Phillips, Jessica

Engl 0123

10/15/17

Hard disk drives vs. solid state drives

In July I needed to purchase a laptop that would best suit my needs through college. It is

easy to be drawn to the more aesthetically pleasing laptops; the ones with bright colors and touch

screens that fold back into tablets. However, it’s what’s on the inside that counts most. When

considering hard drives, solid state drives (SDD’s) are a better option than traditional hard disk

drives (HDD’s). While solid state drives are more expensive, they excel in durability and speed.

Budget is an important factor in buying a laptop, and solid state drives carry a bigger

price tag compared to hard disk drives. One terabyte of space is equivalent to one thousand

gigabytes. On a hard disk drive, one terabyte would cost around sixty dollars. In contrast with the

solid state drive, to get the same amount of space a consumer would be paying around two

hundred and fifty dollars at the cheapest. Hard disk drives have the lowest cost per gigabyte and

will give you more space, but sacrifice’s it’s processing power to do so.

Another important characteristic of a laptop’s hard drive is its durability. When you boot

up a computer or laptop with a hard disk drive you can hear it and maybe even feel it shake a

little. This is because your hard drive is made up of small moving parts that work together like

the engine of a car. This is not the case for a solid state drive because there are no moving parts.

Unlike hard disk drives, solid state drives use a system that is like a thumb drive. Without

moving parts there is less wear and tear. Additionally, without moving parts your solid state

drive will handle drops, power surges, and cold temperatures a lot better. If you drop a laptop

with an HDD, it is heart-stopping to think that all the little pieces making it run might have
broken apart. When it comes to mechanical failures, the moving parts can only move so long

before they fail. Unlike hard disk drives ,solid state drives are less likely to fail for a mechanical

reason. Depending on how you use your drive, an SDD can have an incredibly long lifespan.

Another great comparison between solid state drives and hard disk drives is the speed and

efficiency between the two. Since solid state drives do not have moving parts, they will start up

quickly and quietly in under a minute. Solid state drives are also able to process information

faster because they rely on flash memory. Flash memory is like using electricity to flip a switch

and retrieve information, rather than a hard disk drive having to rev up and spin its parts to find

information. Considering a solid state drives superior performance, you can expect the battery

life in the laptop to last just as long as one with a hard disk drive or longer.

Picking a computer with a hard drive to suit its consumers needs and budget can be a

hard choice. While solid state drives are more expensive, they go a long way to prove their worth

in both durability and speed.