A laptop or desktop count on our SSDs is something that aspires to who wants superior performance and fluidity to your computer. Knowing how to run an SSD and What to look for in assessing whether a potential purchase is appropriate or not for your computer or storage system is key to a successful experience with SSDs.
In this article, we leave you with a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about SSDs, from why to choose it to capacity, performance or more suitable format for the SSD with which to improve my computer.
When evaluating the purchase of a new computer, the storage units SSD have gained an absolute prominence. In a certain range of laptops they are now, the standard for all the benefits associated with its technology, and the same are associated with the SSD with which we renew a team from which we still benefit substantially. If you want to give a new life to a laptop or desktop, change the hard drive for an SSD it is the first thing you should try. You will not regret.
The SSD or solid-state drives offer first speeds much higher than those of classical or mechanical (HDD) with no moving parts transfer disks. This improvement in the technology used is the basis for the rest of specifically in beating the classic storage units, which can only boast now a more beneficial price per GB or capabilities not yet available to the SSD, until very recent.
The absence of moving parts makes SSDs are units more reliable storage in case of falls or blows though admittedly may suffer worse consequences in the event of power failures. In addition, they have a mean time between failures increased.
Another advantage of flash memory – based operation is that the noise during their workload is nonexistent. In addition, consumption is lower and life is now higher than that of the conventional HDDs.
Although usual in this shopping guide is we refer to as internal SSD components of our computers, the SSD technology is no longer something exclusive portable storage spaces, NAS or desktops. It is possible to find external drives with high capacities such as 240GB Sandisk. With these units, we get the great advantages of SSDs to a storage format is appropriate for those who must move with great speed information read and write.
What capacity should I choose for a solid-state disk?
When looking for an SSD for your computer, price and capacity are the combination of the first worries or concerns a user. The cost per GB of an SSD should be valued especially rather we are referring to the difference from the classical disc or HDD, where still these take some advantage to SSD, but usually, an SSD more capacity leaves us a ratio of euro per GB most beneficial in many cases.
This leads to the situation that, before buying an SSD, they should decide the capacity we need or we can acquire. In many commercial SSD, go to a larger capacity model does not imply a much higher price and we can get for example double the capacity and, therefore, get an SSD drive for a lower cost per GB.
In any case, to choose the right capacity of an SSD it is advisable to be clear about what particular use we will need. An SSD we mainly improve access speed and allows us to reduce the time of starting a computer and loading speed applications, resulting in improved flowability of the day with the team. In that situation, it will be the usual in the consumer market; we do not need to resort to high – capacity SSDs. A 250GB may be an option for many consumers, which is usually combined with a classic HDD disk capacity for occasional storage of much information.
If what you are renovating, is the main unit of a portable serving as teamwork and main entertainment for you, make calculations that go to SSD much capacity may not come out as profitable as combine an SSD with an external storage HDD. It will not probably in price or performance if space above a 250 GB SSD is relatively little used.
A different situation occurs regularly if we need to move large amounts of data. Only, in that case, we will need that our SSD has much capacity for that process not only pure storage also passes by the SSD technology.
Now, have a great capacity is the cost per GB to high figures where the difference is accentuated with the HDD. An alternative that we find today is the combination of a low – capacity SSD with HDD disk, all in the same unit. They are hybrid systems offered in both portable and desktop computers. Here is it includes flash memory as dishes with the mechanical access system. In this case, the operating system and applications rely on the “part” SSD while storing data passes through the classical HDD part.
Choosing an SSD: What should I look?
Once you are already aware of the many advantages you’ll get pass the world of SSDs and have clear what capacity you need to use that give the new disk or computer, touch assesses other aspects that will make you have a better SSD or more according to what you want.
It is also important to know the main features that a manufacturer gives on its SSDs to assess whether it is compatible with your computer or theoretical quality by referring to another model we are evaluating.
Format Solid State Disk
When you are encouraged to seek an SSD, the format of the SSD should be first to see if our goal is to replace an old one, or change an HDD for an SSD for all its advantages. In the market today, many systems coexist, in both the consumer segment and the company. We will concentrate on the consumer market.
The most common until recently was to find SSDs SATA (in different versions) of 3.5, 2.5 or 1.8 inches. However, today there are new interfaces that are becoming hollow in the market mainly by the topic of miniaturization. MSATA SSD formats or its replacement, M.2, is already very common. In addition, if it is an external drive you will almost certainly have USB connectivity. Depending on the use we want to give or equipment in which we will use this SSD, we must choose one or the other format.
If what we are trying to do is upgrade the hard drive of a laptop, you will usually have to pick one SSD 2.5 – inch format. For the most common computer desktop is to have 3.5 – inch drives, but no problem to resort to 2.5 inches while we have in the market adapters to secure the tower format we have.
For SATA SSDs are co – existing models on the market with different thicknesses. The most common are 9.5 and 7 mm. To avoid problems in portable you should make sure the thickness of the unit that you intend to replace. Today it is logical that the unit you are going to buy has a thickness of 7 mm, which is the size that is over imposing.
