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More and more users are purchasing SSD drives for installation in PCs. They are used in parallel with HDD or instead of them. Solid state drives have many advantages over hard drives. Therefore, you need to know how to choose the right SSD drive for your computer.
What does it represent?
A solid state drive is a non-mechanical storage device. It is intended for installation on PCs, laptops, server equipment and is designed to replace HDDs. An SSD is created based on memory chips that are controlled by a special controller.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- high data read/write speed and performance;
- low heat generation and electricity consumption;
- no noise due to the absence of moving parts;
- small dimensions;
- high resistance to mechanical damage (overload up to 1500g), magnetic fields, temperature changes;
- stability of data reading time regardless of memory fragmentation.
Flaws:
- limited number of rewrite cycles (1,000 – 100,000 times);
- high price;
- vulnerability to electrical damage;
- the risk of complete loss of information without the possibility of its recovery.
Main characteristics
If you are buying an SSD to install on your computer, pay attention to its main characteristics.
When purchasing an SSD drive, first of all, pay attention to the volume and purpose of use. If you are purchasing it just to install the OS, choose a device with 60 GB or more memory.
Modern gamers prefer to install games on SSDs to increase performance. If you are one of them, then you need an option with a memory capacity of 120 GB.
If you are purchasing a solid state drive instead of a hard drive, base it on how much information is stored on the computer. But in this case, the capacity of the SSD disk should not be less than 250 GB.
Important! The cost of a solid-state drive directly depends on the volume. Therefore, if your budget is limited, use an SSD to install the operating system and a HDD to store data.
Most of modern models SSD drives Sold in a 2.5-inch form factor and built into a protective box. Because of this, they are similar to classic hard drives of the same size.
Good to know! To install a 2.5-inch SSD drive into a standard 3.5-inch mount inside a PC case, special adapters are used. Some case models provide sockets for a 2.5-inch form factor.
There are 1.8-inch and smaller SSDs on the market that are used in compact devices.
Connection interface
Solid state drives have several connection interface options:
- SATA II;
- SATA III;
- PCIe;
- mSATA;
- PCIe + M.2.
The most common option is to connect using a SATA connector. There are still SATA II models on the market. They are no longer relevant, but even if you purchase such a device, thanks to the backward compatibility of the SATA interface, it will work with motherboard, supporting SATA III.
When using an SSD with a PCIe interface, you may need to install drivers, but the data transfer speed will be higher compared to a SATA connection.
mSATA models are used on compact devices, but work on the same principle as the standard SATA interface.
M.2 or NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor) models are a continuation of the development of the mSATA line. They have smaller dimensions and greater flexibility for configuration by digital equipment manufacturers.
Read/write speed
The higher this value, the more productive the computer. Average speeds:
- reading 450-550 MB/s;
- recording 350-550 Mb/s.
Manufacturers may indicate not actual, but maximum speed read/write. To find out the real numbers, look online for reviews of the model you are interested in.
In addition, pay attention to the access time. This is the time during which the disk finds the information required by the program or OS. The standard indicator is 10-19 ms. But since solid state drives no moving parts, much faster than hard drives.
Memory type and runtime to failure
There are several types of memory cells used in SSD drives:
- MLC (Multi Level Cell);
- SLC (Single Level Cell);
- TLC (Three Level Cell);
- 3D V-NAND.
MLC is the most common type, which allows you to store two bits of information in one cell. It has a relatively short resource of rewrite cycles (3,000 - 5,000), but lower cost, due to which this type of cells is used for mass production of solid-state drives.
The SLC type stores only one bit of data per cell. These microcircuits are characterized by a long lifetime (up to 100,000 rewrite cycles), high data transfer rates, and minimum time access. But due to the high cost and small volumes data storage they are used for server and industrial solutions.
The TLC type stores three bits of data. The main advantage is low production cost. Among the disadvantages: the number of rewrite cycles is 1,000 - 5,000 repetitions, and the read/write speed is significantly lower than the first two types of chips.
Healthy! Recently, manufacturers have managed to increase the lifetime of TLC discs to 3,000 rewrite cycles.
3D V-NAND models use 32-layer flash memory instead of standard MLC or TLC chips. The microchip has a three-dimensional structure, due to which the volume of recorded data per unit area is much higher. At the same time, the reliability of information storage increases by 2-10 times.
The reliability of the solid-state drive depends on the manufacturer. Famous companies produce high-quality devices with subsequent technical and hardware support. Their factories have high requirements, which ensures excellent quality manufactured products.
