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What is SSD storage anyway?

One of the main components of a computer or server is its hard drive. It is responsible for storing our data, but not only that. With storage technology constantly evolving, new storage devices are becoming available, to the point of impacting server performance. The solid-state hard drive, or SSD, has become a key piece of modern computer hardware, but what is an SSD drive and how is it different from the HDD drives we used to know?

What is a hard drive?

A hard drive is the storage device where your computer or server stores all your data on a long-term basis. Everything you install or create on your computer or hosting space is stored on a hard drive. The operating system of your computer or server is also on the hard drive. Each hard drive has a certain capacity, or storage space, which determines the amount of data that can be stored. The capacity of these hard drives is measured in gigabytes and terabytes and defines the limit of data you can store on them.

Are there different types of hard drives?

There was a time when there was really only one type or hard drive that was commonly used, but this has changed a lot in recent years and there are now many storage options. The two most common forms of storage are HDD storage and SSD storage.

HDD storage

The HDD drive is the most traditional method of data storage. It has been around for more than 50 years and is still available and efficient. HDD drives use turntables to store data. The advantage of HDD drive is that they can provide large storage space, in the order of several terabytes. They are also more affordable than other storage options and are an excellent choice for storing large amounts of data. The disadvantage of HDD drives is that they are slower than other options. This is due to the use of mechanical parts and the way data is read and written. These mechanical parts also increase the probability of a hard drive failure, although this is rarer with newer drives.

SSD storage

SSD drives use flash memory to provide faster speeds than HDD drives. These drives have no moving parts, which means they are less prone to failures and interruptions. This is one of the main advantages over HDD drives. SSD drives therefore offer greater durability, but they are also much faster than HDD drives. In fact, these drives keep the data in a flash memory instead of a magnetic system like in a HDD drive. The SSD drive stores data using the reliable attributes of a durable semiconductor package. Therefore, because SSD drives do not depend on moving parts or rotating disks, the recovery speed of stored data is faster.

What is the best technology?

HDD and SSD drive are quite complementary. HDD drives will be more suitable for applications that require a lot of disk space, while SSD drives are more suitable for applications that require less disk space but require fast data recovery. In the case of a server, this speed translates into a website that is displayed faster for visitors. To take advantage of this performance, Obambu now offers Cloud SSD web hosting.