Hard drives versus SSD
The choice is obvious. Computer enthusiasts who have already tried SSDs in their work have felt the difference and do not want to go back to using a mechanical drive as a system drive. The disadvantages of SSD - much higher price, small capacity - gradually disappear as technology develops.
The advantages of flash drives cannot be ignored: short access times, high data transfer rates, excellent I / O performance. We also note mechanical reliability, low power consumption and quiet operation.
At the moment, there are so many manufacturers offering SSDs that it is not easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you go straight to the test graphs page, you can see how much SSDs outperform hard drives. Even if you don't look for the fastest solid-state drive, but take the performance of the cheapest model as a starting point, even such a drive will turn out to be many times faster than any hard drive!
Pros and cons of SSD
It is difficult to assess the advantages of SSD based on tests that are designed to compare different drives with each other, relative to other upgrade methods (new processor, graphics card).
As a result, ordinary users looking to build a modern, productive PC can be advised to buy a small SSD drive and store most of the files on the hard drive, spending the bulk of the funds on updating other PC components.
If you ask several regular users what kind of computer they would like to have, then the answers are likely to be similar. Sandy Bridge processor, at least 4GB of RAM, good graphics card. The default set includes a hard drive, but SSDs are usually out of the question. It is not right.
It would be appropriate to sacrifice a couple of hundred gigahertz of processor clock speed by supplementing the hard drive with a system SSD of about 60 GB. This way, you can get almost all the benefits of SSD technology without going broke on a large-capacity solid-state drive.
A superficial glance is not always correct
Our opinion is usually based on real, comparable data. The 2 TB 7200 RPM drive is no doubt more attractive than the older 120 GB 5400 RPM model. If earlier the throughput of the SATA interface was 300 MB / s, now it has reached 600 MB / s. As you can see, evolution is evident, but for many such figures mean more than real results.
In this case, we have two problems at once. First, too few users know that using a solid state drive can actually speed up applications significantly. The second problem is the small size and high cost of the SSD.
But it is worth repeating again: any modern SSD, regardless of model, is an order of magnitude faster than any hard drive. Let's illustrate this fact by comparing a simple SSD with one of the most powerful platter drives.
Samsung 470 Series vs. Seagate Barracuda XT
HDD: Seagate Barracuda XT, 3 TB
We opted for a hi-end hard disk that combines high performance for HDDs and large capacity. The Seagate drive is quite capable of presenting HDD as a class in this comparison. This is a modern hard drive with a capacity of 3 TB - not the maximum today, but this volume is enough for almost any PC.
Spindle speed - 7200 rpm. As a state-of-the-art drive, the Seagate Barracuda XT combines high sequential read / write speeds, hard drive responsiveness, and relatively high I / O performance. The drive is equipped with the latest SATA 6Gb / s interface. However, taking into account the real peak performance of 160 MB / s, this is clearly just a publicity stunt: it was enough to limit ourselves to the previous version of the SATA interface.
Seagate XT belongs to the upper price bracket (about $ 250). It will appeal to those users who prefer modern "hardware", but so far they are cautiously looking towards SSD. The drive is backed by Seagate's five-year warranty.
The alternatives are Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 and 7K3000 hard drives (both 3 TB each), Western Digital Black Edition 2 TB. You can learn more about modern "heavyweights" from the world of HDD in the material on our website. "Four HDDs with a capacity of 3 TB" .
SSD: Samsung 470 Series, 128 GB
Representatives of this Samsung line have been repeatedly used by us as a reference in various tests, but today these discs are no longer the newest and best (see our material Samsung SSD 830 Series dedicated to the new line of Korean solid state drives).
The 470th series is represented by 64, 128 and 256 GB disks equipped with an obsolete SATA 3 Gb / s interface. If we compare the Samsung 470 series drive with the latest models from Crucial, Intel and numerous drives based on the second generation SandForce controller, it does not look so modern.
Ultimately, the Samsung 470 series solid state drive delivers transfer speeds up to 260MB / s. Some of the latest SSD models with a SATA 6 Gb / s interface are capable of surpassing 500 MB / s in sequential data transfer operations. The difference is significant. Our position in this case is that even the previous generation of solid state drives is significantly ahead of any hard drives, including the most modern models.
Samsung, Intel and Toshiba design and manufacture SSD components in-house (the only exception is the Intel SSD 510 series, which uses a Marvell controller). All three vendors have released enough firmware to fix firmware issues, so none of them is perfect. The bottom line is that even if a Samsung 470-series drive is not quite what computer enthusiasts dream of, this drive is quite consistent with the characteristics of a standard "mid-range" SSD, and in this sense its choice is justified taking into account the purpose of this review. If you are interested in the question of comparing the performance of more recent SSD models, you can familiarize yourself with the results of the corresponding tests on the pages of our website.
Comparison of characteristics
Performance
As you can see in the video at the end of this article, an SSD drive can significantly speed up a modern computer - whether it is about the speed of launching applications, loading levels in games, or importing large amounts of data. Why is this happening?
First of all, the success of the SSD is due to the significantly higher data transfer rates. 2.5 "hard drives reach 60-100 MB / s, 3.5" - 100-150 MB / s. Moreover, these indicators reflect the performance of the HDD in the most favorable conditions for them. The characteristics that vendors like to cite in the specifications for a particular HDD model relate to sequential data read / write operations - here the lag of hard drives is manifested to the least extent. When the head of a hard disk moves to another partition / sector of the disk, the speed of operations decreases rapidly.
