SSD vs HDD

[codename47deni]

My Seagate Barracuda croaked a few weeks ago and I'm looking for a replacement.

I wanted to ask your opinions about SSDs and HDDs. How reliable are SSDs?

I'm thinking about:

1) Buying an 120GB SSD for booting up and system files + a 750-1000GB external HDD for my media.

2) Buying just another HDD, 1TB or 2TB.

The prices of SSDs have probably come down by now, I don't know the initial prices.

This time around I want to get security and value/efficiency for my money.

Thanks

EDIT: If it matters, I have ONE free SATA2 connector in my case, unless I unplug the DVD, then I'd have another one.

 

[strollin]

Ssds haven't been around long enough to determine what their long time reliability is but early results seem to show that they aren't anymore reliable than hdds. That said, I feel they are reliable enough that I own 4 of them and will continue to use ssds in the future unless some new technology comes along.

The main drawback to an ssd is cost, even though the price of an ssd has dropped significantly, they are still much more expensive than an hdd.

If you go with option 1 above (120G ssd for boot disk and large hdd for data) you should be pretty happy. The addition of an ssd is probably one of the best performance upgrades you can do to an existing system.

Is the free SATA connector in your case in addition to the connector that your old hdd is connected to or is it the connector that your hdd was connected to? If you need additional SATA connections you could always add a card with additional SATA connections.

 

[codename47deni]

Ssds haven't been around long enough to determine what their long time reliability is but early results seem to show that they aren't anymore reliable than hdds. That said, I feel they are reliable enough that I own 4 of them and will continue to use ssds in the future unless some new technology comes along.

The main drawback to an ssd is cost, even though the price of an ssd has dropped significantly, they are still much more expensive than an hdd.

If you go with option 1 above (120G ssd for boot disk and large hdd for data) you should be pretty happy. The addition of an ssd is probably one of the best performance upgrades you can do to an existing system.

Is the free SATA connector in your case in addition to the connector that your old hdd is connected to or is it the connector that your hdd was connected to? If you need additional SATA connections you could always add a card with additional SATA connections.

I am aware of the cost/storage ratio problem, and I don't mind. 120GB should be enough for Windows 7. It was enough before.

Did you look at my specs below? Is it really worth the upgrade?

Right now I have two SATA2 connectors. One is the DVD, the other was the HDD. I boot up Ubuntu every time I want to use my computer. I also see a couple of older power cables tucked away, but no IDE cables are present. I wonder...

Oh, I didn't know about the card. Sweet! I have plenty of space in my case.

 

[gigabiteme]

i heard, ssd's very reliable, i read somewhere to make sure TRIMM is
on, it's kinda like a buffer to read out useless data transfers to disk, as ssd's
have only so many read/write cycles- also don't defragment-and set page
file to hdd-you can also have my pics files/docs/downloads/videos etc. set to store in hdd to save space on ssd, just info ,worth checking into.

 

[JettJobson]

What's better SSD+ HDD vs HDD + SSD Cache?
Thinking of Value vs Performance (performance to value ratio 2:1), would it be wiser to get either:

 

[Geoff]

What's better SSD+ HDD vs HDD + SSD Cache?
Thinking of Value vs Performance (performance to value ratio 2:1), would it be wiser to get either:

Best option is to get the SSD for the OS, and depending on the size either install apps on the SSD as well, or put apps and data on the HDD.

 

[codename47deni]

Which brands do you recommend for HDD/SSD?

It seems to me that everybody has his own opinion/experience. A friend of mine recommended Seagate, when in fact, my Seagate Barracuda croaked in 8 months. My guarantee is void, since I opened the case.

 

[Aastii]

You opened the hard drive case and you are surprised it died? It is pretty much sterile in there because any sort of debris will potentially destroy the drive, that is why any maintenance is done in a cleanroom.

Intel, Samsung, Crucial, Plextor, Kingston, G.Skill for SSD manufacturers. Whilst some of the drives may not offer industry defining performance, reliability is stellar.

For other options, though less reliable, OCZ, Corsair, A-Data

 

[byteninja2]

Samsung and intel are pretty much the best solid state drives you can get, but more expensive. For cheaper, go for a Crucial M4 or Sandisk Extreme. For a Hdd go with Seagate. WD drives are more expensive for the same specs, generally.

 

[wolfeking]

Samsung drives can be picky I find. Never had an issue with my laptop using a Samsung 830 (other than the small storage space), but on desktop be warned that I have had sever data corruption just by switching the controller on the same board (going from ASmedia SATA III to Z77 SATA III and Z77 SATA II). Seems to only like the controller it is installed on. And have had random boot issues on H61 SATA 3 and SATA 2 controllers on a different board.

 

[codename47deni]

You opened the hard drive case and you are surprised it died? It is pretty much sterile in there because any sort of debris will potentially destroy the drive, that is why any maintenance is done in a cleanroom.

Intel, Samsung, Crucial, Plextor, Kingston, G.Skill for SSD manufacturers. Whilst some of the drives may not offer industry defining performance, reliability is stellar.

For other options, though less reliable, OCZ, Corsair, A-Data

LOL, I opened the case after the HDD crashed. Also, how do you keep your case from gathering dust?

EDIT: Reading it twice, I think you misunderstood. I opened the computer case, not the HDD itself.

 

[Aastii]

LOL, I opened the case after the HDD crashed. Also, how do you keep your case from gathering dust?

EDIT: Reading it twice, I think you misunderstood. I opened the computer case, not the HDD itself.

Yes that is what I thought you meant

 

[Calibretto]

Try to find an SSD on sale. $0.50-$0.60 per GB is an excellent price point for an SSD. I spotted a 128GB SSD for $55 a few weeks, and I suspect that you'll find some similar deals the closer we get to the holidays.

