HDD vs SSD | Difference between SSD and HDD

What is SSD?


SSD stands for solid-state drive, There is a trend that has been seen in the use of SSD replacing the traditional drive-in many types of electronic devices. It became more attractive as an enterprise for data storage devices like desktops, laptops, servers, PCs, etc.

What is HDD?


HDD is an abbreviation for hard disc drive. An HDD is a non-volatile memory hardware device that controls the reading and writing of hard discs. It can be linked to a system via an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable, as well as a power cable. The hard disc drive is a type of storage device that is commonly used as the primary storage device in files and can be found in desktop, mobile, consumer, electronics, and enterprise storage.

HDD vs SSD | Difference between SSD and HDD:

  • HDD stands for the hard disk drive, SSD stands for a solid-state drive.
  • HDD has a slower speed for reading and writing data and SSD is faster at reading and writing data.
  • HDD has higher latency whereas SSD has a lower latency.
  • HDD support fewer I/O operations per second while SSD supports more I/O operation per seconds.
  • HDD can produce noise due to mechanical movements on the other hand SSD does not produce much noise.
  • HDD has a high chance of fragmentation, while fragmentation doesn't occur on an SSD drive.
  • HDD drive is older and more traditional, while SSD is a newer type of storage drive
  • The moving part of HDD makes them vulnerable to crashes and damages but SSD drives can tolerate vibration up to 2000Hz.
  • HDD contains moving mechanical parts, like the arm, SSD does not contain mechanical parts, only electronic parts like ICs.
  • HDD are usually 3.5" and 2.5" size for desktop and laptop, while the SSD is available in 2.5 inches, 1.8" and 1.0" increasing the available space in a computer especially desktop or server. 
  • The HDD has moving parts and magnetic platters. With more uses, they are prone to fail. The SSD drive has no moving parts. With more uses, they are less likely to fail.
  • HDD weighs more, while SSD drives are lighter than HDD drives as they don't have the rotating disk's spindle and mirror.