Anyone who buys a new laptop or desktop must have heard about SSD. An SSD is one of the best devices to speed up even an old slow computer. SSD is actually a storage device. How to increase the speed of the computer with an SSD? In this post, let's see how an SSD differs from a normal hard disk.The content of this post talks about what is said about solid-state drives.
👉 What is an SSD? How is it different from a hard disk?
As mentioned before, a solid-state drive or SSD is a non-volatile storage device. This is designed as a replacement for the hard disk in general use. But an SSD is much faster than a hard disk. Data stored in a hard disk is a mechanical process that stores data on magnetic disks, so it takes more time to access the data on them. But flash memory chips are used instead of these magnetic disks in SSDs. Therefore, the speed of these is much higher than conventional hard disks. Because of this, the time it takes to boot an operating system and the time it takes to start a program is very less in SSD.
Image by Myo Min Kyaw from Pixabay
👉 Technology of SSD
An SSD consists of a collection of flash memory chips made of silicon. The chip stack is changed according to the capacity of each SSD model produced by the manufacturer. These chips contain floating gate transistors ( FGTs ), a type of transistor that holds data by electrical charges. Its specialty is that it retains data even when the power is turned off. Each FGT has a value of 1 bit as 1 or 0 without charge ( Each FGT contains a single bit of data).
👉 Memory types used in SSDs
- Single-level cells (SLCs):- Can hold only one bit of memory at a time. Slightly more expensive but faster and has better durability.
- Multi-level cells (MLCs):- Capable of holding two bits of memory at a time and in the same space as SLCs, it can hold twice as much data. But the speed here is lower than SLCs.
- Triple-level cells (TLCs):- Capable of holding three bits at a time and are very cheap. But the speed and durability are less than SLCs and MLCs. This type is used to produce SSDs with more space at a lower price.
Because SSDs have no moving parts, SSDs do not suffer from the mechanical faults that HDDs can. SSDs are also quieter and consume less power. And since SSDs weigh less than hard drives, they are well-suited for laptops and mobile computing devices. In addition, SSD control software includes analytics programs that can alert a user in advance of possible errors in the SSD.
👉 Advantages of an SSD
- Fast data read/write capability.
- Fast booting of the operating system and quick execution of programs.
- Better resistance to shocks and shakes than HDDs.
- Deficient power consumption.
- There are no moving parts like HDDs so there is no noise during operation.
- Diminishing in size.
👉 Disadvantages of SSDs
- Being more expensive than HDDs.
- Some types of SSDs (e.g., SSDs that use NAND memory-flash chips) have a slightly reduced lifespan.
- Available in slightly smaller capacities due to increased cost.
👉 Types of non-volatile memory used in SSDs
Chips with NAND and NOR-type logic gates are mainly used in SSDs. Of these, SSDs with NOR-type chips are widely used in mobile phones. NOR can be read faster than NAND, but it is more expensive than NAND. But the writing speed of NOR type is quite slow. For this reason, NOR-type memory is used in smartphones to boot the operating system, and NAND-type memory is used to store data (Photos, Video, etc.).
👉 Different types of Solid State Drive
- Solid-state drives:- This is the main type of SSD that connects to the computer using SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) or SAS ( serial-attached SCSI ) technologies. It is an affordable SSD.
- PCI Express- based flash:- based flash is a faster SSD than the previous one. The number of I/O operations per second is also higher than before. The best advantage of this is the reduced latency. The disadvantages are that the built-in data protection is weak, and custom drivers are required.
- Flash DIMMs:- Flash DIMMs is faster than PCI Express and require custom drivers to operate and changes in the I/O systems on the motherboard.
- NVMe SSDs:- Non-Volatile Memory express technology is used in these SSDs to accelerate the speed of data passing between the client system and the SSD through the PCIe bus.
- NVMe-oF:- Data communication using NVMe over Fabrics protocol is done in these SSDs. Ethernet, Fiber Channel, or InfiniBand are used as data communication media.
- Hybrid DRAM-flash storage:- Flash memory and RAM are used in this type. These are capable of providing higher data transfer speeds, overcoming the limitations of the RAM module.
👉 Things to look for when buying an SSD
Various hardware manufacturers around the world currently manufacture SSDs, and some of the famous manufacturers are listed below.
- Crucial
- Intel
- Kingston Technology
- Micron Technology Inc.
- Samsung
- SanDisk
- Seagate Technology
- SK Hynix
- Western Digital Corp
These manufacturers sell NAND-based SSDs as well as SSDs based on their own flash chips. The following factors need to be considered when purchasing an SSD.
- Durability:- Every SSD gives a description of the number of reads/writes it can perform. SSD's lifespan is often determined by write operations rather than reads. Taking this into account when buying an SSD can increase its lifespan. This value can be very low on some cheap SSDs.
- Capacity:- As mentioned earlier, the price of SSD increases with its power. But depending on the tasks you perform on the computer, its ability can be determined. In most cases, these can be purchased from 128GB to 512GB and 1TB. If your computer only has an NVMe SSD, get one with slightly more space, and if there is room for an HDD in addition to the SSD, the SSD can be used for the operating system and other software, and the HDD can be used to store files.
- Interface: - Available with SSD, NVMe or SATA interface and these speeds are also different. However, some computers do not have ports such as NVMe or M.2, so it is worth getting a suitable SSD according to the model of the computer.
- Power Consumption:- The power consumption of an SSD is less than HDD, but while buying an SSD, it is essential to get one with lower power consumption in laptops.
In the early days, the price was very high, but over time, with the increase in production, SSDs have become less expensive. However, the price may increase due to the current chip shortage in the world. However, SSD is still more expensive than HDD.
