Choosing an SSD drive - how to buy a good SSD (solid state drive) drive. SSD disk for computer. Which is better

The market for equipment and components is replete with various options, among which it is very easy to get lost. Recently, SSD drives have become increasingly popular, despite their price category. In a number of parameters they outperform, and their diversity allows you to choose the best option.

Decide on the main reason why you need to purchase the disk.
Initially, it would be useful to select several options for SSD drives, and then make a comparison. You should rely not only on the price issue, but also on the basic characteristics.
The price of a drive depends on its capacity. It is believed that the larger the size of the SSD disk, the higher the speed of its operation. In a situation where it is simply not possible to buy an expensive device for storing and recording information, it is better to give preference to SSD drives in the range of 64-240 gigabytes. They are quite affordable, and will please you with both capacity and speed.
To choose the right SSD drive for your computer, you should consider the “native” parameters. Its performance will vary depending on the technical specifications. Because of this, installing a flash drive on older PCs may not be a practical solution.
When choosing a drive, it is better to give preference to those options whose interface is SATA III or PCI-E. This option may be especially relevant for an SSD drive for a laptop; the information transfer speed will be very decent.
In some cases, it is better to purchase two different SSD drives, but each with a small maximum capacity. Installing the necessary programs on different devices, as well as saving various information, will simplify your work. And it will reduce the risk of instant loss of all data if the drive fails.
When choosing a storage drive, based primarily on its capacity, you need to remember one more nuance. Many SSD drives noticeably reduce their initial performance when there is less than 70-75% free space left.

SSD drive selection options

When studying the product certificate, it should be noted that the device has a built-in ability to independently get rid of unnecessary information, “garbage”. It is better to choose an SSD drive that has available support TRIM.

The manufacturer of the device also plays an important role. There is a huge selection on the modern market, but you need to give preference to proven brands. Leading companies that have proven themselves include:

Samsung, it is believed that their drives are the fastest;
Intel, very reliable and quite durable devices, but are among the most expensive;
Kingston, popular and relatively budget SSD drives;
Plextor, they are on sale for a shorter period of time, but at the same time they differ in quality and speed of work;
Crucial, this company, being a subsidiary of Micron, offers budget products based on controllers from Marvell.

What else should you rely on when deciding how to choose the right SSD drive?

Frome factor. When buying an SSD for a laptop, you should choose models from 2.5” and below. SSD disk for computer – 3.5 inches. For tablet computers – ultra-thin models (M5M).
Controller. It is better to choose an SSD with a controller from Marvell, Intel, MDX, SandForce.
Memory type. There are 3 types: SLC, MLC, TLC. The SLC type is the most successful choice, although it is more expensive than the other two. However, with it the service life of the drive will be 10-12 times longer.
IOPS. Responsible for the number of operations per second, this indicator affects the speed of the solid-state drive. The higher it is, the better the SSD drive, but the price can also be steep.
Energy consumption data. If you are purchasing an SSD drive for a laptop or netbook, you should take one with a significantly lower value compared to other models.

SSD or HDD: which is better, what to give preference to

Both SSD and HDD belong to the category of devices for recording and storing information. However, there are significant differences between them.

HDD is a familiar hard drive called a “hard” or hard drive. Its work is based on recording information on magnetic disks. This version of the device is used in personal computers, laptops and other similar equipment.

SSD- This is a “new generation” hard drive. It is a solid-state drive, its basis is NAND flash memory chips, due to this it is often called a “flash drive”. Suitable for various devices, but most often this drive is preferred in laptops, smartphones and netbooks.

The NAND memory interface is currently represented by the following models:

Toggle DDR 2.0/ONFi 3.0 – 500 MB/s;
ONFi 2X – 200 MB/s;
Toggle DDR 1.0 – 166 MB/s;
ONFi 1.0 – 50 MB/s.

It is difficult to answer unequivocally the question of which storage option is the best. Both devices have their pros and cons, including technical characteristics. Even based on the individual properties of an SSD disk and hard drive, one can draw a conclusion about the strengths and weaknesses of a particular device.

Comparison of some technical characteristics of an SSD drive and a hard drive

Characteristic	SSD drive	HDD drive
Maximum volume	Up to 1 terabyte	More than 5 terabytes
Read and write speed	Up to 100,000 IOPS
Maximum power consumption
Energy consumption when idle
Ability to restore information in case of breakdown	Hardly ever	Restoration is acceptable
Durability	5 years or more	More than 10 years
Ability to overwrite information	Limited	There are practically no restrictions

Based on the data in the table, it can be seen that, depending on the base, the advantages will be either on the side of a traditional hard drive or on the side of an SSD drive. An additional important nuance within SSD drives is the fact that it is impossible to format this device, unlike a hard drive.

