Designed to replace standard rotating Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), Solid-State Drives (SSDs) are the next-generation solution that let you upgrade older systems to the superior performance and reliability benefits of solid-state technology.
This information-packed buyer's guide to SSDs will explain everything you need to know about how SSDs work and how this differs from traditional HDDs, the pros and cons of buying an SSD, and the various form factors you can buy when upgrading to an SSD. Then we'll discuss the best brands selling SSDs online, when to grab a bargain on SSDs, and finally, what to look for when buying an SSD. First, though, a brief history of the SSD.
Although SSDs have been around since the 1970s, it wasn't until 1991 that SanDisk, a leader in the SSD manufacturing industry, developed the first flash SSD that makes use of the 2.5-inch form factor that we see in the market today. Since then, a number of other well-known flash storage manufacturers have entered the field, bringing faster, more reliable and cheaper versions every year.
SSDs and HDDs are the two main types of data storage used on personal computers, each offering a number of different features you'll need to consider when choosing one or the other for your next upgrade. There is a third option that combines the two types in one device, which we'll discuss in a later section.
HDDs use a column of actual rigid (hard) disks to store data. A drive motor spins the disks, while a read/write head moves to specific segments on the disk platter to read and write data. SSDs, on the other hand, don't have any spinning disks, springs, gears, bearings, spindles or any other fragile mechanical parts with the potential to break. Instead, SSDs use an integrated circuit of flash memory chips, keeping the drive working even after accidental impacts. In contrast to the volatile flash memory found in RAM modules, flash chips in SSDs are able to retain saved data after the drive has stopped receiving power.
SSD flash technology usually comes in two flavours: MLC and SLC. SLC (single-layer cell) flash chips inside the SSD store a single bit of info in each memory cell, which generates fewer errors per write cycle to produce much faster transfer speeds, lower power consumption and 100,000 program/erase cycles per cell - ten times the write endurance of MLC (multi-layer cell) technology. This makes SLC the better yet pricier solution for mission-critical industrial applications, where stable performance is essential. MLC, on the other hand, stores two to four bits of info in each memory cell, making it the more affordable and higher storage choice for consumer-grade devices. There has been a recent trend towards TLC (three-layer cell) technology, which allows manufacturers to offer users high capacity entry-level drives at a lower price point but SSDs with TLC flash chips suffer from a lower endurance limit and slower read/write speeds than MLC and SLC.
Managing all of this activity and finding and storing data is the job of the flash memory controller. The more intelligent and efficient the controller, the faster, more consistent, and longer lasting the drive will be. Leading flash memory controller developers include SandForce, JMicron, and Samsung, which some say makes Samsung drives better for performance and reliability, due to developing their own controller for their drives.
If an entire herd of buffalo can only travel as fast as its slowest buffalo, so too then can your computer only perform as fast as its weakest component. It's possible you have a computer system with the latest operating system, high-tech graphics card, lightning-fast processor, and an absolute gig-fest of RAM. Now imagine how slow it'll be while waiting for your hard drive to physically scan and find individual pieces of data scattered across multiple spinning platters within a hard drive.
An SSD doesn't have this scan and seek issue. As a result, you can boot up your computer faster, access stored data instantly, run software applications without delay, and complete everyday computing tasks like never before. This makes SSDs perfect for running multiple applications on office workstations and complementing the advanced components of top end gaming computers.
To give you an idea of how fast SSDs are, an SSD boasting a sequential read/write speed of around 500 MB per second could boot a Windows 7 PC in about 30 seconds and transfer a full 4.7 GB DVD file in about 20 seconds; depending on the quality of other components, of course. Remember the buffalo!
What's more, SSDs are incredibly easy to install thanks to their use of industry-standard SATA connectors. Recently manufactured SSDs come with a SATA III interface that's backwards compatible with SATA II (3 GB/s) and SATA I (1.5 GB/s). Bear in mind that the performance of your SSD will be limited to the SATA connection version on your computer.
To check the SATA version on your Windows computer:
Open the “Start Menu”, right-click on “Computer”and select “Manage”.
Click on “Disk Drives” and note the make and model of your drive.
Visit the drive manufacturer's website to view specifications of your drive's make and model and note the SATA version.
To check the SATA version on your Mac:
Open “About This Mac” and select “System Report“.
Look at the value next to “Link Speed” and use the following list to determine your SATA version.
