Semiconductor hard drive. SSD disk for computer. What's happened. Differences between cheap SSDs and expensive ones

Good afternoon. Computer users have long been accustomed to the fact that internal hard disks called HDD. But, not so long ago, SSD hard drives began to appear on the markets. Many people have no idea what it is, SSD drive? Is there a need to replace a regular HDD with them? Are these SSDs really as good as people say they are?

What is an SSD drive

SSD is, as I already stated, solid state drive. U of this disk NAND memory is used. What makes it interesting is that this memory does not require electricity to store information. I can tell you in a language that is more understandable to you, this disk can be compared to a decent-sized flash card. Essentially, this is a flash drive.

I already wrote about a 1 TB and 2 TB flash card. The technology is very similar. The only difference is that the 1 and 2 TB flash drives that I wrote about are actually flash cards. And SSD is - HDD and it has a very decent data writing and reading speed.

The difference between SSD and HDD and their features

So that we can identify these differences solid state drives from disks with spinning mechanisms, let's touch on the theory and operation of these drives.

HDD is a series of round metal plates that rotate on a spindle. Data is written on the surface of the plates with a special small head. If a person begins to copy any information to the disk, or simply launches the software, the disk head begins to move to find the place where it is located. necessary for a person information.

Most of all, it resembles ordinary records from Soviet times, which the people of our country loved so much. But, instead of a needle, this design contains a head for reading data.

Advantages of SSD over HDD

1. The SSD does not have a single part that moves.
2. Based on the first point, the hard drive does not heat up, unlike the HDD, which gets very hot when a complex program or game is running.
3. Since the disc does not move, it operates silently. Also, noiselessness is achieved due to the small-power cooler, which does not need to cool the disk.
4. Due to the absence of moving parts, low power consumption is obtained, approximately half as much.
5. The most obvious thing is that such a disk responds very quickly to human action. That is, if you install on such Windows disk, the computer will start very quickly.

I have presented to you the main advantages of SSD drives, which you can check for yourself. But, interestingly, people still ask similar questions and compare the merits of these Hard Drives:

• Due to the absence of moving parts, solid-state drives operate silently and have a significantly longer service life. Regular disks Most often they break down precisely because of external damage - solid-state drives do not have this problem.
• The temperature of the solid-state drive is always at the required level, regardless of whether the cooler is cooling it or not. A moving disk without a fan can become very hot. Overheating can lead to failures in the program or its mechanical part.

Disadvantages of SSD drives

The main disadvantage of a solid-state drive is its price. It continues to remain decent and has a direct relationship with its volume. The second disadvantage of such a disk is the smaller number of write/erase cycles. A mobile hard drive can be rewritten and turned on/off many times. Solid state has limitations in this sense. But these restrictions in records are difficult to achieve in practice.

As a rule, the warranty period for SSDs is around three to five years. But, in ordinary life, such disks last much longer. From here, don't worry too much about this issue.

The most interesting thing is that there is a hybrid that uses part of a solid-state drive and has moving elements. It's called the SSHD hybrid. Manufacturers in SSHD disk We tried to combine the advantages of these two disks. But, high speed work is noticed only when the computer boots. Information output and recording in this model are approximately the same as in a regular HDD. From here, hybrid models not very popular with people.

How to choose the right SSD drive

Let's say you come to the conclusion that you need to replace an obsolete hard drive and purchase an SSD drive. It became clear to you why SSD is more profitable to buy. But, there is another question, namely, which of SSD drives In this case, is it better to choose?

When you go to computer stores, you see drives that have various controllers, form factors, prices. In all this diversity it is difficult to choose a worthy one. Therefore, to make it easier for you to choose among similar drives, I will give the parameters by which you should purchase an SSD.

Disk speed

Everyone has it hard drive, including solid-state ones, there are two types of speed: reading information and writing. The higher these speeds, the more benefits. But, it is worth remembering that in descriptions of railways the maximum speed is most often written.