Additional advantages of an SSD drive

Almost completely silent.
Strength and impact resistance.
Does not respond to vibrations.
Does not heat up during operation.
The risk of failure is small, in contrast to the propensity for HDD failures.
Light weight.
Work is carried out simultaneously using several channels of information transmission.
A device with an installed solid-state drive will work without interruption in a multitasking situation (open browser, downloading information, running a computer game, checking for viruses, and so on).

Brief overview of the best SSD drive models

A capacious and relatively budget model that is quite popular among buyers. A distinctive feature that is noted in many reviews about the device is that the data processing speed is 70 MB/s higher than the numbers indicated in the certificate. Owners of the drive note that starting the OS and opening “heavy” programs does not take more than 10 seconds. But, unfortunately, this particular model of SSD drive is difficult to work with information in full, without compression.

This series of drives has variations in capacity up to 16 gigabytes up to 240. Operates with a SATA III interface.

Controller: SandForce.

Write and read speed: up to 450 MB/s.

From factor: 2.5 inches.

Memory type: MLC.

Price range from 6,000 rubles to 9,000 rubles.

An affordable drive that features a large cache and V-NAND memory. The minimum warranty period for the device is 3 years. The device has TurboWrite capability. The line of these SSD drives includes models whose capacity reaches one terabyte. In size and appearance, it is a very small, thin device, weighing no more than 66 g.

Memory option: TLC (3D V-NAND).

Controller: Samsung (MGX/MEX).

Interface: SATA III.

Reading speed: 540 MB/s.

Write speed: 520 MB/s.

Price range from 7,500 rubles to 10,500 rubles.

Suitable for experienced users, as well as for devices that experience heavy loads during operation. According to reviews, it is the SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD drive that does not lose its original data input and output speed throughout the entire time of use. The device operates based on the SATA III interface. However, this SSD is not intended for use on servers.

Such a device is needed to work with “heavy” programs (graphics, video, photography), as well as to successfully run complex video games. The manufacturer promises a warranty of up to 10 years. The size allows the SSD drive to be used in ultrabooks, and not just for PCs or laptops. There is also the possibility of automatic cleaning of “garbage”. The drive is based on a Marvell controller.

From factor: 2,5’’.

Memory type: MLC.

Reading speed: 550 MB/s.

Write speed: 520 MB/s.

Price range from 9,000 rubles to 11,600 rubles.

Choosing a solid-state drive is a responsible and difficult process. However, relying on important criteria and clearly understanding the final goal for which the purchase is being made, choosing the best option will be much easier.

Installing the best SSD on your computer is a quick and easy way to improve your PC's performance over a traditional hard drive. Here are our picks for the best SSDs for gaming, so you can skip the sales consultant noodles and maximize your PC's performance.

SSDs aren't just the preserve of the PC gaming elite anymore—even the best SSDs are now more affordable than ever. In addition, new technologies are being developed that make them faster, as well as provide more powerful and affordable SSD capabilities.

Glossary of SSD terms
There are so many different SSD technologies, interfaces, and protocols that make it difficult for the average consumer to choose. So now we've selected the top drives to help you find the best SSD for you.

The best SSD drives for comfortable gaming:

Samsung 960 EVO 500GB

Controller: Samsung Polaris | Memory: Samsung 3-bit MLC | Socket: M.2 (NVMe)

Approx. $234 / £212

When it comes to achieving a combination of speed, capacity and cost, it's nearly impossible to beat Samsung's mainstream PCIe SSD. The 960 EVO is an outstanding piece of storage silicon and represents the pinnacle of all SSD drives available today. The 1TB version can still be quite expensive at $480 (£401).

The main choice for SSD is 500 GB disk space. This is enough to install Windows and the most regular games in your Steam library, and at a much more reasonable price. The Samsung 960 EVO 500GB is available for around $240 (£212).

TurboWrite technology means its TLC V-NAND can often perform at the same levels as the more expensive SLC memory type, thanks to some dynamic caching algorithms. And this means that it can easily outperform most professional drives in real time and in synthetic tests.