1.5 Gigabit = SATA I (SATA 1.0)
3 Gigabit = SATA II (SATA 2.0)
6 Gigabit = SATA III (SATA 3.0)
Apart from fast performance and straightforward install, here are some of the other main advantages of upgrading to an SSD:
Reliable data transfer: With built-in ECC (Error Correction Code) functionality, an SSD automatically detects and corrects errors during data transfer, which prevents data corruption and missing files.
Longer lifespan: SSD don't attempt to store data in adjacent blocks like HDDs. Rather, SSDs use a wear-levelling algorithm to evenly distribute data erasures and re-writes, which helps ensure consistent, long-life operation of its flash chips.
Shock and vibration resistance: No moving parts inside means there is less risk that bumps and jolts will cause the drive to break and fail – great for laptop users working on the move.
Lower power consumption: Compared to mechanical hard drives, SSDs don't need a lot of power to run or an energy draining fan to keep cool, giving notebook users longer battery runtime to complete jobs.
Drive monitoring: SSDs offer support for the S.M.A.R.T. command (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology), which helps detect and alert you to any possible drive failures before they happen.
The downsides of upgrading to an SSD include:
High price: Despite prices falling year on year and using TLC or MLC flash chips rather than the more expensive SLC alternative, SSDs still far exceed HDDs in terms of cost per Gigabyte.
Low storage: And because the cost per Gigabyte is much higher compared to HDDs, consumer SSDs are normally developed with between 64GB and 1TB of storage space before they become more expensive than the actual machine they will be installed in.
Whether buying a new computer, upgrading to a new storage drive or trying to find a new external drive, there are a few things to consider depending on the specifications of your system and personal requirements.
Desktops usually come with a 3.5-inch hard drive screwed into one of the available drive bays. When upgrading your desktop, you have the choice of replacing the hard drive or installing the new SSD into one of the empty bays. Whichever way you choose will require a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch drive bracket to make the SSD fit snugly in the bay.
Installing an SSD into a notebook computer is much more straightforward. Simply locate the current hard drive and pull it out from its slot. Swap in the new drive and you're done. However, not all portable computers come with a drive that uses the standard 2.5-inch form factor. Manufacturers of ultra portable devices install an mSATA and half-slim SSD due to their thin and light properties. To give you an idea of their size, an mSATA SSD is about the same size as a traditional business card. SSD modules using the mSATA and half-slim interface leverage the performance and durability of the SATA interface, yet don't have the bulk or heft of standard 2.5" SSDs, which makes them perfect for Ultrabooks.
The move towards using such a small flash storage device has given rise to the hybrid drive. Also known as Hybrid SSD/HDDs or SSHDs (Solid-State Hybrid Drives), these drives combine all the necessary storage demands of a traditional hard drive with an SSD cache for performance improvements when running frequently-accessed programs.
Apple computers are a little trickier to upgrade, but not impossible. Even though the SSD within your Mac may be fast enough for your needs, it may not be large enough to store your data files. Always check with the drive dimensions, specifications, and compatibility with the SSD manufacturer before buying and installing a new SSD in your Apple computer.
For graphic designers, there is no one SSD that's best for completing design jobs. Video editing and using demanding graphic software like Photoshop can be performed with any of the higher-end SSDs on the market. Similarly for gamers, it's challenging to pinpoint a single SSD that will deliver a lag-free gaming experience better than other drives. What to look out for when choosing an SSD for design or gaming, however, are the sequential read/write transfer speeds, high 4K random file write speeds, and support for features like Native Command Queuing (NCQ), which optimises the order in which received drive commands are completed to ensure maximum performance during high-end gaming and advanced multimedia computing.
Users and businesses interested in using SSDs in a RAID setup will be happy to know that not only can SSDs be set up in a RAID configuration, but they will also produce jaw-dropping boot and load times. Plus, with RAID controllers integrated into most modern motherboards, you won't need to upgrade to a fancy new motherboard, although doing so will generate a further turbo boost in performance.
It is possible to buy external Solid-State Drives featuring all the same benefits of internal SSDs but in a compact, portable form factor. You likely won't be able to match the same speeds you get when using an internal SSD because of the much lower maximum speeds offered in USB 3.0 compared to a SATA III connection, which eliminates one of their greatest attributes over their hard drive counterparts.
