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Solid state drives (SSDs) are a type of hard drive that use erasable and writable memory chips. They have faster seek times, no moving parts, and are more durable but have slower write times and a limited lifespan. SSDs may eventually replace traditional hard drives.
A solid state drive (SSD), also called a flash drive, is a type of hard drive. Although the architecture of an SSD is very different from traditional hard drives, the name carries over. An SSD uses a special type of memory chip with erasable and writable cells that can hold data even when they’re powered off. It might be helpful to think of an SSD as the memory stick’s larger cousin.
Like standard drives, an SSD uses a special area for cache memory. Cache memory has the function of increasing processing speed by retaining needed data repeatedly. With the data at your fingertips in the cache, you don’t need to fetch it from the main storage area every time it’s called.
Some SSDs use volatile cache, such as in synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), while others use non-volatile cache. The former requires a power source to hold data, just like computer RAM. The latter type retains data even without power.
An SSD has many advantages over a traditional drive. Seek time has decreased significantly, making the SSD very fast. Being solid-state, the unit has no moving parts to malfunction and does not generate significant heat. It’s also lighter than a standard unit, more energy efficient, and completely silent. Finally, the SSD is more durable. If it is dropped or knocked over it is not so likely that it will be damaged.
There are, however, disadvantages to an SSD compared to a standard hard drive. Most SSDs have a slower write time than standard drives, although this can vary depending on the type of flash memory used and the number of chips. Standard drives are also relatively less expensive than SSDs, even though the price has gone down. The SSD also has a limited life expectancy of erase/write cycles, after which it no longer functions reliably. A hard drive may be able to provide a good ten years of solid operation.
Many people in the industry believe that flash drives or SSDs will eventually replace traditional hard drive technology. By the time this happens, the disadvantages will likely have been eliminated or greatly mitigated. Even today, an SSD can extend the battery life of a notebook, reduce the weight of the machine, make it quieter and increase reading performance.