Modern manufacturers of SSD drives: Samsung, OCZ (a division of Toshiba), Kingston, Crucial, Corsair, Plextor, GOODRAM, Silicon Power, Transcend.
TRIM function
Most important additional function for a solid-state drive, this is TRIM (garbage collection). It is as follows.
Information on the SSD is first written to free cells. If the disk writes data to a cell that was previously used, it first clears it (unlike an HDD, where data is written over existing information). If the model does not support TRIM, it clears the cell immediately before writing new information, due to which the speed of this operation decreases.
If the SSD supports TRIM, it receives a command from the OS to delete data in the cell and clears it not before overwriting, but during the “idle” of the disk. This is done in the background. This maintains the write speed at the level specified by the manufacturer.
Important! The TRIM function must be supported by the operating system.
Hidden area
This area is not accessible to the user and is used to replace failed cells. In high-quality solid-state drives it is up to 30% of the device volume. But some manufacturers, in order to reduce the cost of an SSD drive, reduce it to 10%, thereby increasing the amount of storage available to the user.
The flip side of this trick is that the hidden region is used by the TRIM function. If its volume is small, it will not be enough for background data transfer, which is why when the SSD “load” level is 80-90%, the writing speed will drop sharply.
Model overview
Below is a list of several popular models.
| Form Factor | Read/write speed | Those. process | Weight | ||||
First SSD, or solid state drives using flash memory, appeared in 1995, and were used exclusively in the military and aerospace fields. The huge cost at that time was compensated by unique characteristics that allowed the operation of such disks in aggressive environments at wide range temperatures
In the mass market, drives SSD appeared not so long ago, but quickly became popular, as they are a modern alternative to a standard hard drive ( HDD ). Let's figure out what parameters you should use to choose a solid-state drive, and what it actually is.
Device
Out of habit, SSD is called a “disk”, but it can rather be called “ solid parallelepiped", since there are no moving parts in it, and nothing shaped like a disk either. The memory in it is based on the physical properties of the conductivity of semiconductors, so SSD– a semiconductor (or solid-state) device, while a regular hard drive can be called an electro-mechanical device.
Abbreviation SSD just means “ solid-state drive ", that is, literally, " solid state drive" It consists of a controller and memory chips.
Controller– most an important part device that connects memory to a computer. Main characteristics SSD– data exchange speed, power consumption, etc. depend on it. The controller has its own microprocessor that works according to a preinstalled program and can perform the functions of correcting code errors, preventing wear, and cleaning debris.
Memory in drives can be either non-volatile ( NAND), and volatile ( RAM).
NAND memory initially won against HDD only in the speed of access to arbitrary memory blocks, and only since 2012 the read/write speed has also increased many times over. Now in the mass market drives SSD are presented by models with non-volatile NAND-memory.
RAM The memory features ultra-fast read and write speeds, and is built on the principles of computer RAM. Such memory is volatile - if there is no power, the data is lost. Typically used in specific areas, such as speeding up work with databases, it is difficult to find on sale.
Differences between SSD and HDD
SSD differs from HDD First of all, the physical device. Thanks to this, it boasts some advantages, but also has a number of serious disadvantages.
Main advantages:
· Performance. Even by technical specifications it can be seen that the read/write speed is SSD several times higher, but in practice performance can vary by 50-100 times.
· No moving parts, and therefore no noise. This also means high resistance to mechanical stress.
· Random memory access speed is much higher. As a result, the speed of operation does not depend on the location of files and their fragmentation.
· Much less vulnerable to electromagnetic fields.
· Small dimensions and weight, low power consumption.
Flaws:
· Resource limitation for rewrite cycles. This means that a single cell can be overwritten a certain number of times - on average, this figure varies from 1,000 to 100,000 times.
· The cost of a gigabyte of volume is still quite high, and exceeds the cost of a regular HDD several times. However, this drawback will disappear over time.
· Difficulty or even impossibility of recovering deleted or lost data due to the hardware command used by the drive TRIM, and with high sensitivity to power supply voltage drops: if memory chips are damaged in this way, information from them is lost irretrievably.
Overall, SSDs have a number of advantages that standard hard disks do not have - in cases where the main role is played by speed, access speed, size and resistance to mechanical loads, SDD persistently displaces HDD.
How much SSD capacity will you need?
The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing SSD– its volume. There are models on sale with capacities from 32 to 2000 GB.The decision depends on the use case - you can install only the operating system on the drive, and be limited by the capacity SSD 60-128 GB, which will be quite enough for Windows and installation of basic programs.
