to replenish it from there in the event of cell loss.

How an SSD drive works

Probably, many people know how a regular hard drive works - the magnetic head runs from the beginning to the edge of the rotating disk and reads data from the tracks. The main problem with magnetic disks is that it takes too much time to position the head in the area with the required data. And if the file is also divided into several pieces in different areas, then the time of the reading or writing process increases significantly.

To understand what it is SSD disk, you need to know the principle of its operation. To access data to read or cells to write, the system only needs to know the address. The controller then simply returns blocks of data. Time is spent only searching for an address and transferring data - literally milliseconds.

Types of hard solid state drives

SSD types can be characterized by form factor and interface type. There are three main form factors:

2.5". The disk is housed in a 2.5-inch case. Provides compatibility between almost all types of systems: laptops, servers, PCs.

As a separate card for the PCIe slot. Provides good speed and reliability, uses an interface PCI Express.

M.2. Relatively new format, presented mainly in the form of a board that is installed directly on motherboard into the M.2 connector, which is very compact. This SSD can be found in three different versions depending on the length: 2242, 2260, 2280. The last two digits indicate the length in mm.

There are several other formats that are rare and needed for a narrow range of tasks, for example 1.8”, 3.5” or mSata.

Interfaces are more difficult to understand. There is a mess of standards and specifications here. Let's start with the most popular one - SATA. To date, there are three main revisions and two additional ones. SATA - supports up to 1.5 Gbit/s. Now it is becoming less and less common. SATA II - up to 3 Gbit/s. SATA III - up to 6 Gbit/s. Revision SATA 3.2 received an additional Express prefix. It has speeds of up to 8 Gbps and is backward compatible with other SATA, and what’s most interesting is that it is based on a PCI Express interface. The interface can be implemented in both 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors.

The PCI-E interface is a little easier. It is implemented mainly in M.2 in SSDs. It is worth noting that PCI can be multi-channel. The more channels, the faster speed data transmission.

General characteristics of SSD (Solid State Disk)

Let's look at the basic characteristics by which we can identify an SSD, figure out what it is, and compare it with an HDD.

Interface and form factor

We have already talked a little about this. Now consider this in the context of choice and relevance for different systems. With interfaces, everything is simple - eSATA is now considered the most productive, which in the specifications in some stores and manufacturers can be designated as PCI-E. This is by far the fastest interface.

The form factor must be chosen depending on the type of PC - laptop or desktop. In a stationary one, for compactness, you can use M.2, which will take up little space on the board and does not require additional food. New laptops also support M.2. For older ones, the 2.5-inch form factor is relevant.

Disk capacity and speed

SSD capacities are quite expensive. Most a budget option A 32 GB SSD can be purchased for about 1,500 rubles, while a HDD for the same money will already have a capacity of 160 GB or more. As for speed, everything is not so clear. Very often, data read and write speeds in disk specifications are greatly overstated. And not necessarily only from little-known small companies, but even from famous brands. Therefore, you have to rely on reviews and measurements of authoritative services and testers.

Type of memory chips

It is interesting that now both types of memory - MLC and SLC - are almost the same in terms of performance and write/rewrite resource. Much depends on the implementation specific manufacturer. Before purchasing each specific model We would recommend looking at tests and reviews of these gadgets.

Leading manufacturers of SSD drives for PCs

The top includes well-known drive manufacturers. Their implementations do not differ in anything special. Moreover, controllers made by Samsung or Intel can be found not only in their own drives, but also in devices from competing brands. Main names in the top:

Samsung. They produce a wide range of SSDs for a variety of tasks;
Western Digital. One of the oldest media manufacturers. It produces three different lines of drives - Green, Blue and Black;
Intel. Everything is clear here. Reliability and quality;
Transcend. Known mainly for its flash drives. Now we are releasing full-fledged SSDs.

Which SSD drive is better to buy?

If the budget is not limited, then there are no problems. If every ruble counts, then it is better to approach the issue thoroughly. Let's look at a couple of models that are worth paying attention to.

The memory type it uses is TLC type. The stated read/write speed is 540/520 MB/s. The total storage capacity is 120 GB. In total, 75 TB of data can be written to the disk. On average, users write from 5 to 30 GB per day to their disk, which gives approximately 10 TB per year. Thus, the resource of this SSD should last approximately 7.5 years. Used for connection SATA interface. You can buy the disc for 3,600 rubles. And its 2.5-inch form factor will allow it to be used both in a “desktop” and in a laptop.

Here are a couple of reviews about it:

Review of Samsung SSD 850

More details on Yandex.Market: https://market.yandex.ru/product/1973235126/reviews?track=tabs

If compactness and space saving come first, then you can consider an SSD with M.2. Within 5000 rubles you can buy Intel SSDPEKKW128G8XT.

This is a drive with an M.2 connector and a size of 2280. Please note that free space the distance from the connector to the nearest component must be greater than 80 mm. Memory type - TLC. The total disk size is 120 GB. This drive is interesting because it is connected using a PCI-E interface with 4 channels via an M.2 connector. This means that the bus does not limit the capabilities of the SSD and fully allows you to output excellent speed writing and reading - which, by the way, are declared by the manufacturer at 650 MB/s for writing and 1640 MB/s for reading. Shared resource is 72 TB of data. The device costs 4290 rubles.