Disk utilization modes that prioritize I / O performance are not HDD-friendly. An example is booting into Windows, which reads a huge number of small blocks of data. Here, when comparing a hard drive with an SSD, the picture is even more sad.
The data transfer rate in such modes drops to several MB / s. This applies even to the newest and most productive HDD models. Thus, hard drives do a good job with sequential copying of large files, but their use as a system drive is not optimal.
SSD uses flash memory to store data. Such drives consist of many memory cells that are used in parallel to each other and interact with the controller through several data transmission channels. This architecture is capable of providing sequential read speeds from a couple of hundred MB / s to record values \u200b\u200bof more than 550 MB / s. However, as we have already noted, hard drives also perform well in sequential data transfer.
A critical mode for SSDs is data write operations, since only data blocks of a certain size can be written. If you need to write just a few bits to disk, a whole series of operations will be required - reading, erasing, and finally overwriting one or two blocks.
Thus, it is not uncommon for a situation where hundreds of MB / s in practice turn out to be only a few tens. But while we are talking about blocks of about 4 KB in size, which are used by modern file systems, SSDs still remain 10-20 times faster than HDD, providing performance at the tens of MB / s, while in the case of hard drives it drops to KB / s due to head positioning delays. In real work, such a difference is not only noticeable, but striking.
Energy consumption and heating
SSDs consume at most a few watts. Hard drives can use up 10 watts per hour or even more when actively copying files. Modern SSDs don't get warm at all. Hard drives, on the other hand, often require cooling. Normal air circulation inside the case of your computer is likely to be enough, but the issue of proper cooling of the disk system should still be taken into account when assembling a PC on your own.
Design features and reliability
SSDs have no moving parts, which makes them very reliable. In theory, there is a possibility that you subject the solid-state drive to extremely high vibration or shock, so that the soldering of the chips is disrupted. In practice, such a situation is unlikely.
The exact same scanty chance of disrupting the soldering exists with regard to hard drives, but the real danger lies in the presence of moving elements - magnetic platters that rotate at high speed, and read / write heads. The principle of operation of a modern HDD is reminiscent of an old-fashioned gramophone.
Mechanical parts have a certain resource and, in general, the reliability of the hard drive is lower. Any strong shake-up can turn a working hard drive into a piece of useless hardware. Modern HDDs have a certain "margin of safety" with respect to shock loads (especially for 2.5 ”notebook drives), but from the point of view of mechanical reliability, they are still significantly inferior to SSDs.
Whether an SSD will outlive a hard drive is hard to say with certainty. It is known that HDDs are more prone to breakage, as their design combines electronics and mechanical elements. On the other hand, SSDs are more susceptible to firmware, and we know of cases where a solid state drive would become unusable due to firmware failure. The potential reliability issues for SSDs and HDDs are different, but both occur. You can get acquainted with the question of comparing the reliability of SSDs and drives on magnetic platters in detail in the article "Which is more reliable: SSD or HDD?" .
Test bench configuration
| Performance test bench | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-2500K (Sandy Bridge): LGA 1155, 32 nm process technology, D2 stepping, 4 cores / 4 threads, 3.3 GHz, 6 MB shared L3 cache, HD Graphics 3000, TDP 95 W, Turbo Boost max. frequency 3.7 GHz |
| Motherboard (LGA 1155) | Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3, rev. 0.2, Intel Z68 Express Chipset, BIOS version F3 |
| RAM | 2 x 2 GB DDR3-1333, Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D |
| System SSD | Intel X25-M G1 80GB, Firmware 0701, SATA 3Gb / s |
| SATA controller | Intel PCH Z68 SATA 6Gb / s |
| Power Supply | |
| Benchmarks | |
| Performance measurements | h2benchw 3.16 PCMark 7 1.0.4 |
| Iometer 2006.07.27 File server Benchmark Web server Benchmark Database benchmark Workstation Benchmark Streaming Reads Streaming Writes 4K Random Reads 4K Random Writes |
|
| System software and drivers | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1 |
| Intel Inf Driver | 9.2.0.1030 |
| Intel Rapid Storage Driver | 10.5.0.1026 |
| SSD Power Consumption Test Bench | |
| CPU | Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 (Merom), 65 nm, E1 stepping, 2 cores / 2 threads, 2.6 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, TDP 44 W |
| Motherboard (Socket 478) | MSI Fuzzy GM965 revision 1.0, Intel GM965 chipset, BIOS revision A9803IMS.220 |
| RAM | 2 x 1 GB DDR2-666, Crucial BallistiX CM128M6416U27AD2F-3VX |
| System HDD | Western Digital WD3200BEVT 320GB SATA 3Gb / s 5400 RPM |
| SATA controller | Intel ICH8-ME |
| Power Supply | Seasonic X-760 760 W, SS-760KM Active PFC F3 |
| Benchmarks | |
| Video playback | VLC 1.1.1 Big_Buck_Bunny_1080p |
| I / O performance | Iometer 2006.07.27 Database benchmark Streaming Writes |
| System software and drivers | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1 |
| Intel Inf Driver | 9.2.0.1021 |
| Intel Rapid Storage Driver | 15.12.75.4.64 |
| Test bench for evaluating performance in real applications | |
| CPU | Intel Core i3-530 (Clarkdale) 32 nm, C2 stepping, 2 cores / 4 threads, 2.93 GHz, 256 KB L2 cache, 4 MB L3 cache, HD Graphics, TDP 73 W |
| Motherboard (LGA 1155) | MSI H57M-ED65 Revision 1.0, Intel H57 Chipset, BIOS Ver.1.5 |
| RAM | 2 x 4 GB DDR3-1333, Kingston KHX1600C9D3K2 / 8GX |
| Controller | Intel PCH H57 SATA 3Gb / s |
| Power Supply | Seasonic X-760 760 W, SS-760KM Active PFC F3 |
| Test Software | |
| Performance Measurements | SYSmark 2012 |
| Operating system and drivers | |
| Operating system | Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1 (updated on 2011-08-10) |
| Intel Inf Driver | 9.2.0.1030 |
| Intel Rapid Storage Driver | 10.6.0.1002 |
The results of these tests are indicative for most models of SSD and hard drives. The components tested are selected to obtain the best possible comparison for both configuration options. The drives are tested on very similar systems. The purpose of this review is to assess the benefits of using an SSD as a system drive. We are not trying to prove that solid state drives have advantages in all forms (moreover, we do not recommend using them for data storage).
