Difference between HDD and SSD

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Laila Hussain

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Hi, Can anyone tell me the difference between HDD and SSD in simple words that could easily understand and also describe which one is better.
 
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something back said:
Welcome to the laptop forums site

A hdd is a mechanical drive “a spinning metal disk”

A ssd is a series of chips so is a none mechanical drive.

The ssd is a better drive, and very quick it is a longer lasting drive compared to the hdd

The ssd drive is quite a lot more expensive though prices are coming down.

Take a look at this linki

http://uk.pcmag.com/storage-devices-reviews/8061/feature/ssd-vs-hdd-whats-the-difference
Click to expand...
Thanks was also my question. Thank you very much for the brief but very useful answer. can you tell me what kind of storage devices are HDD and what devices are SSD. I gues a memory card is SSD (because it is clearly written on it. What is a USB stick or external hard drive, HDD?
 
vinaya said:
Thanks was also my question. Thank you very much for the brief but very useful answer. can you tell me what kind of storage devices are HDD and what devices are SSD. I gues a memory card is SSD (because it is clearly written on it. What is a USB stick or external hard drive, HDD?
Click to expand...

I'll give you as brief a description as I can.

A sd cards memory

It's a “nonvolatile” memory this means it does not matter if you just switch
off the power supply it should not harm it. IT'S A SECURE MEMORY CHIP.

A flash drive MEMORY STICK is is more related to a EPROM erasable read only memory.

SSDs use MLC “nand based flash memory” it's a little more like ram memory.

External hard drives are just like internal hdd drives, they can be bigger in size, and may
contain their own power supply.

The same goes for external ssd drives.
 
From what I have learned in this forum, an SSD is just like a big memory card similar to those SD cards that you insert in your camera or smart phone. By that description, it is easy to understand that an SSD has no moving part unlike the HDD which has a rotating head for accessing the tracks on the surface of the disk. We are actually considering an SSD for storage when we buy a new laptop although we are still studying the cost.
 
Th
something back said:
Welcome to the laptop forums site

A hdd is a mechanical drive “a spinning metal disk”

A ssd is a series of chips so is a none mechanical drive.

The ssd is a better drive, and very quick it is a longer lasting drive compared to the hdd

The ssd drive is quite a lot more expensive though prices are coming down.

Take a look at this linki

http://uk.pcmag.com/storage-devices-reviews/8061/feature/ssd-vs-hdd-whats-the-difference
Click to expand...
Thanks for the fantastic reply.
 
That's right. A SDD is comprised of memory chips but it's not a memory card. It's size is similar to that of a laptop hard drive. Maybe it could be built smaller but for fitting purposes, the standard size is more suitable. In terms of service life, a SSD does not last as long as a HDD. However, its tested life span is very many years. In the computer world, anything that lasts more than three years would have been vastly superseded by new superior technology. in terms of speed, it is very many more times faster than a HDD. The simple reason is that there are no moving parts. Data is moved around as fast as the electric current can carry it.
 
SSDs are like 3 times faster than HDDs, they have a bigger life span and they're very silent. Nowadays they're not even that expensive so you're better off investing in one. I personally have a 256GB SSD on which I keep the OS and a couple of my most played games and a 1TB HDD at 7200 RPM for other storage. It's not the best idea to store huge amounts of files on an SSD for no reason but if you have the money go for it.
 
The simplest way I can put it is: an HDD is a spinning disc with moving parts and an SDD is flash memory. They both have advantages and disadvantages. One of HDD's advantages is that it's cheaper, a disadvantage is that is more prone to failing than an SDD. On the other hand an SDD main advantage is the speed, and main disadvantage would be the price. An HDD would suffice in most cases.
 
AntonioCalcano said:
The simplest way I can put it is: an HDD is a spinning disc with moving parts and an SDD is flash memory. They both have advantages and disadvantages. One of HDD's advantages is that it's cheaper, a disadvantage is that is more prone to failing than an SDD. On the other hand an SDD main advantage is the speed, and main disadvantage would be the price. An HDD would suffice in most cases.
Click to expand...
You are right SSD is still much expensive from HDD in the market. till now I only experienced HDD in my Desktop PC and Laptop but now I am planning to buy a new laptop having SSD.
 
HDD's are the old form of storage media that are based on magnetic mechanical tapes. They have a life of around 5 years. And are vulnerable to magnetic fields, electrical shocks, etc.

SSDs on the other hand are the newer form of storage media that do not have the problems of HDD. Also, SSDs can last for 15 years or more. And are 3-5 times faster (sometimes even 10 times faster) than HDDs.

Which one is better?
If you just want backup and cost is a factor, buy HDDs. Due to the new tech, i.e. SSDs, HDDs have become considerably cheaper.
If you want a faster system, buy an SSD and use it as your main system drive.
 
As the name suggests, SSD (Solid State Hard drive) is one piece of solid matter. It has no moving parts. So it makes no noise.

The traditional HDD has spinning discs inside them. You can hear the noises when they are in use. They also get hotter, and they are slower than SSD.

SSD used to be very expensive and considered to be the luxury item in the computer world. Nowadays they are much cheaper than before. So majority of the new computers actually come with them.

Just like HDD, SSD can be slowed if it is too full. Try to keep 20% free space if you want full speed.

About 5 years ago, I upgraded my old laptop with a SSD. The difference was huge. OS loads up within 15 seconds, and every program opens up much quicker. In Sin of a Solar Empire, when existing a game actually takes up to a minute or more to return to the main manual, with SSD it takes only seconds. Just one real example. :)

HDD can also fail since they have moving parts. Heck, you heard "my hard drive has crashed". Yep, the spinning discs had crashed ... When it happens, your hard drive is dead and you lose everything.

SSD has no moving parts, so it can't "crash" like a HDD. At least I have not heard of it.
 
djtech said:
HDD's are the old form of storage media that are based on magnetic mechanical tapes. They have a life of around 5 years. And are vulnerable to magnetic fields, electrical shocks, etc.

SSDs on the other hand are the newer form of storage media that do not have the problems of HDD. Also, SSDs can last for 15 years or more. And are 3-5 times faster (sometimes even 10 times faster) than HDDs.

Which one is better?
If you just want backup and cost is a factor, buy HDDs. Due to the new tech, i.e. SSDs, HDDs have become considerably cheaper.
If you want a faster system, buy an SSD and use it as your main system drive.
Click to expand...

That is what i want to said. SSD for 128 GB is even more expensive than most HDD that i could find on the market. The only thing that makes me coming back is the faster read and write on the system. I really suggest an SSD for keeping our system with a reliable speed, but i stick with my old HDD for storing all of my games and data.
 
Try using a SSHD. I have a 2 tb firecuda in my dell. It's much faster than the HDD that was in there originally, Not quite as fast as a true SSD but I have more speed and keep my big storage for my photos and videos while we travel.

I can post a couple of videos showing the speed differences between all three if you want. I have devices using all of them.
 
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SSD is just like a big memory card similar to those SD cards that you insert in your camera or smart phone
 
HDD is a moving mechanical drive while the SSD is a Drive with no moving parts. The SSD is Extremely faster than the HDD but the HDD is cheaper than the SSD. The HDD dies within a few years while the SSD lasts more than a century.
 
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