The Intel SSDs technology versus the HDD technology

by Trevor Haldenby

Even though the innovative Intel SSDs are a bit pricier compared to the HDD storage devices, the potential and benefits that the new technology brings to the picture makes them worth every penny. One of the benefits that SSD devices have over their counterparts arises from their completely different methods of storing the information. While the HDD refers to the type of storage that keeps digitally encoded data on fast rotating magnetic platters, the SSDs emulate the movement of the platters and keeps persistent data via the solid-state memory.  

The dissimilar methods of storage that these devices have lead to another big discrepancy between the two technologies. Because the HDD technology uses a platter that exerts mechanical movements to spin in a very fast motion, they are in general considered more fragile. In addition, since the arms of the hard drive disk devices will always need to rotate in order to allow the user to transfer or access data on the computer, there are more exposed to wearing and tearing, which in time will lead to reading or writing failures. On the other hand, the technology behind the Intel SSDs does not involve any moving components, but rather the storage capacity is based on a multi-level cell technology.

Since the hard drive disks use fine magnetic platters that usually imply that they can break down very easily if they are exposed extreme shocks or vibrations. While this may not be a problem with a desktop, as you rarely need to move it around, this is quite an important issue for all portable devices that include HDD storage devices. However, this is not the case with the SSDs storage devices. Intel and other manufacturers focused on creating an extremely resistant device, efficient in coping with bumpy rides. This is the main reason why this technology is considered top notch so far for mobile phones as well.

Another difference between the HDDs and the Intel SSDs is that the first type of devices will generally require higher energy consumption in order to reach the adequate spinning rotation. In time, the energy consumption will translate in reducing the lifespan of the battery of laptops or the cooler of the desktops. As opposed to HDDs, the solid state disks will consume less energy and will not have a major influence on your computer’s components.

Lastly, if you were to perform tests on both devices using as many benchmarks tools as you want, you will notice the big differences between the two types of technology regarding their performance and responsiveness. The HDD devices tend to perform slower as the file fragmentation on the computer is higher. On the other hand, the advantage of the SSD technology is that fragmentation is not an issue and therefore, you will be able to enjoy the same performance. Moreover, the SSDs are usually faster and register a minimal responsiveness latency value mainly because they do not to use that time to reach the optimal rotations per minute that enables it to read and respond to the commands.

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