Test results
Sequential read / write
CrystalDiskMark and Iometer clearly show significantly higher data transfer rates compared to a high-end hard drive. If you regularly read reviews, this fact is unlikely to be news to you.
Random read / write
The following results are very indicative in terms of loading the Windows operating system. When it comes to the real difference in everyday use, the gap between the SSD and the hard drive may not be as significant, but in a synthetic test, the difference is striking.
According to CrystalDiskMark, the hard drive operates in 4 KB blocks in random read mode at 1.6 MB / s and write at 0.7 MB / s. Similar indicators for SSD are higher by an order of magnitude: 19.7 MB / s - for write operations, 70.6 MB / s - for reading.
As the queue depth increases, the performance of the SSD increases even more, which is explained by the fuller use of its multi-channel architecture: 129.4 MB / s for writes and 70.5 for reads. For HDDs, we also see a three-fold increase in random write speed (up to 2.1 MB / s) thanks to NCQ support. However, the gap with the solid state drive is widening even further.
In the case of larger blocks (512KB in this test), the hard drive can provide much better speed than we just saw. However, SSD retains its leadership here as well. A modern 6Gb / s solid-state drive would provide a bigger lead over HDD.
The balance of power is obvious: in the test for random search when using 4 KB blocks, the HDD provided a result of about 700 KB / s, SSD - 18.4 MB / s.
At a deep queue depth (64 commands), the SSD outperforms the hard drive in the random seek test by 40-50 times.
Samsung's 470 128GB Iometer Read Performance Test delivers 28,000 IOPS. The hard disk shows the result of 102 operations per second.
When writing, SSD operates with data blocks: writing even just a few bytes requires a complete rewriting cycle of the entire block. Therefore, in write operations, the gap between the SSD is not so blatant, but it is still an order of magnitude difference. The Iometer scores 1,343.5 I / Os for SSDs and 132.5 for HDDs.
I / O performance and access times
The "Database" boot script paints a clear picture: An SSD is 12 times faster than a hard drive.
In the "Web Server" scenario, the superiority of the SSD is even more significant, since reads in this test account for the bulk of the load.
In a workstation performance test, the balance of power does not change.
Access time
Unlike a hard drive, access times on an SSD are hardly measurable.
PCMark 7
Futuremark PCMark 7 simulates a typical PC experience. With rare exceptions, an SSD is 2-4 times faster than a hard drive. Note that these tests change the overall performance of the system, taking into account the influence of the CPU and video card. Thus, here we see a picture close to that of everyday use of a PC.
Exceptions include Windows Movie Maker video processing and Windows Media Center boot script. In these tests, the SSD and the hard drive provide similar results.
Energy consumption
The smallest difference between SSD and hard drive in terms of power consumption is seen in the streaming write stress test. But even in this test, one hard drive consumes about the same power as three SSDs.
Energy efficiency: performance per watt
In database applications, the Samsung 470 outperforms the Seagate hard drive by 476 times (based on I / O operations per watt).
In the streaming write performance test, the SSD outperformed the hard drive by 7x.
Here it is necessary to briefly highlight the issue of measuring "capacity per watt", since SSDs are inferior to hard drives in this indicator. To provide the amount of disk space corresponding to the Seagate Barracuda XT 3 TB, you will need to assemble an array of one and a half dozen SSDs. In this context, it is only possible to discuss "capacity per watt" in theory. If you need a lot of storage space, HDDs have no alternative at the moment.
SYSmark 2012
The benchmark developed by BARCo is not often used in benchmarks. The fact is that some companies, including AMD and nVidia, do not trust this test suite, which is explained by the specific composition of the package: it focuses on boot scenarios that have little to do with everyday PC use. A significant percentage of the overall performance ranking goes to text recognition or archiving operations. It should be noted that AMD indicates that SYSMark contains some optimizations for Intel architecture.
Please note that in the tests from the SYSMark package, the SSD is very slightly ahead of the hard drive. We can say the results are the same. The reason is that in this case it is not possible to isolate the effect of other computer subsystems on the final result.