The second option is to use SSD as the main media library, but then you will need a disk with a capacity of 500-1000 GB, which will be quite expensive. This only makes sense if you are working with big amount files to which you really need to provide fast access. In relation to the average user, this is not a very rational price/speed ratio.
But there is one more property of solid-state drives - depending on the volume, the write speed can vary greatly. The larger the disk capacity, the faster the recording speed, as a rule. This is due to the fact that SSD capable of using several memory crystals in parallel at once, and the number of crystals grows along with the volume. That is, in the same models SSD with different capacities of 128 and 480 GB, the difference in speed can vary by about 3 times.
Considering this feature, we can say that now the most optimal choice in terms of price/speed can be called 120-240 GB SSD models, they will be enough to install the system and the most important software, and maybe even for several games.
Interface and form factor
2.5" SSD
The most common form factor SSD is a 2.5 inch format. It is a “bar” measuring approximately 100x70x7mm, different manufacturers they may vary slightly (±1mm). The interface of 2.5” drives is usually SATA3(6 Gbps).Advantages of the 2.5" format:
- Prevalence on the market, any volume available
- Convenient and easy to use, compatible with any motherboard
- Reasonable price
- Relatively low speed among ssds - up to a maximum of 600 MB/s per channel, versus, for example, 1 Gb/s for the PCIe interface
- AHCI controllers that were designed for classic hard drives
mSATA SSD
There is a more compact form factor - mSATA, sizes 30x51x4 mm. It makes sense to use it in laptops and any other compact devices where installing a regular 2.5” drive is impractical. If they have a connector, of course. mSATA. In terms of speed, this is still the same specification SATA3(6 Gbps), and is no different from 2.5".
M.2 SSD
There is another, most compact form factor M.2, gradually replacing mSATA. Designed mainly for laptops. Dimensions - 3.5x22x42(60.80) mm. There are three different lengths of strips - 42, 60 and 80 mm, please pay attention to compatibility when installing in your system. Modern motherboards offer at least one U.2 slot for the M.2 format.M.2 can be either a SATA or PCIe interface. The difference between these interface options is in speed, and quite large at that - SATA drives boast an average speed of 550 MB/s, while PCIe, depending on the generation, can offer 500 MB/s per lane for PCI-E 2.0. and speeds up to 985 Mb/s per PCI-E 3.0 line. Thus, an SSD installed in a PCIe x4 slot (with four lanes) can exchange data at speeds of up to 2 Gb/s in case of PCI Express 2.0 and up to almost 4 Gb/s – when using PCI Express third generation.
The differences in price are significant; an M.2 form factor drive with a PCIe interface will cost on average twice as much as a SATA interface with the same capacity.
The form factor has a U.2 connector, which may have connectors that differ from each other keys– special “cutouts” in them. There are clues B and and also B&M. Differ in bus speed PCIe: key M will provide speed up to PCIe x4, key M speed up to PCIe x2, like a combined key B&M.
B- the connector is incompatible with M- connector, M-connector, respectively, with B- connector, and B&M The connector is compatible with any. Be careful when purchasing format M.2, since the motherboard, laptop or tablet must have a suitable connector.
PCI-E SSD
Finally, the last existing form factor is as an expansion board PCI-E. Mounted in the slot accordingly PCI-E, have the highest speed, order 2000 MB/s read and 1000 MB/s write. Such speeds will cost you a lot: it is obvious that you should choose such a drive for professional tasks. 
NVM Express
There are also SSD having a new logical interface NVM Express, designed specifically for SSDs. It differs from the old AHCI in even lower access latencies and high parallelism of memory chips due to a new set of hardware algorithms.There are models on the market with a connector M.2, and in PCIe. The only downside of PCIe here is that it will take up an important slot, which may be useful for another board.
Since the standard NVMe designed specifically for flash memory, it takes into account its features, while AHCI still just a compromise. That's why, NVMe is the future of SSDs, and will only get better and better over time.
What type of SSD memory is better?
Let's understand the types of memory SSD. This is one of the main characteristics SSD, determining the cell rewriting resource and speed.MLC (Multi-Level Cell)- the most popular type of memory. Cells contain 2 bits, as opposed to 1 bit in the old type SLC , which is almost no longer on sale. Thanks to this, there is a larger volume, which means lower cost. Recording resource from 2000 to 5000 rewrite cycles. In this case, “overwriting” means overwriting each cell of the disk. Therefore, for a 240 GB model, for example, you can record at least 480 TB of information. So, such a resource SSD even with constant intensive use, about 5-10 years should be enough (during which time it will still become very outdated). And for home use, it will last for 20 years, so the limited rewrite cycles can be ignored altogether. MLC– this is the best combination of reliability/price.
