SSD hard drives are hardware components that we don't usually see physically, but they are used to store all kinds of content. Without these SSDs, which stands for Solid State Drive, our devices would need other components to store photos, music, files, documents, and more.
Today we want to share with you 5 key features of this SSD hard drive so you can understand it and, above all, appreciate its importance in any computer today. Without SSDs, storing all the information we have now would be difficult.
Without a doubt we can say that the SSD of our PC or Mac is one of the most important parts of hardware, they are also for the smartphone or even game console. Without them, users could not do anything since the operating systems of any smart device is stored in the internal memory of these disks.
What is an SSD hard drive?
This question has a very technical answer and we can spend a long time explaining the parts of this component but right now we are going to "cut the road" to answer the question in a simple, understandable and fast way.
The SSD is the successor to EEPROM memory and allows us to read and write information much more productively and efficiently. SSDs can read large amounts of information simultaneously, which is a clear advantage in terms of read speed. This becomes evident when comparing the boot speed of an operating system installed on an HDD to that of an SSD . SSDs are not mechanical, so their processing speed is far superior to mechanical drives, which have limited revolutions per minute (RPM) for spinning and reading data.
In general terms, we can say that these drives offer many advantages, but they also have some drawbacks compared to mechanical hard drives, such as their lifespan . SSDs are less durable due to the use of chips composed of NAND logic gates, but the advantages they offer undoubtedly outweigh the disadvantages.
How does an SSD work?
The operation of SSD drives is a very important part of using our computer. In the case of SSDs, they have an array known as a block, and rows known as pages. The storage capacity of SSDs is determined by the number of pages within each block.
To function, they require a physical connector, and these can obviously vary depending on the type of motherboard they are connected to. The connection port for SSDs is usually known as PCIe. These ports are used to transfer data from the drive to the motherboard, and they utilize the AHCI communication protocol or interface associated with Serial ATA, and NVMe, associated with PCIe.
To store information, these disks use floating-gate transistors, which can be in two states within the binary system: charged or discharged. To keep things simple, we can say that the charged state represents the number 0 , while the discharged state represents 1.
SSD lifespan, which is TRIM
The lifespan of SSDs compared to older mechanical HDDs, as mentioned above, is primarily due to their durability and, above all, how difficult they are to damage. SSDs are manufactured using different methods, so their lifespan depends mainly on the technology used in their production. We don't want to delve too deeply into this topic, but we can say that part of this lifespan depends on the type of cells used. We find single, multi, triple, or quadruple cells. These are crucial and depend on the chips inside each drive.
On the other hand, we have TRIM . This technology drastically reduces the number of erase and write operations an SSD performs, and this reduced wear and tear directly impacts its lifespan. The fewer actions the drive has to perform, the better; therefore, the fewer actions it performs, the longer the drive will last. Disks erase or move information in rows by blocks, and within these blocks, some cannot be deleted. Moving them to another location leaves the marked data on the disk, so subsequent erase/write operations don't require the data to be re-processed.
What this TRIM achieves is that our disk has a longer lifespan because it considerably reduces operations and less degrades this volatile memory, yes, memory that wears out over the months and whose wear increases with the more operations it performs.
Each manufacturer includes important information for the buyer on their drives, such as: TBW (Terabytes Written), P/E Cycles (Program-Erase Cycle), and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures). TBW indicates the amount of terabytes of data that can be written, MTBF indicates the approximate number of hours of lifespan, and P/E Cycles represents the number of write/erase cycles the SSD allows. These are all approximate figures, so don't get too hung up on them when buying a drive.
Advantage and disadvantage of having an SSD and not an HDD
We could spend hours discussing the main advantages and disadvantages of each, but we want to make a more general comparison. In this case, the speed of SSDs versus mechanical HDDs is the key point . An SSD is less likely to be damaged if dropped, they are much smaller, and above all, they consume less power, which our computer will certainly appreciate.
When we have an old computer with an HDD, if we install an SSD, we will notice twice the speed in the action of starting the operating system , applications, etc. , and we will also gain in lightness of the computer since these weigh much less.
The main disadvantage compared to HDDs in this case is their higher cost. While it's true that SSDs are now accessible to all users and available for all budgets, the price is somewhat higher than for HDDs, but it's worth it. Another disadvantage of SSDs is undoubtedly the possibility of losing all data in case of failure. Yes, with older HDDs you could try to recover some data using tools, but with SSDs it's much more complicated , and all the information can be lost since they use flash memory.
Storage capacity on SSD disks
Today, SSDs have a somewhat limited maximum storage capacity, although it's not insufficient for most users. It's common to find SSDs with capacities of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and even up to 2TB, or in rarer cases, 4TB . This storage capacity can be affected by the high price of some models, and the market price will depend heavily on the manufacturer and the quality of the drive.
There are some manufacturers that offer larger SSDs than those shown above, although a mid-range 1TB drive typically costs around €200 . Some models are cheaper, while others are considerably more expensive, offering the same capacity. This is why it's crucial to clearly define how you intend to use your SSD and, above all, calculate your actual storage needs. Cloud storage plays a significant role here, as cloud storage plans are becoming increasingly common, and this can influence the configuration of a new computer and its internal SSD.
Current SSD capacities are sufficient for the vast majority of users, but this storage capacity will surely need to increase over time, and SSD prices will continue to fall, just as they are doing now. Initially, SSDs were only accessible to a few users, but today it's perfectly normal to have this type of drive installed in your personal computer.