However, it's worth noting here that this is an M.2 SSD, which means you'll either need to have an M.2 socket on your motherboard or use an expansion card adapter and stick it in a spare PCIe slot. Sometimes there can be problems loading the OS from adapters, especially on older motherboards, so this is something to keep in mind. But if your hardware is more or less new, you shouldn’t pay attention to it.

Samsung is at the top of the SSD world, and that makes the 960 EVO the best SSD to start playing games and get the most out of them right away.

Controller: Silicon Motion SM2260 | Memory: Intel 3D TLC | Socket: M.2 PCIe

Approx. $219 / £161

The Intel SSD 600p is a pretty interesting SSD. Intel typically targets highly specialized, high-value, high-performance parts, although the SSD 600p is aiming for a more mainstream market. It packs a lower-cost controller and TLC memory to make it one of the most affordable PCIe drives today. It may not be the fastest, but it is quite a promising SSD. A great little entry-level NVMe SSD.

Samsung 850 EVO 500GB

Approx. $160 / £138

I recommend a two year old SSD, it's pretty good these days and shows excellent results. When it comes to SATA connections, the limits have long been reached. The interface has a theoretical maximum of 600 MB/s, and modern 2.5-inch SSDs. So, although it's old fashioned now, the 850 EVO is still around the best, and at a reasonable price too.

Approx. $195 / £161

Previous versions of Kingston's HyperX SATA drivers used a slow SandForce controller, but more recent Savage drives have a more powerful Phison memory controller that allows for significantly improved performance on uncompressible (video and graphics files) data, as well as 4k random read/write speeds. These itty bitty -files are a good indicator of the overall performance of the OS under standard use. The HyperX Savage is a very capable SSD at a great price.

Controller: Samsung Polaris | Memory: Samsung 2-bit MLC | Socket: M.2 (NVMe)

Approx. $587 / £489

If the Samsung 960 EVO can pass almost the same synthetic tests as the 960 Pro, why would you spend the extra money? For most users, there's no need for a pro-tier SSD, but if you want the fastest SSD available, then the 960 Pro would be one of them. Sure, the EVO is fast in synthetic testing, but it uses some tricks to get there, while the Pro's more powerful MLC memory is too much in its raw state without any additional software magic to tear up all tests.

The 960 Pro comes with a full five-year warranty and has twice the runtime of the EVO. If you have a serious workhorse that's constantly inundated with large amounts of data, you need to choose the reliability of the 960 Pro.

The Pro is also clearly faster in our real-world file transfer testing, transferring our 30GB folder of mixed files about 15 seconds faster than its little brother.

For most PC gamers, Samsung's SSD has really gone the extra mile. If you still think you need PRO or EVO, look at the tests below.

Controller: Intel NVMe | Memory: Intel MLC | Slot: PCIe (NVMe)

Approx. $425 / £365

When Intel first abandoned the SSD 750 drive, it lost its lead. While it's still competitive, the write performance is half that of Samsung's latest 960-inch drives, which knocked it into second place. However, its 4x random speed is still the best in the business, making it a very responsive SSD, and the 400GB version is really bordering on affordable right now.

Controller: Marvell 9187 | Memory: SanDisk MLC | Jack: SATA (AHCI)

Approx. $240 / £200

It may seem a little misleading to recommend this product as "high-end," but despite its relative age, the SanDisk Extreme Pro is one of the most powerful SSD devices you'll find. It has decent levels of overall storage performance, slightly lower than the Samsung 850 Pro. Even when you seriously clog the drive with a lot of data, it will still continue to operate at the same speed, making it the best SATA drive for heavy workloads. Have you ever noticed how your system slows down when loading games from Steam onto your boot drive? Not if you are using Extreme Pro. And this is a good price for such a reliable SSD.

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB

Controller: Samsung MEX | Memory: Samsung 3-bit MLC | Jack: SATA (AHCI)

Approx. $95 / £85

Because their SSD components are made in-house—from memory to cache to controller software—Samsung can be incredibly aggressive on price. This in turn means that their lower bandwidth drives are some of the cheapest, as well as the fastest, SSDs out there. Samsung is truly in all sectors, making their 850 EVO easily the best budget SSD.

The EVO 250GB doesn't quite match the speeds of its high-power siblings, sitting below the 500MB/s read and below 400MB/s write mark, but it's still strong when it comes to 4 random reads/ drive recording. This means it still responds well as an SSD when it comes to general use, even if it's a little slower at handling large files.