Windows boot speed
A computer with a system SSD-drive shuts down also faster - in five seconds instead of eight in the case of an HDD.
Launching Applications
We are using a script that opens four applications at the same time. As in the case of loading the OS, the advantage in the speed of launching applications on a system with an SSD disk is quite significant. How it looks in practice, you can watch the video.
Run applications on SSD and hard drive
So, we used a script that simultaneously opens several applications and captures the difference in the form of a short video. The script is launched immediately after Windows boots, after which it waits 30 seconds for all processes to complete. The script launches Internet Explorer 9 (offline version of THG site), Microsoft Outlook (the same set of custom folders as in SYSmark 2012), "heavy" PowerPoint presentation and large image in Adobe Photoshop.
We missed this test four times in a row. Caching files slightly reduces the load time for the fourth "run", but this can be seen only in relation to the HDD. Let's watch the video:
Run multiple applications on hard drive and SSD
Our test simulates a scenario when you turn on your computer and open several applications at once - for example, an office program, a web browser, a messenger, an image editor. As long as the system has a sufficient amount of RAM (that is, at least 4 GB at the moment), CPU performance is in second place after the disk subsystem. In other words, plus or minus 500 MHz of the processor frequency is not so important, but replacing the hard drive with an SSD, on the contrary, fundamentally affects the result.
This raises the question - is the choice of a specific SSD model important? In our opinion, this issue is not so fundamental. Even if you opt for the latest drive with a SandForce SF-2200 controller, which surpasses 500 MB / s in sequential reads, the difference compared to the not newest SSD model that we used in this test will not be too noticeable. If this is your first time trying to use an SSD as a system drive, then you definitely won't want to go back to hard drives.
Any modern SSD improves system responsiveness
For those computer enthusiasts who have not yet tried using an SSD, we can safely recommend this upgrade option. The game is undoubtedly worth the candle. Although not every benchmark reflects the advantages of using an SSD as a system drive (in particular, in SYSMark we do not see a significant gap), the real difference in performance is striking.
We compared one of the most capacious, fast and expensive hard drives on the market - Seagate Barracuda XT - with the modest, not the newest Samsung 470 solid-state drive. Of course, you can opt for a more "advanced" model, but even if you choose relative to the budget model, you can get all the advantages of an SSD.
At the same time, we are not at all trying to send hard drives into retirement. When it comes to storing files, there is no alternative to this type of storage. An SSD should be used to install the operating system, place executable program files, application caches on it.
For most cases, the ideal configuration of a modern PC includes a system SSD drive and a large hard drive that stores movies, music, pictures, documents. Systems without SSDs are low-cost configuration options, and computers with only solid-state drives are almost never found in nature.
(Solid-State Drive). This device has many positive aspects, but it also has some drawbacks. Moving from a magnetic HDD to a hard drive with no moving parts will give your computer a new lease of life. You will immediately notice several times the performance improvement. For example, the system will boot almost instantly, the same with applications. Many graphics programs and heavyweight games will open faster than they did with the HDD.
With the correct use of SSDs, you will feel the speed of your computer several times faster, let's get the most out of this device.
Using an SSD as a System Drive
To use the SSD effectively, you need to take into account that it can be installed as a system disk, in other words, it will have Windows or another OS on it. Since the system often accesses the disk on which it is installed, when using an SSD, the access time will decrease several times.
Although SSDs are very fast devices, they are limited in size. The price per gigabyte is very high, you can see for yourself if you go to any store that sells SSDs. Many users cannot even afford the 250GB version.
Another drawback is a decrease in disk performance due to the filled volume. Such is the technology. Therefore, I advise you to leave at least 30% or 40% of the total volume.
Even if you do not fill the disk yourself with some files, the system itself can do it without your knowledge. For example, when downloading files from the Internet, they are saved in the "Downloads" folder on the system drive. If this is not followed, sooner or later the disk will be full.
As a recommendation, I suggest installing only the operating system and a few important programs on the SSD, everything else can be stored on a regular hard drive. This solution is the most optimal, because of the low volume of the SSD, you will not be able to store large files anyway. Have another 500GB or larger hard drive.
In the case of a laptop, there is the option of replacing the internal hard drive with an SSD. If you have a floppy drive, you can replace it. If there is no floppy drive, then, of course, you can replace the existing HDD with a faster, but less voluminous SSD, although you will have to use either a flash drive as an additional drive for storing data. This method has the disadvantage that you can forget the external drive somewhere at any time.
Software transfer
We have dealt with all the nuances of data storage on an SSD. Let's move on to transferring programs to another disk. And then the question arises, how to do it? If we move some programs from one disk to another, then they will stop working correctly. With some software, this can be done, of course, but there are too many exceptions.
I want to say that Windows still allows you to transfer programs without consequences, for this there are "symbolic characters" that are created to indicate to Windows where the installed program is actually located. For example, you have a program or game installed on C: \\ ProrgammFiles... We take this software from there and transfer it to an SSD, with the same name, then the path will look like this: H: \\ ProrgammFiles... Now we start the command line and use the mklink command. You need to enter the following:
| mklink / d C: \\ ProrgammFiles H: \\ ProrgammFiles |
Now it turns out that the program is on drive C, but the system will think that it is on drive H.