More details on Yandex.Market: https://market.yandex.ru/product/1974689676/reviews?track=tabs

Intel SSDPEKKW128G8XT

In general, prices over 5,000 rubles do not inherently imply big leaps in terms of performance. Only the total disk volume changes. By the way, for SSDs, the volume indicator also affects durability. For example, a 120 GB disk with 30 GB daily writes will last approximately 7.5 years. With the same recording rate, a device with a capacity of 500 GB should last 4 times longer.

You can give this: you need a disk only for the system and programs - you can choose a smaller one, 60 or 120 GB, and store all the data, movies, pictures, etc. on another HDD. If you plan to store everything on one SSD, it is better to immediately choose a larger one. PCI-E interfaces are still more expensive than SATA, but they do not limit speed, so if your budget allows, it is better to choose the PCI-E interface.

Answers to frequently asked questions about SSD drive

During its existence, SSDs have acquired myths and legends, as well as constant questions. We will look at a few of them.

Special operating instructions

Many are sure that when correct use disk, you can increase its service life. This includes various optimizations - disabling caches, indexing, paging file, defragmentation. In fact, these actions will not significantly affect the SSD resource. Rather, a decrease in overall performance due to disabling functionality will be less justified than an increase in the total resource by a couple of tens of gigabytes.

The only thing that can be recommended is to make backups: save your important data on alternative media - the cloud or another disk. Although this advice applies to all media in principle.

How is SSD different from HDD?

Read and write speed, shock and vibration resistance, noise level, power consumption and weight. These are the main ones benefits of SSD in front of the HDD.

What is TRIM in SSD

TRIM is an instruction for ATA interfaces that allows the operating system to tell the disk which memory blocks can be unused and considered empty. Why do SSD drives need it? It was introduced due to the specifics of how solid-state drives operate. When writing new data to a cell, the SSD cannot simply replace the old data with new ones. He has to first read the data into the cache, clear the cell, and then write it - while the access speed decreases significantly. TRIM solved this problem. The system and the drive constantly exchange information about which cells are no longer needed, and upon the TRIM signal, these cells are reset to zero. The next time you write, the SSD just calmly writes data to it immediately.

Do you need an SSD for gaming?

Here, too, not everything is so simple. Firstly, you can’t expect a significant increase in FPS in games from using an SSD. The solid-state drive will be active during the initial loading of worlds and levels - locations will load faster. There is a possibility that an SSD drive can help in cases where performance is limited by the amount of RAM, when this data is dumped into the swap file. But in such a situation, changing the HDD to an SSD instead of increasing the RAM is a dubious pleasure.

By the way, there is interesting video testing popular games on different disks:

It's no secret that today the computer has become a very integral part of our lives and is almost an integral part of it. Every user would like to have a computer device that would combine excellent design, great performance and, of course, an insignificant price. However, this combination is quite rare. If a good design solution and low price can still be combined, then high performance and low cost are a rare phenomenon. Therefore one of optimal options One way to increase the speed of your favorite computer is to purchase and install an SSD.

Today, solid-state drives are used in almost all computer devices: laptops, smartphones, desktop computers, netbooks. In terms of power, they significantly exceed hard drives.

Why do you need a solid state drive?

If you compare the increase in RAM and the use of an SSD, you can see that in the first case the performance increases by only 10 percent, and in the second - three times.

If, for example, “modernize” old laptop using a solid-state drive, its operating efficiency will be equal to that of a computer device modern model appropriate price category. Also, when using an SSD, the launch speed of all programs without exception increases significantly.

Solid state drives have a number of positive qualities, thanks to which they are quite popular among users. These qualities include:

stability:
absolutely silent operation;
high read or write speed;
low energy consumption;
small dimensions and weight.

SSDs, compared to hard drives, whose moving heads and rotating magnetic platters are sensitive to various types of damage, are practically unresponsive to the same damage and shock. Their memory chips do not have moving parts, therefore they are insensitive to negative influences from the outside. For example, if a laptop, netbook or smartphone accidentally falls from a small height, then no data will be damaged.

If we talk about silent operation, it is worth noting that the presence of flash memory plays an important role in this. Thanks to it, data is transmitted with sufficient high speed, and the computer device itself operates absolutely silently.

SSD installation

In order for a solid-state drive to provide increased performance of a computer device, first of all, it must be installed correctly. Modern computers They have a special compartment for this. This allows you to use both an SSD and a hard drive at the same time. However, to improve performance, it is necessary to migrate the operating system from the HDD to the SSD.

To simplify this process, manufacturing companies produce special computer programs. In addition, you can purchase external containers that help using SSD as removable storage. To do this, using a USB cable, information is transferred to a solid-state drive, then, after removing it from the external container, it is installed on a computer device. It is worth noting that all data from the hard drive remains in place.