TLC (Triple-Level Cell)- from the name it follows that here 3 bits of data are stored in one cell at once. Recording density here compared to MLC higher by whole 50% , which means the rewriting resource is less - only 1000 cycles. The access speed is also lower due to the higher density. The cost now is not much different from MLC. It has been widely used in flash drives for a long time. The service life is also sufficient for a home solution, but the susceptibility to uncorrectable errors and “dying out” of memory cells is noticeably higher, and during the entire service life.
3D NAND- This is rather a form of memory organization, and not its new type. There is both MLC, so TLC 3D NAND. Such memory has vertically arranged memory cells, and an individual memory crystal in it has several levels of cells. It turns out that the cell has a third spatial coordinate, hence the prefix "3D" in the memory name - 3D NAND. It is distinguished by a very low number of errors and high endurance due to a larger technical process of 30-40 nM.
The manufacturer's warranty for some models reaches 10 years of use, but the cost is high. The most reliable type of memory available.
Differences between cheap SSDs and expensive ones
Disks of the same capacity, even from the same manufacturer, can vary greatly in price. A cheap SSD may differ from an expensive one in the following ways:· Cheaper type of memory. In ascending order of cost/reliability, roughly: TLC≥ MLC ≥ 3D NAND.
· Cheaper controller. Also affects read/write speed.
· Clipboard. Most cheap SSDs may not have a clipboard at all, this does not make them much cheaper, but it noticeably reduces their performance.
· Protection systems. For example, in expensive models There is protection against power interruption in the form of backup capacitors, which allows you to correctly complete the write operation and not lose data.
· Brand. Of course, a more popular brand will be more expensive, which does not always mean technical superiority.
Conclusion. What is more profitable to buy?
It is safe to say that modern SSD The drives are quite reliable. The fear of data loss and the negative attitude towards solid-state drives as a class are completely unjustified at the moment. If we talk about more or less popular brands, then even cheap TLC memory suitable for budget home use, and its resource will last you for at least several years. Many manufacturers also provide a 3-year warranty.So, if you are limited in funds, then your choice is a capacity of 60-128 GB to install the system and frequently used applications. The type of memory is not so critical for home use - TLC will it be or MLC, the disk will become obsolete before the resource is exhausted. All other things being equal, of course, it’s worth choosing MLC.
If you are ready to look into the mid-price segment and value reliability, then it is better to consider SSD MLC 200-500 GB. For older models you will have to pay about 12 thousand rubles. At the same time, the volume is enough for you for almost everything that needs to work quickly on your home PC. You can also take models of even higher reliability with memory crystals 3D NAND .
If your fear of flash memory wearing out reaches panic levels, then it's worth looking at new (and expensive) technologies in the form of storage formats 3D NAND. All jokes aside, this is the future. SSD– high speed and high reliability are combined here. Such a drive is suitable even for important server databases, since the recording resource here reaches petabyte, and the number of errors is minimal.
IN separate group I would like to highlight drives with an interface PCI-E. It has high read and write speed ( 1000-2000 Mb/s), and on average more expensive than other categories. If you prioritize performance, then this is the best choice. Disadvantage - it takes up the universal PCIe slot on motherboards compact formats There can only be one PCIe slot.
Beyond competition - SSD with NVMe logical interface, the reading speed of which exceeds 2000 MB/s. Compared to compromise logic for SSD AHCI, has much greater queue depth and concurrency. High price on the market, and best characteristics- the choice of enthusiasts or professionals.
We have already talked about SSDs several times and I am more than sure that many of you know what it is, those who don’t know.
So, if you want your computer to work better and faster, then an SSD drive will help you with this. Access to data occurs almost instantly and this speeds up loading, for example, systems or launching programs. In other words, whatever you try to open will open almost instantly.
If you replace your HDD with such a device, the benefits will be noticeable to a greater extent than if we simply replaced the RAM. As I have said in many of my articles, the only drawback of these devices is that they are very expensive, so many cannot afford them.
Also, information on the deadline is considered important. SSD services, since memory cells are subject to wear. To increase the service life, I will tell you several methods, but this is only for solid state drives, for regular hard This practically does not apply to disks.
Purchase and operation
In this article, we will look at 5 points of operation of SSD drives, you need to know them before choosing a disk. In paragraph 6 we will look at the principle of operation, SSD differences from conventional hard drives, for example when deleting data.