An external SSD is still handy for students, commuters, travelling executives, tourists, and so on, who like to work on the move. Because they don't have lots of moving parts inside them, external SSDs can be made much smaller and lighter. Some even go as small as the size of a credit card; although the storage capacity will suffer the smaller the drive becomes. And as long as it's fully compatible with Windows To Go, a portable SSD can allow Windows 8 Enterprise users to run their bootable Windows 8 corporate workspace from any compatible desktop or notebook computer that meets Windows 7 or Windows 8 certification requirements.
As already mentioned, SSDs do not have moving parts that heat up during extended use. That means less energy consumption and the reduced need for a computer cooling system to maintain optimum performance. There are a number of other things you can do to get the best out of your drive.
The most obvious one is to use your SSD for your operating system and other program files and use a high-capacity external hard disk drive to store all your documents, music, photos, and video files. The two benefits of doing this include keeping the SSD clean for booting your computer and launching software applications in a flash, as well as reducing the number of writes made to the SSD, which can extend the life of the drive. If you don't like the idea of keeping an external HDD connected to your computer, if you're always on the go for instance, then you could opt for a hybrid SSD/HDD to get the best of both worlds in a single device.
Many flash storage manufacturers produce their own SSD software tool to keep your new SSD running clean, fast, and totally error-free for a long time to come. This usually means automatically updating firmware when available, running diagnostic scans and sending alerts and offering support for unique SSD functions such as S.M.A.R.T., TRIM, and Secure Erase, which guarantees the permanent deletion of all data on the drive for future use.
Windows 7 (or later) users can enable TRIM, which allows the operating system to communicate with the drive to automatically remove deleted data and prevent the need for running a Secure Erase. TRIM (not an acronym) helps to maintain efficient write speeds and reduce long-term SSD wear by automatically wiping blocks of data internally rather than waiting for a new write command in the future.
If you've decided to upgrade your computer storage, it's well worth checking out this list of things to pay attention to first before buying an SSD.
The first thing you'll want to check is the SATA compatibility with your computer. You won't attain the super high performance of an SSD with a SATA III interface after installing it in a SATA II computer that you would if your system was built to support SATA III drives. See the guide above to check the SATA version on your Mac or Windows computer.
Have you thought about how you'll transfer everything from your current drive to the new one? The good news is that some SSD manufacturers will include dedicated software to clone (also known as image) the current hard drive in your computer to your new SSD, including the operating system, applications, and data. The bad news is that you'll need to make sure that the capacity of the SSD you buy is greater than or equal to the capacity of your current HDD. If not, you can still clone Windows and software programs but backup the data to another source or repurpose the current drive as an external drive.
If you'd like to upgrade your desktop PC to an SSD, make sure the drive comes boxed with a desktop bracket. Otherwise, you'll have to shell out for one from another source. It won't cost the drive manufacturer much to include one and it'll save you time and hassle when installing the drive into a 3.5-inch drive bay.
See if the drives you're looking at come bundled with other features. For example, the new SATA Device Sleep (DevSleep) feature that's supported by some SSDs help notebooks compatible with DevSleep save more battery power compared to other power states like standby mode by shutting down the SATA interface completely. Yet DevSleep lets you resume working on your computer immediately when you hit the power button.
The last thing you want to happen is a dead drive after a few months or years of operation, especially if you invest in an expensive large capacity SSD. For this reason, make sure you look for an SSD with at least a three-year limited warranty from a reputable company with easy-to-access customer support.
There are a number of ways to find the cheapest SSD and big brands that are offering deals; from entry-level 64 GB MLC versions to supercharged yet outrageously-priced SLC drives. Some leading manufacturers offering an impressive line-up of SSDs including OCZ, Kingston, Transcend, Corsair, Crucial, Samsung, and SanDisk. Samsung and SanDisk are also two manufacturers putting eye-catching external Solid-State Drives on the market. Good places to look for SSD bargains are furthermore John Lewis, Currys, Very and Amazon.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday at the end of November are the two days of the year to keep your eyes peeled for SSD deals. It's common for bargain hunters to score up to 75% off brand new SSDs during Black Friday and Cyber Monday among other system components that can keep your SSD performing at its absolute best.
And remember to access the unique SSD page on hotukdeals to stay up to date about the latest SSD sale and cheap SSD drives all around.