HyperX Savage 240GB

Controller: Phison S10 | Memory: Toshiba MLC | Jack: SATA (AHCI)

Approx. $120 / £99

The HyperX Savage is an excellent drive in this market, with a $100+ price tag delivering impressive performance in both sequential and 4x random testing. Due to the over-provisioning of the Phison controller, you lose a bit more storage space due to the base 256GB NAND memory inside, but what's 10GB.

Everything you need to know about testing

We measure SSD performance in several ways. Manufacturers will always quote peak sequential read/write speeds for their drives, but often some of the drives barely match the average performance we get in benchmarking. In our testing, we measure both maximum read/write speeds using compressed data using ATTO benchmarks, and average performance with incompressible data from the AS SSD.

SSD memory controllers often use memory compression algorithms to improve file processing times, but if they encounter file types that they cannot compress (if they are already compressed, such as video and audio files), performance can slow down greatly. This was the biggest problem with the previously ubiquitous SandForce controller. However, modern controllers have less of a problem with incompressible data.

We also test the random 4k read/write performance of this drive. The tiny 4kb files represent constant reads and writes from your disk drives that run for as long as your system is running, a general maintenance that the operating system loves to receive. The faster the drive can handle these tiny files, the more responsive they will feel during everyday use.

How to choose an SSD

The best SSDs have revolutionized the hard drive market, delivering faster data transfer speeds every year, requiring technological innovation from chip designers, motherboard manufacturers and interface designers.

The first thing you need to talk about when you want to buy an SSD is capacity. All SSDs will be faster than the spinning mechanical drives of a standard HDD, but OL HDDs still have the advantage of coming in huge sizes for small amounts. And games, applications and other resources are only growing, requiring large volumes of disks.

For this reason, I would say that for any SSD under 240GB it is a waste of money. With games like Doom and Hitman taking up 72GB and 61GB respectively. You'll only be able to get your operating system and maybe four games onto your fast boot drive. Ideally, you want as much free space as possible.

To choose a high-speed storage device, you need to know how they and their memory controllers work. SSDs are basically made up of NAND flash memory chips (where the storage happens), a DRAM memory chip, and a memory controller (the brain).

Most memory controllers really excel at multi-threading, so the more NAND chips connected to a multi-channel memory controller, the faster the drive can capture data. With high-capacity drives, where there are more NAND chips, it will be faster.

SATA or PCIe?

One of the most popular questions is what to choose - should you go with a standard SATA-based drive or choose one of the new fangled PCIe-based M.2 NVMe options?

The SATA interface is the basic connection on which your hard drives have been connected for years, and it has barely evolved. The SATA interface has been upgraded to provide a theoretical limit of 600 MB/s. At the time, this seemed fast, doubling the previous speed, but SSD performance grew rapidly to reach this limit, thereby displacing the SATA interface.

Thus, the upper echelons of the SSD market have moved to the higher bandwidth offered by the PCIe interface. Unfortunately, they were still tied to the AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) protocol, a set of commands for each storage device.

A PCIe SSD uses the AHCI protocol and still must be launched through a variety of legacy commands designed to spin up hard drives. This wastes a whole bunch of processing cycles, and means it has to respond until commands are processed and largely ignored before it can actually do anything. This is why a new protocol was desperately needed to advance solid state drives. This resulted in a non-volatile transfer protocol (NVMe) built from the ground up specifically to take advantage of solid-state environments. NVMe has about a third the number of instructions in the stack, freeing up compatible SSDs to use the full bandwidth offered by the PCIe interface.

Many computer users periodically think about upgrading their equipment, and one of the modern and effective upgrade methods is to install a solid-state drive or SSD in tandem on a personal computer or laptop, and, as an option, instead of the already familiar HDD (hard drives or hard drives) .

But since large-scale solid-state drives have become widespread not so long ago, many users have a rather poor understanding of them. Should I buy an SSD drive for my computer? Which is better? There are a number of main differences that characterize SSDs. We will try to tell you about them. And then we will look at individual models from the main manufacturers.

SSD is an abbreviation that translates into Russian roughly as “solid-state drive.” It is a non-mechanical data storage device. It has no moving parts, unlike the mechanical HDD we are all familiar with. The SSD consists of memory chips and a control controller. On average, the exchange speed when working with data (reading and writing data operations) of an SSD disk is 100 times higher than that of an HDD. For example, the response speed of hard drives is in the range of 10 – 19 milliseconds, and solid-state drives operate in the range of 0.1 – 0.4 milliseconds. For an SSD user, there are several strengths and weaknesses of such equipment.