SSD disk capacity

I already said that main drawback solid-state drives - this is its cost. As a rule, it depends on the disk capacity. The minimum volume for today is 60 GB. In modern realities, Windows 10 with all its updates may require 80, 90, 100 GB. Therefore, this volume may not even be enough for the system.

But, if you like to play games and are addicted to graphic programs like Photoshop, you need to study drives with a capacity > 120 GB.

Controller and Memory

There are 3 memory variations, which differ from each other in the number of bits in a memory cell - 1 bit (SLC), 2 bits (MLC), 3 bits (TLC). Option 1 is outdated, but this moment it is no longer used. Hence, if you notice a similar option in the disc descriptions, immediately pass by.

MLC is currently more widespread than others. We will choose him. Although, it also has disadvantages. But, at the moment, there is no replacement for it, because... TLC is just beginning to be introduced on store shelves and is priced accordingly.

Regarding controllers, the problem is similar. The most common (popular) technology at the moment is SandForce, which increases the speed of the drive by compressing information before the user writes it.

But it also has a drawback: when the disk is almost completely filled with data, then after clearing this disk, the writing speed will no longer return to its previous rate. In other words, it will now be lower. To solve this problem, you need to remember one thing simple thing: Don’t fill the disk with data to capacity. In this case, after deleting the data, the speed will be OK.

Of course, there are other, expensive controllers with Indilinx, Intel, and Marvell technologies. Analyze your finances, and, if they allow, look at SSDs that have controllers from these manufacturers.

Form Factors and Design

Most of the solid-state drives that exist today are manufactured in the 2.5 form factor, which support the SATA 3 design. But, besides these, other, more expensive options are possible:

1. SSD external,
2. A PCI card that fits directly into the motherboard slot
3. A drive with an mSATA design that is installed in small PCs and laptops.

If we consider the design, then everyone new SSDs the SATA 3 interface is installed, but when on system board If there is an old generation controller (I - th, or II - th), then the hard drive, despite this, can be connected. But, there is a limitation. The data speed will be the same as the old generation controller. In other words, when SATA connection 3 to SATA 2, data speed will be SATA 2.

If the 3.5-inch form factor is important for a PC, then if you want to install a 2.5 SSD, you will need an adapter device called a “Sled”. This adapter is like a small shelf that needs to be hung where you are going to install the drive.

Note: using special adapter is possible SSD installation in place laptop dvd. Some users remove the currently little-used drive and install an SSD drive in its place. On new disk people install Windows. The native hard drive of the laptop is formatted and used to store personal information.

Which SSD company should you choose?

This issue requires close attention. Of course, on many forums you will find posts about what is the best Silicon Power, others will say Kingston. These companies produce various types of discs.

But it is not so. In reality, there are not many manufacturers who actually produce NAND flash memory, unlike brands.

You can also select companies: Samsung, Crucial, SanDisk.

How to work with an SSD drive

If you have successfully purchased and installed the SSD drive, you will start the system and be pleasantly surprised fast work all programs and applications. Also, the system will start up very quickly. In order for your computer to continue to work so quickly, remember the requirements for using SSD drives.

1. Do not fill the drive to capacity, to capacity, otherwise, as I already said, the data writing speed will become slower and, worst of all, it will not be able to recover. This is especially true for SandForce.
2. Operating systems that support TRIM are: Windows 7, 8.1, 10, Linux 2.6.33, Mac OS X 10.6.6.
3. Worth keeping personal information on HDDs. You should not quickly get rid of such a disk if it is in excellent condition. Insert two disks, and record video, audio, photos, and other information on the HDD that does not require high speed.
4. It is advisable to increase the capacity operational card and, if possible, do not use a swap file.

By following these recommendations, you have a chance to extend the life of your SSD drive without damaging it or reducing its speed. You can buy it on AliExpress. Disks on a page range from 120 to 960 GB, i.e., actually 1 TB. You can purchase it via the link.... Judging by the description, the disk is suitable for both Computers and (laptops).

