Solid State Drive: Non-Volatile Memory to Store and Access Data

A solid-state drive is a drive that uses non-volatile memory as a means of storing and accessing data, similar to computer RAM (SSD, 2014). An advantage the solid-state drive has over other hard drives is no moving parts. This allows the solid-state drive to access information faster, produces no sound, and significantly more reliable than the common hard drive. The first solid-state drive was designed and implemented between the 1970s and 1980s. Throughout the years, the storage capabilities have improved drastically. Sadly, due to the cost per GB of storage, these solid-state drives have not replaced the current hard drive in computers today. There are numerous advantages that the solid-state drive has over the typical hard drive. The traditional hard drive has drive motors that spin the platters and drive heads, but the solid-state drive, as mentioned earlier has no moving parts which is its major advantage. According to Kyrnin, “there are three major advantages of the solid-state drive which include using less power, faster data access, and higher reliability” (2014). The solid-state drive uses far less energy than any other hard drive due to no moving parts. Faster data access is another key advantage because the data can be read instantly from the drive. Then when it comes to reliability, we go back to the no moving parts. The solid-state drive stores data on memory chips; therefore, there is less of a chance of damaging any parts if an accident occurred. Even the smallest movement can impact a regular hard drive and cause it to be completely unreadable, but this is not the case with the solid-state drive.
When comparing the solid-state drive to the traditional hard drive, they do the same job; both boot the system, store applications, and save personal files. On the other hand, a major difference comes in price. The solid-state drive is extremely expensive compared to other hard drives. According to PC Mag, the cost for 1 TB internal 2.5-inch typical

References: Domingo, J. (2014). SSD vs. HHD: What’s the difference? PC Mag. Retrieved from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404260,00.asp Kyrnin, M. (2014). What is a solid-state drive (SSD)? Technology – PC Review. Retrieved from http://compreviews.about.com/od/storage/a/SSD.htm SSD. (2014). Computer Hope. Retrieved from http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/ssd.htm