Positive points:

High data processing speed – both reading and writing.
Low power consumption and low heating during operation.
Complete absence of noise during operation.
Small dimensions of the device.
Resistance to mechanical damage, electromagnetic fields, temperature changes.
Stable speed of data processing, independent of the level of data fragmentation.

Negative points:

High cost of the device.
Vulnerability to electrical influence.
Limited number of data rewrite cycles.
Possibility of losing information without the possibility of its recovery.

SSD Key Indicators

Storage capacity

When purchasing an SSD, first of all, we pay attention to its capacity and must select it depending on the tasks that we plan to perform on such a device.

When working in standard user mode as a home multimedia device with small toys and basic simple tasks, you can choose a small SSD - the operating system and software will be installed on it, and data archives such as photographs, films, documents, etc. can be stored on the second device – the good old HDD. An SSD with a capacity of 60-64 GB is quite suitable.

If the user sets slightly more complex tasks for the equipment, such as working with video editors, design software and other professional applications, you will have to purchase a larger SSD. In this case, we can recommend drives with a capacity of 120-128 GB of memory.

In turn, the gamer will need an even larger drive, because modern games take up quite large sections of disk space. Here it would be better to take a closer look at an SSD with a capacity of 240-256 GB.

In the event of a complete transition of the user from HDD to SSD, there are already high-capacity models of solid-state drives on the device market - 480, 960 GB and higher.

Of course, first of all, you will have to focus on the financial capabilities and tasks that you personally set for your personal computer. The cost of solid-state drives directly depends on their volume. Simple storage of data that is not handled daily is still more advisable to store on more capacious and cheaper, although slower, HDDs.

It is worth knowing about the following nuance of SSDs: the larger the capacity of the drive, the higher speeds it will operate. The difference in the speed of reading and writing data can increase two to three times depending on the amount of memory. For example, SSDs of the same model range, produced by the same company, with a capacity of 128 GB will give us speeds of up to 200 MB/sec, and with a capacity of 512 GB - more than 400 MB/sec. This is due to the fact that during its operation the SSD controller accesses all memory crystals in parallel and, accordingly, higher capacity means higher number of crystals means more parallel operations.

You can also pay attention to the fact that different manufacturers indicate different disk capacities for seemingly the same capacity group. For example, 120 and 128, 480 and 512. The fact is that these disks have a capacity of 128 and 512 GB, respectively, but the manufacturer, for one reason or another, reserves part of the memory of its drives (this reserve is usually intended to level out the wear of flash memory cells and to replace those cells that fail).

Drive connection interface

The speed of operation when upgrading a computer by installing an SSD drive on it directly depends on its connection interface to the motherboard.

Many current solid-state drives are available with a SATA 3 interface. If your motherboard has SATA 1 or SATA 2 controllers, the SSD connected to them will not be able to work with the full performance and speeds declared by its manufacturer. To solve this problem, you need to install a SATA 3 controller on the motherboard, otherwise the upgrade will be insufficient, or even almost imperceptible. Modern SSDs are ready to provide data writing speeds of up to 400 MB/sec, and reading speeds of up to 500 MB/sec. This speed can only be achieved by working with the SATA 3 connection interface, since SATA 2 is designed for data exchange speeds of up to approximately 270 Mb/s, and SATA 1 is even lower - no more than 150 Mb/s.

In addition to the usual connection of the drive to SATA ports, SSD drives with a PCI-express connection interface have appeared, which are installed in the corresponding ports.

There are M.2 form factor drives that can also be connected to PCI-express and PCI ports via an additional adapter.

Drive controller

Flash memory cells perform all their work with the rest of the systems of our computer through the controller chip built into the SSD. Many performance indicators of the drive depend on this controller, such as: operating speeds, memory lifespan, resistance to data corruption in cells, as well as support for various technologies that improve SSD performance. There are currently many controllers being produced, and even one manufacturer of solid-state drives uses different controllers in different models. It should be noted that currently controllers from manufacturers such as Marvell, Samsung, and Intel have proven themselves to be the best. Phison and SandForce SSD controllers perform well in the middle class. It is worth paying attention to SSDs with reliable Indilinx controllers.

Understanding the models of certain controllers is not always easy, so you should pay attention first of all to a well-known brand (due to the fact that the quality control of well-known manufacturers is still much higher), to the actual tests carried out on the specific drive model being selected, and to the declared manufacturer specifications.

