Why upgrade to an SSD?

One of the greatest recent advances in computer hardware is the proliferation of Solid State technology. Solid state drives offer massive advantages to classic hard drives, and understanding how to use or upgrade to this technology will help you to benefit from it. Here are a few reasons to upgrade your computer with an SSD.

Speed

One of the most obvious questions that people ask when examining computer hardware, is how fast is it? Hard drives store all of the long-term information, your operating system, files, pictures, and data are all stored on the hard drive.  is like a giant library. The key factor in hard drive speed, is how quickly the computer can read and write to the drive. SSDs are much faster than an older disc drive. They store information on microchips and can streamline the read/write process by avoiding the constraints of the mechanical reader on an HDD. Also, because your operating system is stored on an SSD, you will experience much faster boot times.

Durability

Because solid state drives do not have any moving parts, they avoid mechanical failure that is common in disc drives. Disc drives not only have a moving read arm, but the rotation necessary to spin the disc creates additional wear and tear. Moving parts are always the weakest point of a system, and here is no exception. Because a solid state drive is a single solid block with no moving parts, it is much less likely to experience mechanical failure. An additional benefit of solid state drives is that the moving parts in an HDD are loud. The movement of the spinning disc creates an audible noise, which can be annoying.

Using an SSD with an HDD

Thankfully, SSDs have decreased in price over the years. However, the one area that an HDD unquestionably will beat an SSD is with price. HDDs are much cheaper for the amount of memory that is available. One of the best ways to take advantage of the strengths of both systems is to store most of your day to day stuff on an SSD, but keep an HDD for long term storage of photos and videos. These large items will clog up an SSD, but since we do not need them daily, we can safely store them on an HDD, leaving room for our key programs, operating system, or games on the SSD. This allows us to benefit from the luxury of the SSD’s speed and silence, while also ensuring we have room for all of our data.

If you would like more information on whether your specific machine will take an SSD drive please speak with one of our technical support team and they will be able to ensure the correct compatibility for you.