If you're like most consumers today, you're probably thinking it's time to upgrade from your standard hard drive to the latest in storage technology-a solid state hard drive. After reading this article, you'll be more familiar with solid state drives (SSD), including the advantages and disadvantages of this new technology.
What is a Solid State Drive?
The term "solid state" refers to electronic circuitry that is built entirely out of semiconductors rather than magnetic media. This shift in technology is now possible because of the growth in flash chips. Although solid state drives use the same type of memory chips as flash memory drives, SSDs reside inside the computer in place of a more traditional hard drive. These data storage devices utilize non-volatile flash memory for computing applications that traditionally rely on a mechanical hard disk drive.
Unlike conventional hard drives, SSDs are built with 100% moving-free parts that are housed in a vibration and shock-resistance covering. These components provide a rock solid operating environment even during extreme working conditions, making it a perfect solution for a wide range of applications that require ruggedness, minimal power consumption, cooler temperature, and silent operation.
Benefits
Solid state drives have several advantages, the majority of which come from the fact that the drive does not have any moving parts. Three distinct advantages include:
o Less power usage
o Faster data access
o Higher reliability
The power usage is a key role for the use of solid state drives in portable computers. Because there is no power draw for the motors, the drive uses far less energy than the regular hard drive, improving battery operating time in notebook PCs and portable electronic devices. When you are on the go, this extra battery life will be extremely handy.
And since the drive doesn't have to spin up the drive platter or move drive heads, the data can be read from the drive almost instantly. Meaning, you can access your files and data more quickly. You'll enjoy a boost in performance when starting up your computer and opening applications.
Reliability is also a key factor for portable drives. Because the SSD stores all of its data in memory chips, there are fewer moving parts to be damaged in any sort of impact. These drives also have extreme shock and vibration tolerance, and their operating temperature ranges meet or exceed that of standard hard drives.
When all's said and done, there are many benefits to this newer technology. Information can be stored permanently in flash chips even when the power is turned off, and the chips can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. Also, they make no noise, give off little heat and consume far less power, while transferring data many times faster than hard disks.
Drawbacks
Of course, not every PC owner can upgrade to a solid state drive. As with most computer technologies, the primary limiting factor of using the SSD in notebook and desktop computers is cost. This is gradually changing as the number of companies producing the drives grows along with the capacity for producing the flash memory chips.
The other problem affecting the adoption of solid state drives is capacity. Not only are the SSDs much more expensive than traditional hard drives, but they only hold a fraction of the data.
Their last major disadvantage involves write speeds, which are far slower than conventional hard drives and therefore vulnerable to write fragmentation. That means that, on average, performance comparisons may depend on a particular manufacturer's design or running a specific application.
The Bottom Line
So if you want fast data access, less power consumption and higher reliability, then you should consider upgrading your standard hard drive to a solid state drive. You'll experience nothing but fast, quiet and ultra-reliable solution for your data storage needs. Whether you need it for your enterprise, corporate, or IT infrastructure applications, the solid state hard drives provide the durability and performance quality you need.
The author of this article works for Superwarehouse, an online retailer of technology products including Hard drives and HP Deskjet printers.
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