Drive memory type

One of the most important technical indicators of an SSD is the type on which the drive is built. Modern manufacturers create their devices using three main types of memory, which differ in the number of memory bits per physical cell:

NAND TLC – 3 bits of information per 1 physical cell
NAND MLC – 2 bits of information per 1 physical cell
NAND SLC – 1 bit of information per 1 physical cell

Both the cost of the drive and its “lifetime”, that is, the possible number of rewrite cycles, directly depend on the technology used to create memory. The cost of memory decreases as the number of bits per physical cell increases, but this reduces the possible number of rewrite cycles that a given cell can withstand. That is, in simple terms, a 128 GB SSD with TLC memory type will cost much less than an SSD of the same capacity but with MLC memory type, but it will also survive a relatively small number of rewrite cycles. Approximate figures are as follows: the write limit on drives built on TLS memory is only 1000 cycles; on MLC memory – up to 3 thousand cycles; and the SLC type, in turn, can withstand from 5 to 10 thousand rewrite cycles.

When purchasing an SSD, the best option seems to be with NAND MLC type of drive memory, since NAND SLC type of memory is usually used in the most expensive segment of solid-state drives and, rather, is necessary for working on server stations where data is constantly being rewritten. At the same time, while delighting us with their cheapness, SSD drives with NAND TLC memory type can upset us by losing their performance much earlier than we expect.

Modern technologies do not stand still, and to replace previous memory types, leading companies are already beginning to produce memory types for SSDs built on new types of architecture. After the previous flat-plane memory cells, Samsung, and after it Toshiba, together with SanDisk and Intel, together with Micron, are developing 3D NAND technology, which can significantly improve the performance of previous bit-cell construction models. Currently, SSDs with 3D NAND memory technology belong to the most expensive segment of the solid-state drive market.

Drive clipboard

The presence of a clipboard (cache) based on DDR3 memory somewhat speeds up the operation of an SSD drive, but also makes it more expensive for the buyer. The calculation is simple - for 1 GB of disk space, for optimal operation of a drive with this type of cache, there should be 1 MB of DDR3 memory. That is, an SSD with a capacity of 120-128 GB should have 128 MB DDR3 memory, with a capacity of 480-512 GB - 512 MB DDR3, and so on.

Cheaper models of SSD drives have a clipboard based on older types of memory - DDR2. The difference in the speed of drives on different types of clipboard is not a significant indicator.

Protecting the drive from blackout

SSD drives whose clipboard is built on DDR3 memory should ideally be equipped with technology to protect against sudden power outages. The technology is called “Power Protection” and allows you to save data from the clipboard to memory in the event of a sudden power outage. An ordinary UPS (UPS) performs the same function, allowing you to correctly complete work with data. So if you have a UPS or an SSD clipboard that is not based on DDR3, this function is not particularly important.

TRIM function

Depending on the manufacturer, SSDs support a wide variety of technologies that are created to improve their functionality. The most important of these technologies for SSDs is the . A solid-state drive that is not equipped with the TRIM function, when working with memory cells in which information was previously saved and then deleted, begins to operate at a reduced speed. This happens because before writing again to previously used memory cells, the SSD is forced to clear them first. While the TRIM function clears previously used memory cells in advance at the time of not very active disk use. So the TRIM function is a “garbage collection” function and is important for maintaining the overall speed of the SSD during the second and subsequent rewrites of data into memory cells. Without TRIM, the speed of the drive decreases very noticeably.

Understanding SSD manufacturers

Let us next consider the main manufacturers of SSD drives. Does it make sense to purchase not-so-cheap new equipment made by completely unknown manufacturers, albeit at more attractive prices? It is rightly believed that well-known brands make higher demands on their production and care about the quality of their products much more than those who do not necessarily need to maintain a decent level of equipment released to the market. When buying a drive from an unknown company, we are simply purchasing a “pig in a poke.”

Let us list the manufacturers under whose brand they produce reliable products that have long and firmly established themselves in the electronic devices market.

