Are SSDs Faster Than Hard Drives?
Solid-state drives, more commonly known as SSDs, are the next generation storage medium for the computer market. They surpass the older hard disk drives (HDDs) in almost every category, with a few notable exceptions. If you want your desktop or laptop computer to have the highest performance possible, an SSD is an excellent choice.
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Solid-State Drives
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A solid-state drive is a flash-based storage device designed specifically to replace hard disk drives. SSDs use the same kind of electronic memory that flash drives and RAM modules use, but they're packaged in a way that makes them viable replacements for HDDs, both in size and utility. Unlike HDDs, SSDs use no moving parts, making them more durable and long-lasting. Their flash architecture makes them more power-efficient and much faster than other conventional storage solutions.
Relative Speeds
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Modern hard drives spin at rates between 5,000 and 10,000 RPM. This translates to a read speed of between 50 and 125 megabits a second, with an even slower write speed. As of early 2011, the latest SSDs can reach a whopping 250 megabits per second or faster read speed and a write speed that's only slightly slower on average. Future drive models will be able to read and write even faster, while increasing capacity and lowering cost.
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SSD Disadvantages
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The speed, power and durability advantages of SSD are undeniable, but they're still not practical for many users. The first reason typical computer users may want to stick with HDDs is capacity. Today, mainstream SSD drives range from less than 20 gigabytes to 512 gigabytes -- paltry when compared to hard drives with 1 terabyte or more of capacity. The second factor is cost. A big one-terabyte hard drive can be found for $100 or less, while the cheapest SSDs start at $100 for just 40 gigabytes. A 256-gigabyte SSD costs around $500, and a high-end one-terabyte SSD costs an incredible $3,000.
Choosing Between SSD and HDD
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For the vast majority of consumers, a hard drive is still the way to go. You can get respectable performance and large capacity out of hard drives, even on a limited budget. As of 2011, SSDs are limited to the enthusiast and professional market, due to their cost. A compromise solution is to buy a small SSD of 100 gigabytes or less for your Windows and program files, and a secondary hard drive for document, movie and music storage.
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References
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