Choosing a universal hard drive
For those users who want to purchase new hard disk instead of the old one, it’s worth paying attention to an interesting one SSD drive like 500 GB. They cost approximately 13,000 rubles, but will provide you with both speed and plenty of space.
Even if we take into account that the SATA-3 interface limits the data transfer speed to 600 MB/s, then SSD drives have a speed 5 times higher than conventional hard drives. Also, solid-state drives can have a warranty of 3 years and are designed for such a volume of recorded information that would be achieved only after 10 years.
SSD Model - Transcend SSD370S has a capacity of 512 GB and costs approximately 15 thousand rubles, data access time is achieved almost immediately, and there is also optimal energy efficiency. There is a similar model - Samsung SSD850 Evo for 500 GB, price 14 thousand rubles, warranty up to 5 years.
Let's look at the performance
To get the most out of an SSD, you need to use PCI Express 3.0 rather than SATA. the best option will purchase a motherboard.
Now you can find the following models of this product: Intel SSD 750 400 GB or 1200 GB, price from 37 thousand rubles to 98 thousand rubles, a little expensive, but this is the best option. Second model - Samsung SSD 950 Pro from 256 to 512 GB, price 17-29,000 rubles. The model also has a form factor - M.2, which creates compatibility with modern computer motherboards and laptops with an M.2 slot.
The data transfer speed of such SSDs is more than 2 Gb/s; as you can see, there is a big difference compared to SATA-SSDs.
Transferring the OS to an SSD drive
If your operating system is on HDD disk, then you should think about transferring it to an SSD. After this, the performance will noticeably improve and you will notice it charmingly.
There is a utility O&O SSD Migration Kit, which helps to transfer to SSD. Of course, there are failures, so you can use software, for example, the manufacturer. Example - Samsung Data Migration. In any case, connect the SSD to your computer or laptop first.
In a computer you can use a SATA port, and in laptops, a special 2.5-inch compartment, and, of course, a SATA port. Or, to insert an SSD into a laptop, you need to purchase an external case with a USB connector and then you can easily connect the drive to a laptop or computer.
Using SSD and HDD in a laptop
Usually, in almost any laptop that has an HDD drive, you can change the drive to a SATA-SSD, and in a 2.5-inch form factor. If your laptop has a disk drive, you can replace it with OptibayHD-adapter into which SATA-SSD is connected.
Installing an SSD in a computer
IN regular computers There is no space for an SSD drive, since they are smaller in size. Although some computers have bays for these disks. Or you can purchase a special compartment.
Operating system optimization
Once you have installed the SSD, you need to be sure to install the software from the manufacturer. For example, if you install Intel SSD Toolbox software, your device will always have the latest firmware.
Also, you can use it to align partitions and configure the operating system.
If there is no tool for optimizing the SSD and OS, then you can use the AS SSD utility to align partitions.
If in the upper left corner there is a value of 1024 and a green button OK, then this means that everything is fine, but if the red button BAD, then everything is bad. If the Bad button appears, then to fix the problem you can use the Live-USB Parted Magic utility, the program costs about 700 rubles.
What is the best way to organize the data?
When using a 500 GB SSD, the best option would be to use one partition for the system (C:), and preferably have some free space. There is also another option: use the entire SSD for the operating system, and for storing files it will be suitable regular hard disk.
In any case, if you use the SSD as I wrote just above, it will increase the reserve area that you yourself have allocated, thus the number of memory cells will be increased, and they will replace the failed ones.
Periodically free up disk space
As we know, SSD capacity is very limited, and if you have a 120 GB drive, then naturally you can quickly run out of space. This is worth thinking about, especially since if the disk is used at the limit of its capacity, this greatly harms its characteristics. To solve this problem, you need to clean the disk from files that you no longer need and garbage.
If there important files that you cannot delete, then move them to another hard drive. To remove files and garbage you can use CCleaner program. If after cleaning, the fill level is not below 90%, then you should run the disk cleaner.
How to securely delete data from SSD?
It is worth knowing that deleting files from an SSD will be more difficult than from a regular hard drive. To completely remove files from an SSD, you must first remove it using Windows or third-party tools, and then use the Eraser program to overwrite the free memory several times.
Solid state drives can rightfully be called one of the most useful innovations computer market- it’s enough to buy an SSD to even old computer started working very quickly and responsively.
However, choosing an SSD in 2018 is not so easy - the market is saturated with models of the most different types and characteristics. This abundance of options is explained by the fact that it is very easy to produce SSDs, because they are, in fact, the same flash drives, only made a little differently.