Toshiba is one of the oldest and most famous brands producing SSDs. They do not simply assemble devices, but also have their own production of flash memory and have proven themselves worthily in the long-term production of HDDs.
Samsung is a well-known company and one of the leaders in the SSD market. They have made and continue to make many developments specifically in the field of solid-state drives. The company supplies SSD flash memory and controllers of its own production.
Intel is also a leading company in the production of modern equipment and the latest technological developments. Devices produced by Intel, as a rule, belong to the expensive price segment, but are usually extremely reliable. Some SSD models are produced by it on its own controllers, and flash memory is created in its own production facilities (joint with other well-known companies). The five-year warranty from Intel also perfectly characterizes the equipment from this company.
Crucial is a brand used by the well-known company Micron in the production of SSD drives. Many users have long been familiar with Micron products and are accustomed to trusting them. Micron produces flash memory together with Intel, and the controllers it installs in its equipment are Marvell controllers. At the same time, Crucial drives in their price category are aimed at the budget segment of the market.
Corsair is a manufacturer that has long proven itself in the electronic equipment market. The SSD drives they produce are somewhat more expensive, but they fully maintain the high quality of their model lines. Corsair is attentive to the components of its solid-state drives and uses SSD controllers from manufacturers that have proven themselves in this market - Phison, SandForce, LAMD. They produce several lines of SSDs.
SanDisk is a fairly popular brand that cares about the quality of its products. SSDs are equipped with flash memory, which is used by the already mentioned Toshiba. The company has long been engaged in the production of equipment one way or another related to solid-state drives - USB flash drives, memory cards.
Plextor - SSDs for this brand are manufactured by Lite-On. The quality, however, is very decent. SSDs from Plextor are equipped with Intel-Crucial (Micron) or Toshiba flash memory, and controllers are installed from the same Marvell. Drives marketed under the Plextor brand have some of the best speed and reliability.
Kingston is a company that has been firmly entrenched in the electronic equipment market for quite a long time. It is represented on the market by a fairly wide range of SSD drives, which are equipped with controllers from well-known manufacturers - Phison, SandForce.

As we have already said, when purchasing a solid-state drive, you need to focus, first of all, on your budget and the tasks that you set for the new equipment. But there is no doubt that the equipment must be from a trusted manufacturer, with a sufficiently long warranty. The market for solid-state drives is large, however, let's summarize our recommendations.

It is better to purchase a well-known brand with a reliable long-term warranty.
The controller manufacturer is no less important than the memory cell manufacturer.
The higher the total disk volume, the higher its speed indicators.
The lifespan of an SSD primarily depends on the technology used to create the memory cells. The optimal technology is MLC type of drive memory.
When purchasing an SSD, you need to take into account how the new equipment will be connected, that is, the interface for connecting it to the system should be clear to you.
TRIM function support is important.

Understanding SSD prices

Here are a few of the best, in our opinion, SSD options.

Among the models designed for the average user with a capacity of 120/128 Gigabytes, you can pay attention to these SSDs, they can be purchased from 3.5 to 4.5 thousand rubles:

Intel SSDSC2KW120H6X1
Kingston SUV400S37/120G
Toshiba THN-S101Z1200E8

Acceptable models with a capacity of 250 Gigabytes will cost from 5 to 10 thousand. You can pay attention to the following:

Samsung MZ-75E250BW
Kingston SV300S37A/240G

A good choice would be larger SSD models (480/512 GB), the cost will be from 10 to 15 thousand:

Samsung MZ-75E500BW
Plextor PX-512M8PeY
Intel SSDPEKKW512G7X1

Larger drives will cost more – the cost starts at an average of 20 thousand:

Samsung MZ-7KE1T0BW
Intel SSDSC2BX012T401
Samsung MZ-75E2T0BW

If you have already begun to decide on specific SSD models to purchase, it is worth finding detailed user reviews on them on the Internet, and try to evaluate all aspects of specific models, even from well-known manufacturers.

In conclusion, some brief tips on how to extend the life of your SSD.

Do not fill the disk to capacity - it needs 20-30% of free space for normal operation;
Take care of uninterrupted power supply - a sudden shutdown is harmful to the SSD;
Temperature conditions - SSDs, like any electronic equipment, do not like overheating - take care of cooling.

Solid state drives, also known as SSDs, are actively taking away market share in the personal computer market from standard hard drives (HDDs). In recent years, this trend has been especially noticeable due to the falling cost of such storage devices. The price of SSD drives continues to be higher than that of HDDs, if we talk about variations of the same volume, but the advantages of solid-state information storage justify it.

Pros and cons of SSD drives

Before purchasing an SSD drive, you need to evaluate the pros and cons that the user will receive from such a solution. The obvious advantages of solid-state drives over HDD drives include the following:

The disadvantages of SSD drives include the high cost and difficulty of purchasing such large-capacity drives.

