If you are in the market to buy a new PC or laptop, you would, obviously, spend a lot of time analyzing the different features offered by each machine you have shortlisted, from their display and build quality to memory and processing unit. And based on your budget and requirements, you will have a prioritized list of features, and an additional feature that can be accommodated.
Talking about the features of laptops, undeniably one of the main features you should take into account is the type of hard drive included in the device, and this is where the SSD vs HDD argument comes in.
SSD vs HDD – Everything You Need to Know
SSD and HDD Basics
With any PC or laptop, the storage solution you get would be a solid-state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a combination of the two. SSD happens to be the widely used solution in several machines introduced in the last few years, especially in ultraportable devices, and HDD continues to be the common choice for budget-friendly machines. In desktop PCs, primarily, you get a combination of both these solutions; however, this practice is now being implemented in laptops as well.
Each of these storage solutions carries out tasks of their own, and also have their own sets of benefits. But, what if you are asked to pick one? Following is all the information you need to make this decision:
Capacity
When it comes to the comparison of SSDs and HDDs, one factor that is closely associated with their pricing happens to be their capacity. Getting straight to the point, if you need large storage space, HDD would be the ideal option. While an average user would suffice with around 250 to 300 GB of storage space, for regular storage such as songs and photos, and can go up to 1 TB for those who like to store movies and games, with an HDD, you can choose up to 12 TB in hard drive space.
SSDs, on the other hand, are shrinking in size and are now more compact than HDDs. While this change helps make laptops much thinner and lighter, SSDs’ small size also limits their ability to offer more storage space. But, if there is one advantage to using SSDs over HDDs in this respect, it would be that using several small SSDs to store your data would prevent the loss of all your data when you have them stored in a single large HDD.
Pricing
The price difference between SSDs and HDDs is significant and one of the first things you would notice about the two. As mentioned, the storage capacity of the drives plays a major role in determining their pricing. In general, SSDs are more expensive than conventional HDDs, and they are priced on per GB basis. And with the various tweaks in technology, modern SSDs, says PCIe SSDs, are way more expensive than some of the older models.
HDDs should be your choice if you are after ample storage space at an affordable price tag, which is justified by their relatively fewer production costs. Though you can find hard drives at really affordable prices, it is vital that you invest in high-quality models from reliable manufacturers.
Processing Speed
Processing speed is another main aspect that differentiates SSDs and HDDs. HDDs are available in different processing speeds, allowing you to choose the level of processing power you need to transfer your data. While SSDs are also available at varying speeds, they have always been considerably faster than HDDs, thanks to the use of flash memory. From boot-up times to transfer speeds, SSDs can deliver 10 times the speed of HDDs, which makes them the best choice in terms of processing speed.
Durability
HDDs come with moving parts and therefore can get damaged easily when used in areas that are less stationary. SSDs, however, do not have many moving parts, are less fragile, and therefore do not get damaged easily even after an accidental drop; as a result, these happen to be the widely preferred and used option in laptops and various other mobile devices. Therefore, if you have kids who could possibly handle your devices, noticed or unnoticed, or you are prone to unexpected stumbles, you should go with an SSD.
Power Consumption
SSDs consume less power than HDDs, which means you can experience extended battery life in your laptop. In-office spaces where multiple HDDs are used, you will notice a huge difference in electricity bills when replacing the same with SSDs. Hence, if energy consumption is a long-standing problem you have been facing, using SSDs would be the right choice.
Noise Level
No matter how quiet you think a hard drive is, it will emit some level of noise when in use, and faster a hard drive is, more will be the noise it emits. But, when it comes to SSDs since they are non-mechanical, they do not emit noise.
The Right Storage Solution for You
SSDs
If you are looking to achieve speedy boot-up times, transfers, and launching of apps, you should go with SSDs. Since SSDs are quieter than HDDs, they would be the right choice for musicians, audio engineers, and other involved recording music and other similar tasks. SSDs are also the right option for those constantly on the go, especially if you find yourself closing your device suddenly and without shutting it down properly because you get that additional level of security that your files and work will remain secure.
HDDs
First of all, if you have a strict budget to follow, your obvious choice should be an HDD. If you are a heavy downloader, whether it is movies, games, or anything that takes up a lot of space, HDD is the way to do. Even if you are just a regular user, downloading music, movies, and other media files and would like to store them locally, HDD should be your preferred choice. Also, if you are a professional video, graphics, or photo editor and your work takes up a lot of storage space, HDD it is.