Moving system folders
There are so-called libraries that store files of one type or another, for example, the folders "Music", "Videos", "Downloads", "Documents". These folders are system folders, but you can easily change their location.
Usually the folders are located in the path C: \\ Users \\ Username. Here we find these folders, click on each with the right mouse button and go to "Properties", go to the tab "Location"... Click on the button "Move" and select the required disk.
Cleaning garbage on SSD
We have dealt with transferring files to a new disk. I would like to note that over time, the disk will fill up more and more, and you are unlikely to do anything about it. As an example, we can cite various temporary browser files - cache, driver files from a video card, for example, Nvidia, after all, they are saved in the Nvidia folder, which is located on the system drive.
The program is well suited as a cleaner for all garbage and temporary files. Outdated entries in, empty folders and remnants of deleted programs will be destroyed using this utility.
Last moments
In general, who does not know, there is another point at which users abandon SSD, the matter is in the number of rewriting cycles. The lifetime of a solid state drive is very limited, after the overwrite limit is reached, the drive will stop working. Of course, manufacturers try to get rid of this problem by increasing the rewrite cycle each time. Now SSDs can work for 5-6 years without interruption, I think there is nothing to worry about.To reduce disk wear, you can restrict some software to use the disk, or specify another as a buffer.
There is an opinion that it is not needed for an SSD, it is, it should not be done in any case, as this will shorten the life of the disk. It's just that this operation involves multiple read / write cycles, which is very dangerous.
I think this is where I will end this article. Now you know how to properly use an SSD, how to transfer files from one drive to another, and how to increase the lifetime of a drive.
Until recently, data storage media used the magnetic recording principle. In the 70s and 80s of the past century, they were floppy disks, which then gave way to more reliable and capacious hard drives. This state of affairs was observed until the end of the last decade, until SSDs appeared on the market - solid-state electronic media devoid of moving mechanical parts and characterized by high speed.
At first, they were distinguished by their small capacity and high price. The service life of these devices also left much to be desired. Therefore, there was no definite answer to the question of why an SSD drive is needed. With a volume of 32 or 64 GB and a price of several hundred dollars, these media seemed to most of the expensive toys. And the insignificant advantage in read / write speed (up to 1.5-2 times) made SSDs interesting only for geeks seeking to squeeze the maximum performance out of their PC.
But progress does not stand still, and soon more capacious and affordable solid-state drives went on sale, which attracted the attention of a wide audience. The question of why you need an SSD hard drive has become more relevant than ever.
Design features, advantages of SSD drives
To understand why to install an SSD drive, you need to understand the main advantages of such drives. It does not hurt to know the main disadvantages of these gadgets.
HDD and SSD drive design
The main difference between SSDs and traditional hard drives is the different principle of design and operation. Unlike HDDs, there are no mechanical components in the construction of solid-state media. For data recording, arrays of high-speed flash memory are used, access to which is provided by an internal controller. This design gives the SSD a number of advantages not available with traditional HDDs.
- Noiselessness... Due to the absence of moving elements, the SSD does not make sounds during operation.
- Shock resistant... Unlike HDDs, where in the process of moving the device or falling, the magnetic head can scratch the surface of the disk (thereby damaging it and the stored data), the SSD is less vulnerable. Of course, due to a blow to the case, contact between the components may be broken, but a drive hidden inside a computer or laptop is sufficiently protected from this.
- Low power consumption... The main consumer of energy in a railway is the motor that drives the disks. It rotates at a speed of 5, 7 or 10 thousand revolutions per minute and consumes up to 95% of all the electricity supplied to the drive. Thus, SSD is up to 10 times more economical, which is especially important for thin laptops.
- High read / write speed... The magnetic method of recording data has reached the limit of perfection. More than 100-200 MB / s in sequential write mode, without reducing the service life, increasing dimensions, increasing power consumption and increasing prices, cannot be obtained from a hard disk. SSD flash memory does not have this disadvantage and is up to 10 times faster.
- Stable working speed... If information on a traditional hard disk drive is recorded on physically different disks (their designs are HDD 2 or more) or their sections, there is a delay caused by the need to move the read head. Because of this, the speed of work is significantly reduced. The similar latency when reading cells in an SSD flash array is in the millionths of a second and does not significantly affect overall performance.
Disadvantages of SSD
With all the advantages, it's too early to talk about the perfection of SSD technology. The disadvantages of such drives are insufficiently low cost (3-10 times more expensive than HDD in terms of 1 GB of memory) and limited service life (from 10 thousand to 1 million rewriting cycles per cell). This indicator for HDD is theoretically unlimited, but in practice it reaches tens of millions of cycles.
Another disadvantage of solid-state drives is electrical vulnerability: when a high voltage is applied, caused by a malfunction of the power supply, both the controller and the flash drive burn out.
SSD drives - why are they needed
Knowing the main advantages of solid-state drives, answer the question "Why do you need an SSD drive in a computer?" much easier. The purchase of this gadget will allow, first of all, to increase the comfort of using the gadget and extend its battery life (if it is a portable PC). High operating speed will have a positive effect on OS boot time, opening documents and performance in games.