How to choose an SSD drive

SSDs from various manufacturers are available on the market. One company may have several lines of SSD drives, which vary in cost. When selecting an SSD, it is important to pay attention to the main parameters, choosing the best options for your tasks.

SSD capacity

The main parameter when choosing a solid-state drive is its capacity. On the market you can find models with different free space for storing information, and before purchasing it is important to decide for what purpose the drive will be used.

Most often, SSD drives are purchased to increase the loading speed and operation of the operating system. If only Windows, Linux or another system will be installed on the disk, it makes sense to choose a 128 GB or 256 GB drive, depending on how much information the user stores in system folders, for example, “My Documents”. On average, the operating system takes up 40-60 GB (if we are talking about Windows).

If you purchase a solid-state drive as the only data storage device in your computer, you should choose the size of the SSD, depending on the purpose of the PC and the work activity on it.

SSD speed

The parameter that the disk manufacturer pays special attention to is operating speed. On the box of each solid-state drive you can see information about how fast the information storage device works for writing and reading. However, such figures are in most cases a marketing ploy, and in reality they are much lower. This is due to the fact that the disk manufacturer indicates the maximum sequential read/write speed, which does not play a big role in standard computer work.

When choosing an SSD drive, you need to pay attention to its speed in random operations of writing and reading 4K blocks of information. It is with such data that the drive in a computer has to work 90% of the time, occasionally reaching peak values. You can find out information about the actual operating speed of an SSD using various programs, so before purchasing a drive, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with tests on the Internet for a specific drive model.

Note: In most cases, the fastest drives for standard tasks are those that have a high maximum sequential read/write speed, but this is not always the case. In addition, the values specified by the SSD manufacturer may be overestimated.

SSD connection interface

SSD drives can be connected to a computer via one of the following interfaces:

SATA 2;
SATA 3;
PCIe-E.

The fastest models use the SATA 3 interface, which has increased bandwidth.

As for PCIe-E SSD drives, it is almost impossible to find them on sale. Such drives are used for specific tasks when it is not possible to connect an accessory via SATA of any version. Using a PCIe-E connector is impractical in terms of its bandwidth.

SSD memory chip

Depending on the memory chip used in the information storage, the number of bits in one cell, the speed of the drive and the number of possible overwrites of information vary. In SSDs you can find SLC, MLC and TLC chips. Their comparative characteristics are shown in the table:

Most often you can find on sale solid state drives made on MLC chips. This is justified by the cost of their production and characteristics. Drives with SLC chips are more often used for servers, and SSDs based on them are expensive. As for TLC memory chips, they are common in removable storage media (flash drives), which do not require as many write/read cycles as SSD drives installed in a computer.

SSD controller

The stability and competence of the controller in a solid-state drive largely determines its speed, durability, support for additional technologies and many other basic parameters. You need to choose SSDs that have a drive installed from one of the leading companies in this field: Intel, Marvell, Sandforce or Indilinx.

Note: If a disk indicates high operating speed, but it has a bad controller from an unknown company, there is a high probability that such a drive will not work for long or will have problems when writing/reading information. This is why it is not recommended to buy “no-name SSDs”, about which there is no information other than the maximum sequential read/write parameters.

Additional SSD options and parameters

When purchasing SSDs, you may notice various items and options listed in their specifications. Let's decipher the most common of them:

IOPS– this indicator indicates how many operations per second the drive is capable of performing. You should pay attention to it, since in most cases it can tell more about the real speed of the disk than information about the maximum read/write parameters;
MTBF– operating time of a solid-state drive before failure. This parameter is measured in hours, and not all drive manufacturers indicate it. MTBF is calculated based on tests performed, during which the disks are loaded until they fail, after which the average values are calculated;
TRIM– an option that is present in the controller of almost all SSDs. It implies that the “brain” of the drive will always be aware of which cells have been cleared of the information previously contained in them, thereby giving the disk the opportunity to use them;
S.M.A.R.T.– a diagnostic option that is present in almost every solid-state storage device. It is necessary so that the disk can independently assess its condition, thereby approximately calculating the time before failure;
Garbage Collection– an option designed to automatically clear memory of “phantom” files and other “garbage”.

The myth that SSDs work several times less than HDDs has long been dispelled. With standard loading, solid-state hard drives can be used for 10 years or more without problems.