From the screenshot you can see the disk volumes. If you need to install the system, it is enough to purchase a disk with a capacity of 120 GB. If it’s a full-fledged hard drive, then, at your discretion, from 480 to 960 GB. Why do I recommend installing Windows on solid state hard disk? Your system will boot in seconds! If you purchase a 1TB disk, all your programs will work!

In general, you can choose the one you like SSD drive on page...

Abbreviation HDD - hard disk drive- many have already remembered and understand that this is a hard drive. But what is SSD - new abbreviation, which in recent years has been used even more often than HDD? Read about this in our article.

SSD: decryption

SSD stands for solid-state drive and is translated into Russian as “solid-state drive” or, less accurately, “solid-state drive”. Behind this abbreviation lies new technology data storage, more advanced compared to traditional ones hard drives.

SSD drive: what is it?

So, what is it - an SSD drive? main feature such a drive has no moving parts. In ordinary hard drives Data is stored on rotating platters, and this rotation causes a number of disadvantages: firstly, it slows down the reading of data, secondly, it accelerates the wear of the drive and makes it more vulnerable to shock, and thirdly, it generates noise during operation.

Nothing rotates in an SSD - the data here is stored in flash memory, and is written and erased using electric charges. Thanks to this, solid-state drives operate very quickly, do not produce any sounds, and are more resistant to shocks and falls.

True, this technology also has disadvantages. SSDs are significantly more expensive than hard drives of comparable capacity. In addition, the specifics of flash technology impose a limit on the number of rewrite cycles, so theoretically SSDs can fail earlier than hard drives, although practically modern solid-state drives are quite capable of successfully withstanding average term services of a regular user computer.

What is an SSD for?

Since a solid-state drive, as mentioned above, is not the cheapest pleasure, it is thoughtless to buy it to replace a regular one. hard drive not worth it. For storing large amounts of data that do not require high read speed, SSD is still not the best choice. You shouldn’t use it for files that are overwritten many times during the day, otherwise the drive’s service life will quickly come to an end.

Best to install on SSD operating system system - then it will work much faster. Both applications and games that require high speed reading data from the drive will benefit from this. Read our article on how to install a solid-state drive. And to store files, you should equip your computer with a second disk - a traditional HDD.

If you look at modern laptop or a personal computer, you will probably see a solid-state drive in the list of components. This form of data storage has been on the market for years, but has only recently been embraced by the industry and consumers as a viable alternative to traditional hard drives.

So, what is an SSD solid state drive and how does it compare to classic hard drives - HDD?

What is a solid state drive

What the strange word is that? Solid state? The name comes from the English word “Solid”, which means “Solid state”. By solid state we mean electronic circuit, built entirely from semiconductors and is, in fact, an ordinary microcircuit (the green one, with a bunch of incomprehensible “tracks” on it).

“Hmm, yes, but this has always been the case in all the devices that we broke in childhood,” some, and maybe many, thought. But no, or rather, yes, but no. That is, yes, in those devices that you and I broke in childhood, indeed, there were already quite a lot of green microcircuits, but before that, a long time ago, most devices consisted of vacuum tubes, various wires, switches and a bunch of others all kinds of details. A good example Such a device is a transistor radio, copies of which may be remembered by music lovers from the times of the USSR and the early 90s..

So, Solid-state drive is a solid-state drive, a digital data storage device based on a semiconductor memory chip. I won’t delve into the subtleties (and I don’t really know these subtleties - hehe), so as not to clog your brain with unnecessary, unnecessary garbage.

The times of vintage transistors have long since sunk into oblivion, and nowadays almost all electronic devices made on the basis of semiconductors, including that same radio.

But, if we talk about such a market niche as “data storage media,” then, until recently, the well-known hard drives ruled the roost, whose operating principle is based on the interaction of magnetic disks, and not semiconductors, as in SSDs.

