SSD vs HDD: Which is Better and Why?

With growing data storage needs and security breaches, users are continuously demanding reliable and robust storage devices. Undoubtedly, hard drive is the most common & traditional storage medium that continues to grow in size, reliability & security and keeping user’s data for last many years while requiring a very small investment. However, it may imminently fail because of improper use, human misdeeds, logical or physical damages etc., where a SSD (Solid State Drive) can store important data for up to 200 years without getting failed or damaging the content on it. SSD data recovery can be easily done using third-party data recovery software.

Though, using SSD can be little more expensive and along with the less chances of data recovery upon failure/damage as the concerned firms required to be more proficient and use advanced techniques to salvage data from any damaged or failed SSD.

SSD comes inbuilt with netbooks or ultra portable computing devices unlike hard drives which are usually found in any laptop or desktop. However, you can separately buy an SSD and use it on a PC along with already installed hard drive for better performance and fault tolerance.

But, how will you choose the right SSD that can meet your specific needs? We are laying out the features of both HDD and SSD, so you can easily decide to choose a better and fast medium for storing your valuable data.

What is different amongst two – Hard drive is an old yet reliable storage device to keep your data saved even when the system power is unplugged unlike the system memory which temporarily store data and wipe it out whenever you turn the system off. HDD uses platters with magnetic coating on it that stores your thousands of music songs, latest action movies, games etc. and kept it there unless you delete/format or wipe the drive manually provided no physical or logical damage. Read/write head is placed at the top and used to serve the desired data by fetching it from its location on moving platter.

On the other hand SSD follow the same data storing mechanism except to use moving parts as in the hard drive like platter, read/write head, spindle motor etc. which significantly increases the overall lifespan of any SSD. Instead of platter, small segments of interconnected memory chips are used in SSDs which makes it fast enough and less vulnerable to damage as compared to normal HDD. Because SSDs use microchips to store/access data, you get almost three times greater speed as compared to HDD.

Benefits

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

1. Hard drives are pretty cheaper than the SSD. You can purchase modern hard drive of 1 TB at maximum of $100 but in case of solid state drive, you need to invest at least 3 times more.
2. Easily available with a long list of available size options i.e., 160 GB, 320 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB etc.
3. Hard drive data recovery after mechanical failure as compared to solid state drives.

SSD (Solid State Drive)

When it comes to SSD, there is long list of benefits to write about. Though, I’ve compiled few best of those below:

1. High performance and better I/O rate – While using SSD, you can boot your PC within seconds or transfer a large chunk of files within the blink of eyes, in short, much faster than a traditional HDD.
2. Highly secured and free from power damages or mechanical failures as SSD contains no moving parts. Therefore you can keep your data saved in SSD for many years.
3. Easily adjustable with HDD. For example, you have a PC with hard drive already installed but you need extra space to copy or move few more movies or important documents. It’s better to purchase an SSD and install OS on it and later then, move all your stuff on hard drive for fast accessing.

To get more information about SSD’s, Click here.

Graphical Comparison between Hard Drive and Solid State Drive

The Verdict

Clearly, hard drives beat Solid State drives when the price and size is decisive factor for you. However, preferring data safety and speed may suddenly change your mind and prompt you to buy SSD. In coming years, SSD can be expected at a lower price as well as of increased size and might replace the use of traditional HDD in majority.

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About The Author

Oliver Powell

Oliver Powell is a Data Recovery Expert at Stellar®. He is a passionate technology blogger & content creator, He explores new applications and has deep understanding of data recovery. He has experience in Windows & Mac data recovery domain.