Latest SSD Technology
SSD stands for solid-state drive or solid-state drive. This is a small flat box containing electronic board with microcircuits. No mechanical, moving parts like in hard drives, there is no.
We had what an SSD is and why it is needed (and whether it is needed).
Data is stored in flash memory chips - these are the same chips that are used in USB flash drives. But in an SSD, these chips are combined into an array, where data is read and written in parallel to all chips at once. This gives a high final speed of work.
The distribution of data across the chips is handled by the controller - an important part of the SSD, on which indicators such as speed and reliability depend. Controllers are produced by several companies, including Phison, Samsung, JMicron, Marvell, Toshiba and others. It is impossible to name a unequivocally good and unequivocally bad controller manufacturer; here you have to look at a specific model.
Another important indicator- type of flash memory and its manufacturer. Although SSD models great amount, all of them use flash memory from just a few manufacturers: Micron/Intel, Hynix, Samsung, Toshiba, SanDisk. Currently (2018) there are the following memory types:
- SLC - each memory cell stores only 1 bit, which gives maximum speed and reliability - one cell can be rewritten up to 100 thousand times without the risk of losing data, however, this makes SLC the most expensive type of flash memory, and therefore it is used only in server solutions and as a small cache for mass-produced SSDs;
- MLC is the “golden mean”, where 2 bits of data are stored in each cell, such memory works 2-3 times slower than SLC, and its reliability is 33 times less (only 3 thousand cell rewrites), however, drives with MLC memory much cheaper and more voluminous;
- TLC is the most budget solution, gaining popularity - here each cell stores as many as 3 bits of data, which is why the memory works ~1.5 times slower, and the durability is 3 times less than MLC (1000 rewrite cycles for each cell and the drive can be throw it away), but, as you might guess, the price is low and large volume cover all shortcomings;
- 3D XPoint - a unique development by Intel and Micron, used in drives Intel Optane, and which does not relate to the usual flash memory at all - data is stored here by changing the phase state of certain substances under the influence of electric current, this gives enormous reliability and speed in random operations.
Does it make sense to switch to an SSD now?
If you look at the configurations of new computers and laptops in the middle and high price ranges, then in almost 100% of cases an SSD will be installed. We can say that a more or less productive computer is currently unthinkable without a solid-state drive. There are a number of objective reasons for this.
Firstly, These are speed indicators. The cheapest SSDs provide up to 550 MB/sec sequential read and write speeds, which is almost 2.5 times faster than the fastest hard drives. But for real strong point SSD - random, fragmented operations when you need to read or write many files that are in different folders. Hard drive You have to move the head to do this, which is why, for example, the system loads slowly or the game is heavy. SSDs do not have any heads, so during random operations they, on average, a thousand times faster than HDD, if you look at the number of IOPS, and ten times faster, if you look at the resulting speed in Mb/sec.
Here, for example, are the random reading test results of a five-year-old HDD Seagate Barracuda 7200.12:
And a five-year-old SSD Intel 320:
As you can see, the SSD spends almost 160 times less time on random searches, which is due to the absence of mechanical parts. And this is an SSD from 2012, and modern samples are much more productive. While HDDs have not become much faster in this regard over the same time.
Secondly, this is the absence of noise and (with some reservations) heating. Inside hard drive The pancakes on which the data is stored are constantly spinning, and the head also moves, emitting a characteristic crackling or crunching sound. SSD is completely electronic device, and therefore makes absolutely no sounds. The same applies to heating in general case- SSDs consume energy and heat up less than hard drives. The exception is top-end NVMe SSDs, which are inserted into PCI Express slots.
Third, SSDs are very resistant to mechanical stress such as shocks, shocks and falls, unlike hard drives. This is why solid-state drives are so valued by lovers of reliable laptops - the HDD has always been the weakest link, quickly failing due to constant vibrations, knocking and position changes. With the advent SSD laptops have become truly mobile devices.
Fourthly, this is the predictability of the resource. SSDs have a standard indicator such as the resource or degree of wear of flash memory, which can be viewed at any time. Given that good controller this gives a fairly accurate time frame for the drive to fail. For example, here's what SMART writes about the same five-year-old SSD:
This means that the drive resource is 92%, i.e. Flash memory is worn out by 8%. In the case of hard drive There are no such indicators and cannot be due to its mechanical structure. An HDD can fail with almost equal probability in a week, six months or 5 years.
