What is a Solid State Hard Drive? |
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A solid-state drive (SSD) is a storage device that utilizes a special kind of memory chip with erasable, writeable cells that can hold data even when powered off. Like standard hard drives, an SSD utilizes a special area for cache memory. Cache memory serves the function of increasing processing speeds by holding data that is needed repeatedly. With the data close at hand in the cache, it does not need to be fetched from the main storage area each time it is called. An SSD has advantages over a traditional drive. Seek time is decreased significantly, making the SSD very fast. SSD has no moving parts to malfunction and does not generate significant heat. It is also lighter than a standard drive, more power efficient, more durable and completely silent. There are, however, some disadvantages to a SSD over a standard hard drive. Most SSD have a slower write time, have a limited life expectancy of erase/write cycles. Standard hard drives are less expensive and may be able to deliver more than ten years of solid operation. |