Sometimes there are computer models that do not have a special compartment. Then the hard drive will simply have to be replaced with an SSD. In this case Information system transferred to external hard disk, using an SSD with an external container, and then replaced.

How to choose the right solid state drive

The choice of an SSD solid-state drive, as well as its installation, must be approached with the utmost seriousness. Since the performance of a computer device, be it a laptop, largely depends on this, desktop computer or smartphone.

The main characteristics that influence the increase in computer performance are:

solid state drive capacity;
excellent memory;
controller;
connector

So, for example, both the controller and flash memory have an extreme impact on data transfer rates. If a consumer wants to download a movie he likes, then, of course, it will be convenient for him when this happens as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is these two qualities that determine how long the movie will take to download – 45 seconds or one and a half minutes.

The SATA connector through which data is transferred is best suited for a solid-state drive. An SSD with a SATA3 or SATA2 interface also helps increase data transfer speeds. In this case, the drive speed is several times greater than hard speed disk.

Increases the speed of the computer device and the capacity of the SSD. Of course, if the computer is equipped with a 500 gigabyte solid-state drive, then its performance will be much higher than that of a device equipped with a 250 or 120 gigabyte SSD.

It goes without saying that storage capacity is directly related to price, which increases as capacity increases. But it is worth noting that the money spent will be repaid in the future by the ability of the computer device to maintain its functionality for several years.

Leaders among solid state drives

The popular magazine Computer Bild conducted independent testing, which compared solid-state drives and identified the leading models. Depending on the speed of data transfer, performance, consumption electrical energy and heat dissipation became the leader among drives with a capacity of 120 gigabytes Samsung SSD 840 Pro. The first place among solid-state drives with a capacity of 250 and 500 gigabytes was taken by SSDs from the well-known company OCZ Vector series.

When choosing and installing an SSD, it is worth remembering that it does not help reduce power consumption and does not increase autonomous operation computer device. Despite replacing the hard drive with an SSD drive, these two indicators remain the same as before the replacement. However, this quality of a solid-state drive does not at all affect its relevance among modern users.

Today, some manufacturing companies are able to produce solid-state drives according to individual orders of consumers, thanks to which the latter will always be able to choose those SSDs that meet their requirements for design solutions and, of course, performance.

It's worth noting that the performance and efficiency levels of SSDs are evolving quite quickly, although the capacity remains the same. However, this indicator does not have a significant impact on changes in consumer attitudes towards this type of equipment. And, despite everything, the demand for solid-state drives is increasing every day. This means that the future belongs to SSDs!

Hello! I’ll tell you today about what SSD drives are and whether you need to buy them. What are the pros and cons of SSD drives? Remember those days when a 40 GB hard drive was considered big and it was very cool? Now it's already normal size hard drive 1 TB or more.

Of course, technology is developing very quickly, and SSD drives have replaced hard drives. These are new devices that have a lot of pros and a few cons, and we’ll talk about that.

SSD (Solid state drive) is a drive that does not have moving parts, like a regular hard drive. SSD uses flash memory to store memory. In simple words, this is such a large flash drive. The main advantages of SSD drives are speed, resistance to mechanical damage, and low power consumption. The downside is the high price and short failure time.

Advantages of SSD drives

Speed of reading and writing information. Compared to regular hard drives, SSDs operate at high speeds. For example, a drive connected via the SATAIII interface operates at a speed of 500 MB/s. This is impressive, and it is not the limit and not the full potential of SSDs. operating system on such drives it loads in a matter of seconds.

Resistance to mechanical damage. You probably know that hard drives really don’t like various problems, strong vibrations, etc. Especially in laptops, HDDs very often begin to “crumble.” As I already wrote, the SSD has no active elements, so it is not afraid of mechanical damage, of course, within reasonable limits. I really like this; by installing such a drive in a laptop, you don’t have to be afraid to carry the laptop with it turned on, etc.

Quiet operation. The SSD drive does not make any sounds when operating. You probably know that regular hard drives make noise during operation.

Low power consumption. Compared to HDD, SSD uses less electricity, this is very important for laptops.

Disadvantages of SSD

Short operating time for wear and tear. This means that the SSD drive will work certain time. This is a limit on overwriting, for some reason I always saw different numbers, usually it is 10,000 times. But in the description of the drives they also indicate the operating time, for example in SSD OCZ Vertex 4 SSD 128GB indicated operating time is 2 million hours, this is a lot.

Price. Yes, SSD drives are not very cheap now. For example, the same SSD OCZ Vertex 4 SSD for 128GB costs approximately 1000 UAH. (4000 rubles).

Work with different OS. Currently, only Windows 8 and Windows 7 work perfectly with SSDs. They support these drives, and they themselves know how to disable services such as indexing, etc. Enabling such services reduces the time SSD operation drive. Therefore, I recommend using these systems.

These are what SSDs are. In fact, these are very worthy devices that will give your computer a second wind. Comments like this are encouraging: “Replacing an HDD with an SSD is like replacing a propeller with a turbine” :). And it’s true, there are a lot of advantages, and despite the disadvantages, solid-state drives are gaining popularity every day. Moreover, the price for them is only falling.