The mSATA format is deprecated and should only choose if the computer where it will place only supports such units. Quite the opposite occurs with the latest SSD M.2 type, format is catching on very thin laptops but also desktops. It is, therefore, important to ensure that the motherboard is compatible or, at least, can use an adapter.
Types according to SSD memory technology
The main barrier to entry of the SSD has mainly been the capacity. The first units and offer proved too little space in exchange for the significant outlay faces. The advancement in technology associated with flash memory (NAND) on which are based these discs made it possible to have a wide range of models in both price and capabilities.
The types of SSD as memory technology currently used is what makes the main difference in the capacity that can reach an SSD, and its price. Therefore, before starting to buy an SSD exclusively for its price or capacity, stop to check that you are buying the model with the technology that effectively looking.
The most commonly used basic technologies when it comes to SSDs are SLC, MLC, and TLC (Single, Multi-Level Cell and Triple). The difference between these technologies is the number of bits that each cell of the flash memory can store. In the SLC, the type can do with just a bit, increasing to two, three or even four in the Multi, Triple or Quad technologies. With the ability to store more bits per cell, the capacity of the SSD is multiplied in the same proportion but lose speed and reliability. We explain why this happens.
SLC units in checking the status of the cell only support two situations, so much with reading writing is very fast. The same operation on an FTA model requires more checks and, therefore, time is reduced. Fewer checks that cause the cells suffer less wear and can prolong their life (the SLC to MLC step can be up to 10 times less life) and be more reliable in the process of writing and reading.
This base of operation has allowed us to have SSDs much capacity at lower prices, but with the drawbacks that I commented. So the SSD of the highest ranges are those that use flash drives with SLC technology that provide reliability and high speeds at the expense of the GB is more expensive.
But beware because you may have the advantage of SLC technology to speed level not to be accompanied by the interface, and have there the bottleneck. This allows us to play with more combinations and get SSD MLC capacity with better value for money and with which, according to the interface, achieve the same practical performance with SLC.
This is the basic theory. In reality, different manufacturers play with combinations and hybrid systems for maximum optimization through the real – time management of the different technologies used in his memoirs.
In other cases such as Samsung, one of the leaders in the world SSD, your bet goes to maintain characteristics of the types of memory but providing differentiation in how these cells are located. The units SSD 3D V-NAND place them vertically to improve capacity without sacrificing other benefits of the FTA, for example, which can double capacity.
Speed and performance of SSDs
Capacity, price, format and … speed or performance of an SSD. It is data that a consumer has mainly been considered when deciding on a model SSD and another.
The figures manufacturers usually give on the performance of their SSD refers to the speed sequential read and write. The most common are that speed is around 500 MB / s, although there are logically high-performance units above 2000 MB / s.
Another unit that gives us valid references to understand the performance of an SSD is the random read speed, which is measured in IOPS (Input / Output Operations Per Second) and where we find more differences between SSDs with the same frame rate which for them means fewer problems. Here the figures are more variable but usually, they reach about 1000000 IOPS.
Another area where SSDs take a noticeable difference to the HDD is in consumption. In general, the difference of current models is not substantial (normal margins are 1-2 W) and must distinguish between consumption at rest and in operation. The difference between SSD models should not be so significant as to change your buying decision except if other parameters completely matched.
Lifespan of SSDs
An own flash memory technology that enables SSDs advantage of its operating speed, power consumption, and endurance, became from the beginning in its Achilles heel. SSDs are more vulnerable to power failures and in their early wear of the memory cells made, its life was a major concern. Fortunately, today cycles access to those cells is enough long (currently up to 10 years offer some manufacturers) so that this is not a problem with SSD consumption level and considering the useful life of computer equipment home.
The durability or lifetime of an SSD refers to the amount of information that an SSD is capable of recording before it can present failures. The maker of memory used in SSDs provides a certain life expectancy based on their resistance to erosion that occurs in the process of writing and erasing. As erodes its surface lowers the cell capacity for storing electric charge faultlessly and reliably.
When the cell begins to fail, the manufacturer reserves to keep the information and cannot be inaccessible and take the available reserve. It is called giftedness that the manufacturer does, and usually represents a percentage of the total capacity of the order of 7-10% in the SSDs consumer market. This means that of the 128 GB SSD your actually capacity is about 120 GB. When the reserve is exhausted, the life of the SSD can say that is near its end.
If until now, we had not considered drivers SSDs as an element to look at when buying a particular model, plays to stop and reflect on this point. There are no significant differences today driver level SSDs but should review whether any particular model presents problems or incompatibilities with other elements we want to use at the same time.
SSDs now have more reliability and service life should not worry environments classic use (at least compared to the other storage options in the consumer market) has been largely due to manufacturers have elements help by drivers and firmware.
What makes each manufacturer with its drivers (or third if not own) is seeking the maximum lifespan of these cells with techniques that distribute data writing in different cells in a balanced way to equalize wear or use of the system TRIM to optimize data erasure thanks to the information sent by the operating system.
The durability of a disk type SSD is measured in data written to TB, and we can find models for the consumer market by far longevity since only 20 TB to over 150 TB. The manufacturer provides these figures, but they are usually very conservative. Today the reality is that it is more likely that an SSD runs failing by theme firmware, drivers or power failures that by the time we have written on them.