Benefits & Advantages of SSD in Your PC

There are multiple benefits of using an SSD (Solid State Drive) in your PC, including faster boot times, higher durability, zero noise, better power efficiency, and improved thermals, which is why SSDs are the recommended storage option for gaming. The main reason for almost all of these benefits is that SSDs, unlike HDDs (Hard Disk Drive), have no moving parts and run on M.2 connections instead of SATA. Let's discuss more on how SSDs outperform HDDs and in what aspect. 

SSDs Have Faster Read/Write Speeds

The problem with hard drives is that they have a physical moving part to read or write data. Picture a record player: the black, spinning disk is where the data is stored, and the head is the moving part responsible for reading or writing data on the disk.

On the other hand, solid-state drives utilize flash memory technology to store data and have zero moving parts. Thanks to that, SSDs can offer much faster read and write speeds. In other words, you can copy and access data from and to SSDs at much faster rates, about 10 times faster than what HDDs offer.

SSDs Offer Faster Boot/Load Times

When you start your computer, data from the operating system stored on the storage device gets accessed and transferred into the RAM. In the case of hard drives, this process is slow because, as mentioned, they're slow at reading data.

Since fetching operating system data and transferring it to RAM is slower on hard drives, the entire boot process becomes very slow. Thankfully, SSDs' faster read times exponentially minimize boot times, allowing you to boot up your PC within seconds.

Let's look at an example of how fast SSDs are at booting a PC. A PC will boot up in around 40 seconds if it has a hard drive. On the other hand, it will boot up in under 12 seconds if the operating system is on an SSD drive. 

This difference might seem small, but waiting 40 straight seconds feels much longer than 12. To this end, operating systems and games that require fast load times should be on SSDs.

SSDs Are More Durable

Looking at the reliability of SSDs vs. HDDs, it is easy to see that SSDs are more compact and, therefore, more streamlined regarding durability over time. The overall TBW (Terabytes Written) between SSDs and HDD vastly differs over time as stress is put on the unit.

Typically, hard drives are the first to fail due to mechanical issues over SSDs, which are purely circuitry. This makes SSDs a significant upgrade over typical HDDs. 

SSDs Are Quieter

Thanks to the lack of moving parts, SSDs don't just take the lead in the speed department. They are much better than HDDs in terms of how noisy they are. While HDDs make weird electric noises while reading or writing data, SSDs stay silent. That might not feel like that big of a deal, but those sounds that HDDs make can quickly get annoying. 

SSDs Use Less Power

As you might have guessed, those spinning disks and moving read/write heads inside hard drives also require more power. That's because the mechanical components in hard drives rely on motors that spin at high speeds of up to 7,200 RPM. Since SSDs don't need those components or motors, they are much more power efficient, which is a big deal for applications such as laptops, where low power consumption is one of the top priorities. 

SSDs Have a Greater Variety of Form Factors / Sizes

While you'll mostly see HDDs with the typical 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch form factor, SSDs come in a broader range of sizes and shapes. Some of the most common form factors of SSDs include the M.2, SATA, and U.2. This versatility allows for much more customizability while cable management or deciding on a particular PC case. 

SSDs Are Lighter

SSDs are exponentially lighter than HDDs. As with almost all the benefits on this list, this weight reduction is due to an SSD’s absence of moving parts. For an idea of how heavy HDDs are exactly, an average HDD could weigh anywhere between 400 and 700 grams or about 14 and 25 ounces. 

In comparison, a 2.5-inch SSD weighs under 70 grams or 2.5 ounces. Even more unbelievable is that M.2 SSDs weigh just about 7 grams. In other words, you can save over two kilograms or just over four and a half pounds if you get four SSDs instead of four HDDs. 

SSDs Are Easy to Install

SSDs are easy to install compared to HDDs. If you've tried disconnecting those older "SATA" connectors on the back of HDDs, you probably appreciate the benefit of easy installation. M.2 drives don't even use wires. 

SSDs Tend to Last Longer

Along with reliability and a small form factor, SSDs are a general improvement in storage devices, as the amount they can read and write over a lifetime is substantially faster than any HDD on the market. This is due to the inert design choices between HDD and SSDs.

In the same way, the moving parts inside hard drives accumulate wear. On the contrary, SSDs have no moving parts, which helps them last much longer than HDDs. For context, an HDD might fail after five or even three years, whereas SSDs remain in perfect working condition even after five years, with multiple examples reaching the 10-year mark.

SSDs Work Better under Applied Heat

The problem with moving parts is that they generate heat from friction, contributing to degradation. SSDs still generate heat, but read and write speeds are between 55 and 65 degrees Celsius. Too many temperature fluctuations on a hard drive make the hardware unsuitable for long periods. 

Summary of Benefits of SSD Storage for Desktop Computers

If you opt for an SSD upgrade over an HDD for your PC build, you'll enjoy many advantages. Some main benefits include faster read/write speeds, quicker boot times, higher durability, silent operation, reduced power consumption, easy installation, and extended lifespan. The best part is that all these benefits only require you to spend as much as you would pay for an HDD of the same size. 

At Apex Gaming PCs, we have NVMe, SATA SSDs, and HDD options depending on your storage space needs. Look no further than our custom builder and the ability to configure up to 12TB in varied storage capacities! Whatever your storage needs are, we hope to be of service at Apex!