Now you can object that such data storages have existed for a long time in the form of flash drives connected to a USB connector. And you, by by and large, you will be right, because SSD and flash use the same type energy saving schemes memories that retain their information even in the absence of power. The difference lies in the form factor and capacity of the drives, as well as in the fact that the flash drive is designed for external use V computer system, and an SSD for placement inside the computer, instead of a traditional hard drive, or next to it.

Most SSDs are very similar in appearance to classic HDDs, the only difference being the form factor (roughly speaking, the size of the seat). Hard drives, as a rule, have a 3.5’’ form factor and system units are equipped with exactly these seats recent years. U SSD sizes more compact, respectively, smaller form factor - 1.8’’ and 2.5’’. But this does not mean that such SSDs cannot be installed in old cases, because the compatibility problem is solved with the help of a special carriage, or with the help of improvised means and imagination.

Some SSDs look more like memory card chips than HDDs, because they are simply a chip with a connector for connection. These SSDs include models with M.2 and PCI-Express form factors.

There are also ones that combine the advantageous aspects of HDD and solid state drives. They have the same form factor and memory capacity as hard drives, but they also have some nice SSD capabilities.

Why use an SSD

Solid state drives have a number of advantages over magnetic hard drives and they are due to the fact that SSDs have no moving parts, while HDDs have motors to rotate the magnetic platters and drive heads. All storage on an SSD is handled by flash memory chips, and this provides three obvious advantages:

• Less power consumption- This key factor, Why using SSD has become so popular in laptop computers, because unlike hard drives, SSDs do not require power for motors, and accordingly, power consumption is significantly reduced;
• More fast access to data- since the drive does not need to spin up the disk and move the heads, data is read and written with incredible speed fast speed, which adds a lot of pleasant sensations to using a PC or laptop;
• High reliability- hard drives are very fragile and sensitive to various external factors devices. Even a slight shake or fall is enough to cause problems in HDD operation. Since an SSD has no moving parts and the data is stored on the chip, the drive is much less likely to be damaged by an accidental drop or transportation in a car.

Taken together, these factors are making what is happening now - gradual displacement from the market magnetic hard disks. But, since the cost of SSD is still quite high, the complete migration of users from HDD to SSD will take more than one year, or even decades. By the way, about this.

Why SSD is not used on all PCs

The main limiting factor in the use of SSDs in portable and desktop computers is their high cost. For the last SSD time, of course, have become more affordable as the price of devices has come down to reasonable values, but one megabyte on an SSD still costs about three times more than the same megabyte on an HDD. Or even more, because the higher the disk capacity, the greater the price difference becomes.

The capacity is also important factor in the adoption of solid state drives as the only non-alternative technology for data storage. Average laptop, equipped with an SSD, will have a memory capacity of 128 to 256 GB. This is roughly equivalent to what was installed in laptops a few years ago - today most laptops are equipped with HDD capacity 500 GB or more. Desktop systems have an even greater imbalance between SSDs and hard drives, since the average PC is equipped with a HDD of 1 TB or more.

Therefore, at the moment, a complete transition of users to SSD is not advisable due to the high cost and small volume. But, in fact, it’s even more likely to be the first than the second, because there are 4 GB SSDs, but they cost quite a serious investment. In this regard, the second reason rather follows from the first - the very high price of the devices.

Good day, dear blog readers. From the very beginning of the advent of computers, we have seen how rapidly the volume of hard drives has increased.

About 10 years ago, no one with you could imagine having in their computer hard 1 TB disk, and 5 years ago a 1 TB hard drive was a luxury and was very expensive.

Today, among hard drives, a capacity of 1 TB is the most optimal choice. You can fit anything on 1TB; there are also 1.5, 2 and even 3 TB hard drives.

In my opinion, today any hard drive can cope with its main task - data storage. When working with any operating room Windows system, quite often the computer begins to slow down due to increased load on the hard drive.

Therefore, all articles devoted to optimization and Windows acceleration from the section « » , were aimed at accelerating and reducing the load on it.

What's happened SSD drive

Many of you may have heard about solid state drive technology.SSD.Today I will try to reveal to you the known pros and cons of these drives in comparison withHDD.

