Solid State Drives

A solid-state drive is a storage device for your computer, and has the same role as a hard disk drive (HDD). You would not know if your computer uses a SSD or HDD if it wasn't for the distinction and speed of how they operate. HDDs stores data on spinning metal platters, and when your computer wants to access some that data a needle-like peripheral (called the "head") shifts to the data's location on the HDD and dispenses it to the computer. SSDs, on the other hand, do not have and moving parts. They store their data in blocks. When the computer wants that data, the SSD just locates it and presents it to you. This is a simplified explanation; the SSD's process is a bit more direct and efficient. Speed is the primary advantage of an SSD over a HDD. This makes an SSD the best single upgrade for your computer if you're looking to greatly speed up your old computer.

A SSD can speed up your computer in the following ways:

>Boot times will be greatly reduced.
>Opening applications will occur in a near-instant.
 >Saving and closing applications will not lag.
>File copying speeds will significantly improve.
 >Overall, your system will be much snappier.

Choosing the Right SSD
Deciding on the right SSD for your computer isn't difficult, but the process can be a little overcoming with so many brands on the market. Any SSD will feel like a mega upgrade from a HDD, but when you're spending a lot more money on a drive that gives less storage you want it to be one of the best. You want a reliable piece of hardware, and these factors are both a bit hard to ascertain if you have little experience with the technology. Here are some of the important qualities you want to look for in an SSD when you're shopping around:

High speeds:
Maximum read speeds are around 400MB/s, and max write speeds are around 300MB/s (that's megabytes per second).
Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash memory:
When purchasing SSDs, you'll have the option to choose between two type of memory: multi-level cell (MLC) and single-level cell (SLC). The difference is that MLC stores more information on each cell.

SATA III Support:
SSDs use the Serial ATA (SATA) interface, but not all will have the latest version and this can restrict the performance of the SSD. To make certain your SSD has sufficient bandwidth to move data as quickly as possible, you want it to be consistent with SATA III.

A history of reliability:
Reliability is a very hard thing to look forward to, look for an SSD that is manufactured by a company that has been in the business for a while. The technology is relatively new, so you do not just want to go with any company who has recently decided to start producing SSDs.

Is SSD right for your business infrastructure?
The obvious home use for a SSD is in a laptop. The performance will be significant, and if your laptop is running slow, swapping the HDD for an SSD can make a huge difference. One test found that upgrading to an SSD can cut a laptop’s boot time by 50%.
However, it's not just in laptops that SSDs can show benefits. The performance gains can be the same in desktop computers. Since SSDs can read and write data so quickly, you'll see advantages in circumstances where you need to handle a lot of data. E.g:

   >Using large databases like CRM system
   >Saving or processing big files like videos or enhanced images.

An everyday problem affecting a growing business is the slowdown of their customer database as its size grows. Upgrading the HDD on which the data is stored for an SSD can improve things dramatically.
If you're contemplating upgrading your business computers and or servers to use SSDs, you need to correctly balance the cost with the benefits. You may be able to see extraordinary performance by switching to SSDs.

SSD vs HDD
Power use and Battery life
SSD uses less power as compared to HDD. SSD uses an average 2-3 watts and saves 30+ minutes of battery per charge, unlike HDD which uses an average 6-7 watts of power.

Operating system boot time.
SSD’s can cut boot time by over 50%

Noise and vibration
SSD’s have no moving parts, so there is no noise or vibration created when powered on or in use.

File Copy / Write Speed
Copy rates at above 200 MB/s are usual for consumer SSD’s and can go above 550 MB/s on higher end drives. HDD’s have copy rates of 50 MB/s-120 MB/s.

File opening speed
SSD has a 30% faster file opening speed as compared to HDD

Magnetism Affected?
Magnetism cannot affect SSD. Magnets can erase information on a HDD.

Solid state drives (also called SSD) are at the point where they are an affordable investment. If you get a headache every time you start your computer, it might be time to switch. Your computer will operate faster, laptop users will enjoy a longer battery life, and they’re quiet and vibration free.

If you think you are ready to upgrade to a Solid State Drive,  contact us . We are happy to guide you through the process  and recommending the best one for you.