Regarding the SSD resource, there is a myth that hard drives are much more reliable than solid-state drives - the supposedly small number of rewrites of memory cells leads to the fact that SSDs break almost every few months. Of course this is not true. Even TLC memory, despite its seemingly terribly low number of rewrites, is more than reliable in home use and can last up to 10 years.
One popular portal, the results of which eloquently indicate that the reliability of most solid state devices is several times greater than the resource declared by the manufacturer. In short, there is no need to worry about the durability of a solid-state drive. But for this you need to choose a more or less high-quality SSD, because here you can get a drive with a weak controller that will quickly break.
Criteria by which we will select the leaders of 2018
The price range here is as wide as the variety of models - you can buy an SSD for either 2,000 rubles or 500,000 rubles. The main difference between them is capacity and speed. Unfortunately, SSDs are still much more expensive than hard drives per unit of volume. Therefore, you have to look for a compromise - as a rule, you buy a 120-250 GB SSD for the computer for the system and programs, and a 2-4 TB HDD for everything else.
In general, now there is no point in buying solid state drives with a capacity of less than 120 GB - the cheapest ones SSD size 32-64 GB are only 600-800 rubles cheaper than budget 120 GB devices, and the difference in performance and reliability is very noticeable. After all, SSDs are designed in such a way that the larger the volume, the faster and more durable they are. But it is worth noting that this dependence is nonlinear - somewhere around 500 GB, the increase in speed and reliability becomes very gentle. That is, the difference between the performance of the 120 GB and 500 GB models is much greater than between the 500 GB and 2 TB models.
Budget SSD models
Budget solid-state drives include models costing up to 3,500-4,000 rubles with TLC memory of a “hit” capacity of 120-128 GB, which are connected to a regular SATA port, like hard drives. This size is quite enough for an operating system, a set of applications, and even several not too large games. Work files, music, movies, of course, will have to be stored on larger drives - the same HDDs.
Already in this class of drives you can count on 350-550 MB/sec of sequential reading and writing, which is practically the ceiling for the SATA bus. Budgeting manifests itself in random and mixed loads - as a rule, such models are very leisurely in comparison with more expensive models. Although, of course, even this is much better than the fastest hard drives.
It is useful to install such SSDs on old or cheap computers that usually have a hard drive. This gives a significant increase in speed and responsiveness, thanks to which even weak or outdated hardware can be used quite comfortably for several more years. But for modern, powerful configurations, it is better to buy more expensive SSDs so that they are in harmony with the rest of the components.
Good representatives of the class (highlighted especially in bold) reliable models):
- GOODRAM CX300
- Kingston A400
- Kingston SSDNow UV400
- Smartbuy Ignition PLUS
- Smartbuy Revival 2
- Smartbuy Splash 2
- Transcend SSD370
- Western Digital Green
Mid-range SSD
This price range is from 4,000 to 8,500 rubles, which includes drives with a capacity of up to 480 GB, using both TLC and MLC memory. But what’s most interesting is that NVMe solid-state drives are already appearing here, which are inserted into the M.2 slot and produce 2-3 Gb/sec sequential reading and 1-2 Gb/sec write. That is, for quite reasonable money you can achieve the highest performance in disk operations, which is suitable for powerful desktops and workstations.
These NVMe SSDs include:
- A-DATA XPG SX7000
- Apacer Z280
- OCZ RD400
- Patriot Scorch
- Plextor M9PeGN
- SmartBuy M7
- Transcend MTE850
- Western Digital Black
The downside of such affordability is unstable speed under mixed and random loads, as well as a relatively short resource. However, for several years of normal desktop loads, these SSDs are quite suitable.
As for the usual SATA devices, here you can already count on consistently high speeds (up to 580 Mb/sec) and greater durability. Solid state devices based on 3D TLC memory, such as Samsung EVO, deserve special attention.
Mid-segment SSDs are great for both office computers, and for gaming machines and high-performance workstations. If you choose a roomy 480 GB model, then the need for a separate HDD may completely disappear - this volume is more than enough for a work desktop or laptop.
- ADATA Ultimate SU900
- GOODRAM Iridium Pro
- Intel 545s
- Kingston HyperX Savage
- OCZ TR200
- Samsung 850/860 EVO
- Samsung 850 PRO
- Western Digital Blue
Top SSDs
At a price of up to 21,000-22,000 rubles, you can buy a SATA SSD with a capacity of up to 1 TB, or 500-512 GB in NVMe version, providing speeds of several GB/sec and high reliability data storage. That is, here you can choose - comparable to HDD capacity and standard 550 Mb/sec, or 2 times smaller size coupled with outstanding performance. At the same time, NVMe solid state devices can use both M.2 connectors and PCI Express slots, like video cards.
