An SSD (Solid State Drive) is basically a flash storage device, which is the next-generation equivalent of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Where they differ greatly is an HDD contains spinning magnetic platters which are read and written to by heads floating on a cushion of air along with a series of guides known as ‘actuator arms’, while an SSD contains no moving parts, and instead of spinning platters uses a special type of memory known as NAND flash. The most important advantages of an SSD compared to an HDD are as below: The key advantage is that they are much faster than an HDD.
- An SSD contains no moving parts, so there is no mechanical wear.
- An SSD produces next to no heat at all.
- An SSD is silent, as it contains no mechanical parts.
- An SSD consumes much less power compared to an HDD.
- Robustness. Drop an HDD onto the floor and the chances of it still working are remote. Drop an SSD, and unless you are very unlucky, the SSD will not be damaged and should continue to function normally.
- An SSD has much faster access times compared to an HDD.
- An SSD has much greater data throughput than an HDD.
Recommended Reading: The Difference between SLC, MLC, TLC, QLC, and PLC
