Solid state disks (SSD) vs. regular hard disks (HDD)

Solid state disk (SSD) is the latest memory storage device that has no moving parts unlike the traditional and still in use hard disks. The SSD consists of memory chips and these chips are flash based and nonvolatile. The data is stored using the flash technology by erasing the previous contents. The disk can retain data even when the power is cut off. The super fast SSDs are now used in applications that involve transaction processing, batch processing and decision support analysis systems.

The traditional hard disk used heads to locate information and hence there existed IO delay. This is eliminated in the solid state disks. Also these disks are more rugged and they can withstand temperature fluctuations and are highly robust. The power consumption by the SSD is very small as it has no mechanical moving parts. This has resulted in increased battery life when used in laptops.

The solid state disk is compatible with the traditional hard disk electrically, mechanically and software point of view. The storage medium is neither magnetic like the hard disk nor optical like the CD and uses semiconductors that are used in EPROMS flash memories. Hence the mechanical movements are not needed and provides near random access to data that is stored in them.

The SSDs don't rely only on the CPU for data transfer. They have their own CPU so that data transfer is done at faster rates. The high speed information access is the greatest advantage of the solid state disks. Modern day business has serious time constraints and they cannot wait for a long time for transferring data. The SSD comes as a rescue at these situations and is capable of fast data transfer within seconds even for batch processing.

The SSDs are very reliable. They can withstand shock and vibration and they don't encounter data loss under critical conditions. As they are non-volatile they don't loose their content when sudden power cut occurs. They can withstand high temperatures and hence used in many military applications that operate in rugged environments.

The hard disks contain mechanical arms that dissipate more heat when used for a long time. As this mechanical motion is eliminated, the SSDs have lower heat dissipation. The power requirement for SSD is also very less.

The size is actually a constraint for SSD. They are smaller in size compared to the traditional disks. As the technology is developing everyday. Bigger SSDs are about to be evolved. But for time critical embedded systems, SSD is the best option instead of the traditional magnetic hard disks.

The cost of the SSD is high compared to the traditional hard disks that are in use. But this SSD has many benefits over the traditional mechanical disks to justify the price. As the technology is developing everyday, more and more improvements are made to the solid state disks. The price of SSD is also estimated to come down in the future and they are about to replace the traditional disks in use.