Why an SSD is needed in a laptop
When it comes to a laptop, then the question "why do we need an SSD" can be omitted at all. In any case, buying a solid-state drive won't make it any worse. Energy-efficient technology will allow you to achieve longer runtime on a single charge, the absence of high voltage in the supply circuits minimizes the risk of irreparable failure of the drive in the event of a power supply failure, and the amount of memory in a laptop does not play as important a role as in a desktop PC.
As for the shorter resource of work, the experience of service centers shows: the hard disk of a laptop fails and undergoes premature wear several times more often and faster than in a stationary computer. This is due, first of all, to a significantly larger amount of dynamic loads that the device is subjected to during transportation and operation. Accidentally dropping a laptop from your knees at the moment when data is being written to the HDD, there is a high risk of damaging the drive, even if the computer is not visually damaged. Therefore, it is highly likely that an SSD will last even longer than a hard disk drive. 
Why SSD drive in a gaming PC
Gamers are the main, at the moment, part of the SSD buyers. Using a solid state drive allows them to get better performance in 3D games by reducing their startup time. Loading levels, inventory, surrounding objects and other elements of the game world from files stored on disk is also significantly (up to 10 times) faster.
There is a noticeable difference in seamless games like Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto or Fallout. The inner world in them is located on one huge map, and to reduce the load on hardware, only a part of it is stored in RAM. This can be the environment, for example, within a radius of 200 meters around the character. As you move through the terrain, objects moving away from the RAM are removed, and in their place objects are written in the direction of which the player approaches. Thus, reading from the hard disk occurs constantly and it is easy to guess that the SSD will allow the processor to supply data much faster and more efficiently than the hard disk drive.
For gamers, the high cost of a gigabyte in an SSD is not critical, since games take up relatively little space. If a collection of 100 films in FullHD quality weighs about 1 TB, the same Fallout 4 requires less than 50 GB of free space.
Why do you need an SSD hard drive in a multimedia computer
In a home PC used for surfing the web and solving multimedia tasks (watching movies, listening to music), the SSD is the least needed. The need for such a disc can only be experienced by connoisseurs of content in the quality of Blue-Ray. It takes a long time (about 10 minutes) to wait for a 40 GB movie to be written to the PC memory. But to store a selection of your favorite movies in FullHD, QHD or 4K UHD, you need a spacious SSD of 500, 1000 or 2000 GB. The cost of such drives exceeds a thousand dollars, and not everyone can afford such an acquisition.
For undemanding PC users, a large SSD in a multimedia computer is unnecessary. The capabilities of classic (magnetic) hard drives are enough to meet the needs of 99% of users. However, a small (64 - 128 GB) solid-state drive used as system media (for installing Windows) will not be superfluous. It will significantly increase the overall performance of the PC, reduce the noise level of the system unit and more economically consume electricity.
A big fan of high-quality Chinese technology, a lover of clear screens. Supporter of healthy competition between manufacturers. Keeps track of news in the world of smartphones, processors, video cards and other hardware.
Productive SSD
- storage devices have flooded the market of computer components, but due to their high cost, they still cannot completely displace HDD
... Most users can afford to purchase SSD
only with basic volumes of 60-120
GB for Windows installation. Universal availability of fast solid state drives experts IT-the market is prophesied in the future.
In the meantime, these devices need to be protected and properly handled in order to delay as much as possible the MTBF associated with a limited number of data rewriting cycles.
What are the actions to squeeze the maximum of opportunities SSD and saving its resource are required directly from the user?
1. Lean SSD
Try to restrict data overwriting on the partition SSD -disk:
Do not use the device for a media library, softbase and storage of other personal files;
Reassign the default download folder in browsers, torrent clients and other Internet programs;
Do not store databases and project files of individual programs in their default folder "Documents" or other directory on disk FROM ;
Try to avoid filling SSD more than three quarters. The operation of writing new data to partially filled cells of the drive involves first unloading the existing data into the cache, and then rewriting both old and new information;
Do not use the functions of programs that independently download distributions from the Internet Windows, LiveDisk, other OS, and right there, in a single process, recording them to an optical disc or USB flash drive. Such programs usually load distributions into the system cache... Better to download separately ISO -images, saving them along the selected path, and separately record on an external medium;
Do not use the function of returning the computer to its original state or reinstalling Windows while preserving the profile and its data unless absolutely necessary. If the problem cannot be solved by digging into the settings, then it is better to reinstall the system. "Clean", with the formatting of the system partition. In this case, the drive FROM at least it will not be cluttered with unnecessary data - in particular, the folder "Windows.old" and the image of the fresh distribution (when using the Start Over feature in the Windows 10 Creators Update) ;
Don't use Windows cleaners to automate disk cleanup processes. The cache of the system, browsers and other programs, cleared today, will be filled with deleted data again tomorrow, if you use the computer for the usual purposes.
There are also controversial methods of delaying MTBF. SSD , such as moving folders for storing system temporary files and browser cache to a partition HDD or installation on the latest programs and games. With weighty games, everything is clear, in a situation where the drive is used only for the system partition, the user simply has no other choice. As for small games and programs, if you do not work with them, taking into account the advantages SSD , then what is the point of buying it? If the program interacts with databases or project files located on HDD , we get the total performance of both types of hard drives.
Transferring Windows temporary file storages, browser cache and other specific programs to HDD will extend the service life SSD , but will make buying it completely pointless. After all, the fast speed of reading and writing small files of these types of data, many times exceeding the turtle's capabilities HDD - the main reason for purchasing a drive for installation Windows.
