Solid State Drive

A Solid State Drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block HDD. SSDs are distinguished from traditional HDDs, which are electromechanical devices containing spinning disks and movable read/write heads. SSDs, in contrast, use microchips which retain data in non-volatile memory chips and contain no moving parts. Compared to electromechanical HDDs, SSDs are typically less susceptible to physical shock, silent, and have lower access time and latency. SSDs use the same interface as hard disk drives, thus easily replacing them in most applications.

As of 2010[update], most SSDs use Nand based flash memory, which retains memory even without power. SSDs using RAM also exist for situations which require even faster access, but do not necessarily need data persistance after power loss, or use external power or batteries to maintain the data after power is removed.

A hybrid drive combines the features of an HDD and an SSD in one unit, containing a large HDD, with a smaller SSD cache to improve performance of frequently accessed files. These can offer near-SSD performance in most applications (such as system startup and loading applications) at a lower price than an SSD. These are not suitable for data-intensive work, nor do they offer the other advantages of SSDs.

The main problem with SSDs are their price compared to their amount of storage, and thus it is recommended to have a 2TB HDD for programs, while the SSD can hold your OS.