What is an SSD drive and why is it better than a HDD?

SSD drivesconsist of a controller and memory chips, while the drive does not contain moving parts; this, by the way, is one of important advantages in front of the HDD. There are two typesSSDdrives areSSD driveusing flash memory andRAMmemory.

In a nutshell,SSDdrives usingRAMmemory are the fastest and most expensive storage devices in the world. The cost of one gigabyte of such a drive starts at $80 and can exceed $500.

Besides the price, the main differenceSSDRAMfrom flash is in volatile memory, similar to RAM (memory stores data only when the computer is turned on; if it is turned off, the memory is completely cleared).

SSD drivesCheaper, slower and non-volatile drives based on flash memory.

They are widely used in desktop computers, unlikeSSD RAMwhich are used only on super-powerful computers with backup batteries, in case it happens emergency shutdown electricity.

Now let's talk about the main advantages and disadvantagesSSD flashfrom the ones we are used toHDD.

Benefits of SSD

No moving mechanical parts - meaning that over timeSSDwill not “crumble” likeHDD,since there is nothing to spill in it.

Read and write speed is faster - UnlikeHDD,who cannot reach their full potentialSATA II – SATA III (3 – 6 Gb/s).

SpeedSSDdisks are limited precisely by this interface. That is, if it weren’t for the recording speed limit of 6Gb/sonSATA III, SSDcould work even faster.

Compactness - SSDmore compact and usually come in accordance with the form factor 2.5. WhileHDDdesktop PCs, it's 3.5.

No noise - anyHDDwith increased load on the plates, it begins to show signs of life in the form of noise and crackling.SSDcan’t do that :)

Strength - SSDmore resistant to mechanical stress and have wide range operating temperatures, including very high ones, at whichHDDI just couldn't work.

Since there are so many advantages, there must certainly be disadvantages to these super-fast drives. Why else?SSDare still not on everyone’s computers, butHDDare they still selling successfully?

Flaws

Overwriting - This is the biggest drawbackSSD.DrivesSSDhave a limited number of rewrites and usually can be rewritten no more than 10,000 thousand times. WhereinHDD(if my memory serves me right :)) successfully overwritten about a million times.

I have never heard that this problem is quite critical for usersSSD.In addition, most of them are familiar with this drawback, so they use the linkSSD + HDD.

Mainly used for rewritingHDD,ASSDused to speed up loading and workWindowsand all programs installed on the drive.

Compatibility - At the moment onlyWindows 7knows how to work correctly withSSDdrives.

All previous operating systems load it with unnecessary page file technologies,Ready Boostetc. Which significantly reduce the service life, so purchasingSSDuse it exclusivelyWindows 7.

Price - Price forSSDdrives are significantly higher than conventional onesHDD.At the same time, the cost itselfSSDformed depending on the number of gigabytes (1-1.5$ for 1 GB).

Unlike the costHDD,the cost for which is formed based on the cost and number of plates. Probably because of this shortcomingSSDdrives are still not as popular asHDD,but every year prices for1 GBSSDdrive falls, and along with it, the price ofHDD.

Conclusion

SSDAn extremely useful, cool and expensive thing, therefore it requires appropriate attention. My usage patternSSDlike this.

Let's take itSSDbased on your needs - for me personally 64 GB (that’s 60-70$ on average) forWindowsand there are enough programs. I'll bet with himHDD1 TB, which I use as storage for frequent rewriting of information. I install all this onWindows 7 (O.S. herselfSSD).

As a result, everything flies very quickly and I’m not afraid that mySSDwill soon fail, since some important data is stored only onHDD.

For those who still doubt the need to purchaseSSD,) and criteria. Under no circumstances should these methods be used onSSD,since this not only will not increase his productivity, but may also harm him.

In principle, that’s all, I hope that I was able to reveal the topic for youSSDdrives. In any case, if you have questions, ask in the comments, I’m always happy to help :)