2. Defragmentation
Defragmentation operation increases read speed HDD by rewriting parts of files chaotically scattered over the entire surface of the disk into a sequential chain of clusters. In this situation, it is not required to move the magnetic head to another area of \u200b\u200bthe disk, and data reading, accordingly, is faster. The solid-state drive has a different principle of the device, which does not depend on the sequence of writing information to the cells. The access speed to all cells is the same.
In defragmentation SSD makes no sense, and modern Windows know about it. Versions 10 , 8.1 and 7 distinguish between types of hard drives. In the latter, disk defragmentation is part of the automatic maintenance process, and it is carried out only for partitions HDD ... In versions 8.1 and 10 there is no longer a concept of defragmentation, there is a concept disk optimization ... This procedure is carried out as for HDD and for SSD ... For the first, the usual defragmentation is started, for the second, the same operation is applied, but using different algorithms and under certain conditions - when disk fragmentation is reached by more than 10% and the use of system functions based on the shadow copy service.
Native disk optimization in Windows 8.1 and 10 for SSD can be disabled.
You also need to avoid defragmentation SSD third-party software. Ideally, the defragmenter program should determine the type of hard disk and allow the launch of operations only in relation to partitions. HDD ... If the program does not have such a mechanism, the demand is only from the user.
You should not resort to the functions of programs that offer defragmentation as part of the procedure for optimizing the Windows registry. This is the same operation as performed by defragmenter programs, only optimizers use it when applied to the system registry files on disk. FROM .
3. Optimizing Windows
Windows 10 , 8.1 and 7 By default, they are sharpened for working with a solid-state drive. But in versions Vista and older no function support Trim, which provides cleaning of the drive cells from deleted information and, accordingly, prevents the write speed from decreasing as the disk space fills up. In older versions of the system, programmatically deleted data does not physically disappear anywhere; it remains in the cells of the drive. Physical deletion occurs during overwriting, and the additional operation reduces the overall data write speed. However, individual manufacturers SSD can supply their own software for old Windows that implements the function Trim.
Various optimization programs often offer tweaks to adapt the system to work with an SSD. There is even a highly specialized utility SSD Mini Tweaker, which contains a huge selection of settings. For modern versions of Windows, tweakers will not offer anything significant that they do not know about. Microsoft... If you resort to using such programs, then only after a preliminary study of each of the proposed settings. Usually tweaks have side effects.
4. Hardware optimization
On the Internet, you may come across the opinion that the purchase SSD would be pointless if the motherboard does not support SATA 3... The bandwidth of this data carrier connection interface can reach 6 Gbps... Whereas its predecessor SATA 2 limited 3 Gbps... However, this figure is more than enough to justify the investment. Yes, when reading and writing large files, the drive will not reveal its full potential, but when working with small files that make up the system cache and software, the difference with the capabilities HDD will be tangible. The screenshot below clearly demonstrates the speeds SSD connected via SATA 2 , and HDD .
As you can see, the sequential read and write speed of the drive leaves much to be desired, nevertheless, the issue of replacing the motherboard with a more modern one can be put on the back burner.
For squeezing maximum productivity SSD must be connected to SATA via controller mode AHCI, the successor to the outdated IDE... Which of the controller modes is currently selected can be checked in BIOS computer or Windows Device Manager.
If the mode is selected IDE, it must be changed in BIOS on AHCI... It is better to do this at the time of reinstalling Windows. Switch to AHCI without reinstalling the system, you can by editing its registry. There are a lot of instructions on this issue on the Internet, but the success of the operation is not guaranteed in every case.
5. Separate Windows bootloader for SSD
When connected SSD to assembling a computer with BIOS UEFI , on the section HDD which already has Windows, it is worth considering one point. Two hard drives (or more) UEFI usually defines as a solid space and shapes for two (or several) operating systems a single boot partition and a single partition EFI... And they are on the hard drive where the first Windows was installed. Accordingly, connected later SSD will be listed as a normal data section. In case of failure or disconnection HDD an SSD system will not start without a bootloader.
If Windows is not cloned, but installed on SSD from scratch, at the time of its installation HDD need to disable (either programmatically in the BIOS settings, or in hardware by disconnecting the SATA cable) ... This is the simplest way to correctly partition a new drive: when you install Windows on unallocated space, the necessary partitions will be created automatically. The system will boot from SSD , and even without the additional stage of choosing other systems. If necessary, the second OS can be started by setting the priority of loading it HDD in BIOS .
How important is an SSD drive for games, what it affects and what is the usefulness of this technology - this is what this article will be about. A solid state drive has a number of significant advantages over a conventional hard drive. One of the most valuable among them is the ability to instantly download files recorded on it. This is because this type of device has no moving parts, so there is no time wasted in moving the disk head.
In addition, SSD drives have a low weight, extremely low power consumption, high write speed, no noise and the ability to fully function with the fastest interfaces. With their help, any files are read much faster than on conventional HDDs, while the operating system itself becomes more operational.
More about all this, as well as about whether you need an SSD drive for games and why you should install it, we will talk further.
Operating environment
To begin with, solid-state drives make loading programs much faster. For example, the operating system takes only 13 seconds to boot.