It is clear that SATA drives with a capacity of 960 GB or 1 TB can already completely replace a traditional hard drive, while providing tens or even hundreds of times more high performance. However, SATA bandwidth is not enough to handle very heavy content. When working with photos or videos high definition It will be useful to purchase an NVMe drive. Moreover, professional solutions like Samsung PRO with corresponding properties are available for such a price.
Good representatives of the class (especially reliable models are highlighted in bold), in addition to the models from the previous paragraph:
- Intel 600p
- Kingston HyperX Predator
- Kingston KC400
- Plextor M9Pe
- Samsung 860/960 PRO
Premium segment
This includes all solid-state drives with a price above 22,000 rubles. These are SSDs for professional and corporate purposes, the volume of which starts from 960 GB/1 TB, and up to tens of terabytes. Many of them are designed in the form of a board that is inserted into a PCI Express x4 or x8 slot and has a massive cooling radiator. This is not just a decoration that should convince the buyer of the seriousness of the device. Such SSDs with read speeds of up to 6 GB/sec (Hitachi/HGST models) get very hot, and can even reach throttling due to overheating.
Of course, in this segment there are quite traditional SATA drives of large capacity and reasonable cost, and solid state drives for M.2 with fairly high speeds. But I would like to focus on something very special: Intel Optane drives with innovative 3D XPoint memory.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, 3D XPoint is a completely different type of memory that uses phase transitions of matter, and has nothing to do with the usual SLC/MLC/TLC. The solid state based on it, Intel Optane 900P, is also made in the form of a PCI Express card. At first glance, its characteristics are no different from other NVMe drives - the same 2-2.5 GB/sec read and write. The power of 3D XPoint is manifested in 2 factors: a colossal resource - 5-8 peta write bytes (5-8 thousand TB), and, compared to any other SSD.
Intel Optane can rightfully be called the SSD of the future or truly full-fledged SSDs that are free of the last remnants typical problem hard drives - severe performance drawdowns during random and mixed operations.
Good representatives of the class (especially reliable models are highlighted in bold), in addition to the models from the previous paragraph:
- Corsair Neutron
- Intel Optane 900P
- Intel Pxxxx and Sxxxx series
- Micron xxxx Pro
- Seagate Nitro
- Transcend JetDrive
Choosing an SSD: final points
- Even budget SSDs are fast and reliable enough for home use.
- Relatively inexpensively you can take NVMe models and get several Gb/sec speeds.
- To work with heavy content, it makes sense to buy a professional-grade NVMe SSD.
- If you need an almost eternal drive with enormous performance, then Intel Optane.
- For 25-40 thousand rubles you can get an SSD of several TB in volume and completely forget about hard drives.
Also on the site:
The best SSDs of late 2018 - early 2019 updated: March 1, 2019 by: alex ferman
Solid State Digital Drive ( Solid State Drive) is a generation of modern and fast information storage devices. They use non-volatile Flash technology memory called NAND. Thanks to the developments of Asus, Samsung, Kingston and other giant companies, the SSD has been released into mass production and is available for purchase at a reasonable price. Considering its technical superiority, namely write/read speed, resistance to physical damage and compact sizes, HDD drives every year they are losing their position in the market in favor of young and effective technology.
Today you can buy different SSDs from various manufacturers, in different price categories, with all kinds of connection interfaces (SATA, M2, PCI Express, NGFF). But which one is better to choose? We invite you to take a look at our TOP 7 rating best models solid state hard drives 2018 – 2019.
Features, pros and cons of solid state drives
Let's look at the strengths and weak sides SSDs:
pros
- there are no moving parts in the device case, which means that the disk does not make noise (unlike HDD) and is less susceptible to mechanical damage;
- high speed of writing (up to 500 MB/sec) and reading (up to 540 MB/sec) information from the disk;
- low power consumption (~1.5 W under load);
- modest dimensions (100x70x7 mm).
Minuses
- limited number of rewrite cycles; after the resource is exhausted, the hard drive will be read-only;
- the price of a gigabyte is six to seven times higher than the price of HDD drives;
- Write speed decreases when processing large files.
TOP 7 best SSD drives for a computer: which one is better?
Still, which SSD drive should you choose for your computer? Of the variety of solid-state drives, we have selected the seven best options:
- 120 Gb Kingston SA400S37/120G.
