What is Better - Hard Drives or SSD?
If you're asking "Should I buy SSD or hard drive?" , you should know that the differences are significant. Asking which is better of the two is comparable to asking whether an apple or a banana is better: they may both be fruit but you can't really rate one above the other. Therefore, the real question should be "which is right for me - a hard drive or an SSD?" The following information will help you make this decision.
First, it depends on the application. For small devices like MP3 players or handheld gaming devices, SSD (Solid State Drive) is the only realistic option as hard drive systems require moving parts that are difficult or impossible to produce in miniature form. While it is true that HDD offers more memory, it can't fit in most small devices and most small devices don't require a lot of memory anyway.
Hard Drives
There are 2 principal advantages of a hard drive over an SSD:
1.) Memory: Hard drives generally offer far more memory than an SSD. Considering that overall memory is an important consideration when most consumers make computer purchases, this creates an immediate barrier to entry for SSD to the non-"techie" market. And considering that most consumers won't likely notice the difference in performance that an SSD drive can offer, HDD seems the likely choice for most consumers for some time to come in regards to operational data they can understand and desire.
2.) Cost: Because of patent issues and methods of manufacture and marketing, SSD drives are much more expensive than HDD drives. Most consumers can obtain a hard drive with more memory than they can reasonably use for several times less than a SSD drive that offers less capacity. And because the price of both technologies is dropping at the same rate, it's not likely that this price gap is going away anytime soon.
However, these are the only two areas where HDD seems to - on the surface - beat the much-hyped SSD.
SSD or Solid State Drive
A Solid State Drive is one that has no moving parts - its memory is flash based and does not require discs, wheels, heads or other parts required in HDD systems. This means that SSD is nearly silent and uses much less power. Additionally, it is far more durable than a hard drive system and can withstand environmental and temperature limits that cause damage and failure for HDD.
Because SSD does not process data in a sequential manner, it can retrieve data and load programs much quicker than a traditional HDD can, and isn't hindered by defragmentation. If you're a person who doesn't like to wait for the slow loading times of a hard drive, an SSD might be exactly the type of equipment you're looking for. Overall SSD drives are higher quality than HDD drives and will last longer and perform better.
Ultimately, hard drives are a good option for most consumers, while SSD should be used by those with higher performance demands, or those that subject their equipment to harsher than normal environments.