If we talk about games that have an old architecture, where resources are located as a huge number of small files, then a regular hard drive processes them incredibly slowly. As an example, we can take the well-known World of Tanks. Even on the most powerful PCs, a significant drop in performance becomes noticeable during mass skirmishes, in company battles and battles on the global map.
Using a gaming SSD, you will be able to eliminate the existing drawback and maintain the required game speed. As for the increase in frames per second, it is quite insignificant. The developers are well aware that the drive is the weakest link in the computer, so it should not be overloaded. Mainly the processor and video card affect the performance in games.
Fast loading of levels
One of the most important factors that differentiates an SSD from a regular device. Games weigh 50 GB for a reason, and they constantly use the necessary information, throwing it into RAM. In this case, booting from the SSD is significantly faster. Moreover, the worse the optimization of the application, the more tangible the difference between the drives. Therefore, when wondering if it is possible to install games on an SSD, know that this must be done to improve performance.
If you look at the load time on the example of Battlefield 3, you can see that the Crucial MX 255 GB SSD significantly wins (almost 3 times) the regular Seagate 3TB HDD, despite the fact that both of them work on a faster SATAIII interface ...
Basically, this feature manifests itself in offline games, although many users say that loading from a solid-state hard drive in online battles is also quite fast and you have to constantly wait for "slow" players. In this case, owners of PCs with SSD can discuss tactics in advance, while others will still admire the loading screen and drink tea.
It is also important to say about several windows of the same game (for gamers in MMORPGs), which is torture for HDD, while SSD easily tolerates such loads. Do not forget about mods, which are often "bolted" to the engine using third-party scripts and libraries. That is, they are loaded into memory in an abnormal way. Regular drives do not like this kind of activity, while for SSDs there is no difference at all in games.
Stable FPS
A solid state hard drive is especially useful when the user is playing games with a large open world. No matter how much RAM and video memory a PC would have in this case, the application constantly loads memory with new sections on the map and its details, which heavily loads the system and drains FPS. In this case, the SSD does its job much better, working with a minimum amount of latency, than a mechanical drive, the read head of which must move to the desired area and read information.
youtu.be/9dEsTiOeMQ4
In addition, if you put an SSD for your gaming computer, you can make up for the lack of RAM in cases where the game turns out to be overly power hungry. The Windows operating system likes to use the swap file "on business and without", while most games do not work at all without activated swap, which takes up gigabytes of hard drive memory to be used as RAM.
HDD devices are significantly inferior to solid-state drives in terms of data access speed. Therefore, if a "slideshow" is waiting for you with the first one, then in the case of an SSD, a PC or laptop will pull the game even "through I can not."
Fast loading textures
Basically, in online games, textures and other objects are loaded when the character approaches them, and not during the entrance. In view of this, it becomes possible to significantly reduce performance if you are moving in terrain with complex design and architecture.
A standard disc will not be able to load volumetric textures in real time and because of this it will slow down a lot, which will certainly affect your efficiency and enjoyment of the game. Therefore, if you decide to buy an SSD for games, then this is definitely the right decision.
Silence and reliability
As we said earlier, solid state devices have no moving parts. Therefore, computers equipped with them do not make noise and do not emit strange sounds, even under heavy load. Considering the modern technologies used in the production of computer components, it is possible to assemble an absolutely silent device. Moreover, the absence of moving parts makes the disc itself more reliable and minimizes the likelihood of its breakage.
It must also be said that an SSD is worth buying and installing for the reason that it will ensure the complete safety of information where a conventional magnetic drive loses it. In standard hard disks, the memory sectors “die” without the possibility of recovery, while in the SSD the information simply goes into read mode. That is, the saved gameplay can be transferred to another drive.
Dispelling some myths
Summarizing
Given the above information, we can now answer the question of whether a SSD is needed for a gaming PC. For the average user, it will not become something revolutionary and will most likely act as a pleasant addition. But if you are a gamer, then if possible, this device should be taken and installed on a computer without a doubt. Especially if you like demanding games with good graphics.
A solid state hard drive will make your PC more productive both online and offline. You will be able to play team games with a large number of participants and extensive maps without any problems. With an SSD, you will not only get maximum comfort, but also get superiority over other players.
Found a good picture showing the strengths and weaknesses of each device.
Speaking of whether SSD or HDD is best for gaming, it is enough to just mention the fact that the presence of a solid state drive is a must for all participants in eSports competitions. Without this component, you would simply not be allowed to compete.
However, if you have a limited budget and have a choice, buy an SSD or invest in a powerful processor or video card, then in this case it is better to resort to the second option to maximize performance.
Also, with a limited amount of funds, you can limit yourself to a regular hard drive if you have enough RAM.
Now you know if you can put games on an SSD and what is its main advantage over conventional drives. The decision on the choice of SSD disk is entirely yours. Consider your financial capabilities, as well as the features and advantages of modern hard drives.
Comparative video
youtu.be/sZFMXCYJhOM
Professional help
If it was not possible to fix the problems that have arisen on your own,
then most likely the problem lies at a more technical level.
This may be: breakdown of the motherboard, power supply,
hard disk, video card, RAM, etc.
It is important to diagnose and fix the breakdown in time,
to prevent damage to other components.
Our specialist will help you with this.
Leave a request and get
Free consultation and specialist diagnostics!