Hard disk drives (HDDs) once dominated the technological landscape, but that’s about to change. At this point, solid-state drive (SSD) adoption is not a matter of if, but rather, when. The technology has advanced to the point that HDDs are no longer needed to ensure safe and reliable data storage and retrieval. The sooner you move beyond traditional hard drives, the better.

What Are HDDs and SSDs? How Do They Differ?

While HDDs and SSDs essentially perform the same function, they hold several key differences worth noting.

Hard disk drives control the functioning of hard disks, which store and provide access to critical data. Commonly found in desktop computers, mobile devices, and even data center storage arrays, HDDs can be used to store operating systems, software, and a variety of important files. Their approach to data storage is often referred to as “nonvolatile.”

Solid-state drives replace hard disks with flash-memory chips. The term “solid-state” references the seemingly static nature of these chips, in which the only movement involves electrical patterns. SSDs are reminiscent of the flash drives that computer users have long relied upon to provide portable storage. However, traditional flash drives fall far behind SSDs in terms of speed and data capacity.

Benefits of SSDs: Why Are They Better Than HDDs?

At one point, HDDs were largely regarded as more reliable than their SSD counterparts. That has since changed, with SSDs now offering a myriad of benefits above and beyond traditional HDDs. Key factors worth taking into account include:

Speed

While the sequential speed of HDDs and SSDs can sometimes appear deceptively similar, there’s simply no comparison when it comes to data retrieval – SSDs are far faster. This is most evident with bootup, which may take several minutes for an HDD. Meanwhile, SSDs holding operating systems can often handle loading in under a minute. SSD loading is similarly speedy for everyday programs and files. Try an SSD just once, and you’ll realize that, in comparison, HDDs are hopelessly sluggish.

Reduced Power Needs

HDDs are notorious power hogs. Their mechanical nature prevents them from functioning correctly if they fail to spin at sufficient speeds. SSDs consume far less power, thereby leading to reduced electrical bills and longer battery life.

Lack of Data Fragmentation

Data fragmentation has long constituted a chief concern of HDD skeptics. Unfortunately, disk-based methods don’t always lend themselves to contiguous storage.

The HDD heads relied upon for accessing data tend to jump from one spot to the next to secure blocks of information, thereby increasing the potential for fragmentation. This becomes far more concerning as drives fill up – and unfortunately, this happens more rapidly due to hard disks’ comparatively minimal capacity. With SSDs, however, the location of data blocks means little. Hence, there’s no need for time-consuming defragmentation efforts.

Resistance to Damage

HDD maintenance goes beyond defragmentation to include physical cleaning. Even with proper maintenance, the inherent movement of the many parts contained within HDDs makes them highly vulnerable to damage. While occasional maintenance efforts or repairs may play into SSD usage, they remain far more resistant to damage than their traditional counterparts.

Noise

An oft-forgotten aspect of hard disk drives, noise increasingly factors into the HDD versus SSD debate. The sheer number of moving parts in a typical HDD makes such noise almost unavoidable, even for high-end products. Meanwhile, SSDs lack moving parts and can thereby be counted on to maintain blissful silence.

Impressive Return on Investment

The only possible argument in favor of an HDD? At the outset, it’s less expensive. If you dive into long-term costs, however, you may find yourself spending far more to run and maintain HDDs. Not only do hard drives prompt higher electrical bills, but they may also need to be repaired or replaced more frequently.

Costs balloon quickly when these hard drives inevitably fail, particularly for any business that depends on its reputation for reliability. Add in time savings, and it’s instantly obvious that SSDs come out ahead.

When Should I Invest in an SSD?

If you’re like the average computer user, you likely default to procrastination. Delayed updates are particularly common among loyal HDD users, many of whom make every effort to maintain the technological status quo. This is a risky approach; if your HDD fails, you could instantly lose valuable data, which may prove surprisingly difficult to recover.

Unfortunately, if your hard drive is over five years old, it’s only a matter of time before it fails. The sooner you upgrade, the better. Newer HDDs, although less vulnerable, remain risky, so consider swapping if you can find a good deal on an SSD. Until then, be sure to invest in offline data backup, which is valuable for both HDD and SSD users.

Contact NerdsToGo for Trusted Small Business IT Services

If you’re ready to upgrade to an SSD hard drive, don’t hesitate to seek advice and assistance from the experts at }. You’ll quickly discover that we are extremely enthusiastic about solid-state drives. To that end, we are pleased to offer significant discounts on SSDs and SSD installation services during the holiday season.

Perhaps you waited too long and are now facing the frustrating prospect of data restoration. If so, our skilled technicians can help. We provide business computer repair – and we’ll make every effort to ensure that you’re able to access your data and continue making the most of your device. However, we’re all about proactive measures, so we highly encourage you to take advantage of our free business technology evaluations. Contact the NerdsToGo team today to get started!