Question

SSD VS HDD

Accepted Answer

AttributeSSD (Solid State Drive)HDD (Hard Disk Drive)Power Draw / Battery LifeLess power draw, averages 2 – 3 watts, resulting in 30+ minute battery boostMore power draw, averages 6 – 7 watts and therefore uses more batteryCostExpensive, roughly $0.10 per gigabyte (based on buying a 1TB drive)Only around $0.06 per gigabyte, very cheap (buying a 4TB model)CapacityTypically not larger than 1TB for notebook size drives; 1TB max for desktopsTypically around 500GB and 2TB maximum for notebook size drives; 6TB max for desktopsOperating System Boot TimeAround 10-13 seconds average bootup timeAround 30-40 seconds average bootup timeNoiseThere are no moving parts and as such no soundAudible clicks and spinning can be heardVibrationNo vibration as there are no moving partsThe spinning of the platters can sometimes result in vibrationHeat ProducedLower power draw and no moving parts so little heat is producedHDD doesn’t produce much heat, but it will have a measurable amount more heat than an SSD due to moving parts and higher power drawFailure RateMean time between failure rate of 2.0 million hoursMean time between failure rate of 1.5 million hoursFile Copy / Write SpeedGenerally above 200 MB/s and up to 550 MB/s for cutting edge drivesThe range can be anywhere from 50 – 120MB / sEncryptionFull Disk Encryption (FDE)Supported on some modelsFull Disk Encryption (FDE) Supported on some modelsFile Opening SpeedUp to 30% faster than HDDSlower than SSDMagnetism Affected?An SSD is safe from any effects of magnetismMagnets can erase data

Attribute	SSD (Solid State Drive)	HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
Power Draw / Battery Life	Less power draw, averages 2 – 3 watts, resulting in 30+ minute battery boost	More power draw, averages 6 – 7 watts and therefore uses more battery
Cost	Expensive, roughly $0.10 per gigabyte (based on buying a 1TB drive)	Only around $0.06 per gigabyte, very cheap (buying a 4TB model)
Capacity	Typically not larger than 1TB for notebook size drives; 1TB max for desktops	Typically around 500GB and 2TB maximum for notebook size drives; 6TB max for desktops
Operating System Boot Time	Around 10-13 seconds average bootup time	Around 30-40 seconds average bootup time
Noise	There are no moving parts and as such no sound	Audible clicks and spinning can be heard
Vibration	No vibration as there are no moving parts	The spinning of the platters can sometimes result in vibration
Heat Produced	Lower power draw and no moving parts so little heat is produced	HDD doesn’t produce much heat, but it will have a measurable amount more heat than an SSD due to moving parts and higher power draw
Failure Rate	Mean time between failure rate of 2.0 million hours	Mean time between failure rate of 1.5 million hours
File Copy / Write Speed	Generally above 200 MB/s and up to 550 MB/s for cutting edge drives	The range can be anywhere from 50 – 120MB / s
Encryption	Full Disk Encryption (FDE)Supported on some models	Full Disk Encryption (FDE) Supported on some models
File Opening Speed	Up to 30% faster than HDD	Slower than SSD
Magnetism Affected?	An SSD is safe from any effects of magnetism	Magnets can erase data