 

[BurningSkyline]

It would definitely be worthwhile picking up a SSD and large storage drive. I personally use a OCZ Vertex 4 120GB and a Caviar Blue 500GB by Western Digital. While I cant comment on Reliability since this is my first SSD I can say speed wise, it is worth it. For comparisons sake my computer is fully boot in about 18 seconds with numerous apps in startup. My hard drive took about 90 seconds to 120 seconds.

Also, what SSD's don't have to be as expensive as they are made out to be. I purchased mine for $70 on newegg as a shellshocker which comes out to be around $0.58/gb.

 

[Benny Boy]

What company(s) is it that voids warranty for taking the side panel off? You sure its void?
WD has the best warranty. They, and Samsung & Seagate all have low failure rates dpending on the models. So warranty vs pricing could be your guide to which one.

Briefly, SSD's with Indilinx and Marvel controllers tend to be the most issue free. Intel has found reliability with their firmware/Sandforce as well as a few others. Samsung uses their own controller and their drives are very good.

I agree with SSD as C:/ + HDD for storage. I also agree w/looking for a price reduction while getting some feedback on that ssd's model.

 

[codename47deni]

What company(s) is it that voids warranty for taking the side panel off? You sure its void?
WD has the best warranty. They, and Samsung & Seagate all have low failure rates dpending on the models. So warranty vs pricing could be your guide to which one.

Briefly, SSD's with Indilinx and Marvel controllers tend to be the most issue free. Intel has found reliability with their firmware/Sandforce as well as a few others. Samsung uses their own controller and their drives are very good.

I agree with SSD as C:/ + HDD for storage. I also agree w/looking for a price reduction while getting some feedback on that ssd's model.

I live in Serbia. That's how they sell pre-packaged computers here. Basically you have a set configuration for a set price. If I temper with what's inside, they might say:"Well, you probably screwed something up."

 

[codename47deni]

I've been doing some research on both HDDs and SSDs and I still can't make up my mind. To me, what it basically boils down to is selecting which advantages/disadvantages I want to have. Neither of the two are perfect, each with its own flaws.

But seriously. What am I supposed to buy?

EDIT:

But there are still things I don't understand:

" Hard disks store data without the need for a constant electricity supply. "

What does this mean? Does it mean that if I unplug an SSD it loses everything?

HDD: HDDs fail mechanically, they can be dropped, damaged easily.

SSD: They fail because they have a limited read/write cycle, or the cells burn out or something.

Related the read/write cycle: if I just install an OS on the SSD and a few programs, will I have problems? How do you take care of your SSD? Does it come with a manual?

So it's like: pick your poison!

Also, do bigger HDDs have a higher failure rate because they have to cover bigger areas?

I really can't make up my mind here.

 

[Benny Boy]

Does it mean that if I unplug an SSD it loses everything? No.
Don't let the life span of either be a deciding factor. Both will last.
If I just install an OS on the SSD and a few programs, will I have problems? No. You can even keep some data on there as long as you have the space.
If your not going for both and you don't have a hdd atm, I suggest hdd. Then get an ssd later as a bonus.

 

[S.T.A.R.S.]

By the way...recovering deleted data from HDD is a lot easier than from SSD.
Besides I prefer HDD over SSD simply because I get more storage for less money and besides...I always have at least 2 copies of ALL my data so I don't care if ANY of my HDDs/SSDs die.And no lol...I don't use RAID.
As for the speed,all the speed you need to pay attention on is READ/WRITE.
SSDs have faster READ/WRITE speed,but here is what people confuse a lot:

If a game works slow or lags on the computer and that computer uses HDD,people usually think that getting an SSD will make the game to run fast because SSD has faster read/write operations.And that's WRONG.Game works slow because of weak GPU and not HDD.And if it lags a lot then it is CPU and not HDD.
However the speed of LOADING/UNLOADING something (such as a game level loading) DOES depend on the READ/WRITE speed operations.So in this kind of cases SSDs will perform faster than HDDs.

Oh yea...if the HDD sound is what is bothering you also then SSD is a perfect solution for you since it is completely silent.But if that's the only reason to buy an SSD then that is just......(you all know what I mean lol).

I prefer HDD.Some prefer SSD.We all have our reasons.
In short they are both great.

 

[codename47deni]

By the way...recovering deleted data from HDD is a lot easier than from SSD.
Besides I prefer HDD over SSD simply because I get more storage for less money and besides...I always have at least 2 copies of ALL my data so I don't care if ANY of my HDDs/SSDs die.And no lol...I don't use RAID.
As for the speed,all the speed you need to pay attention on is READ/WRITE.
SSDs have faster READ/WRITE speed,but here is what people confuse a lot:

If a game works slow or lags on the computer and that computer uses HDD,people usually think that getting an SSD will make the game to run fast because SSD has faster read/write operations.And that's WRONG.Game works slow because of weak GPU and not HDD.And if it lags a lot then it is CPU and not HDD.
However the speed of LOADING/UNLOADING something (such as a game level loading) DOES depend on the READ/WRITE speed operations.So in this kind of cases SSDs will perform faster than HDDs.

Oh yea...if the HDD sound is what is bothering you also then SSD is a perfect solution for you since it is completely silent.But if that's the only reason to buy an SSD then that is just......(you all know what I mean lol).

I prefer HDD.Some prefer SSD.We all have our reasons.
In short they are both great.

I bought this computer back in January and the HDD got bad sectors in the boot sector after 8 months. Eight freaking months.

My first priority is storage, since I listen to a lot of music and I'm an amateur movie buff. I watch a lot of c**p.

I'm not complaining about speed, but if I was I'd be replacing CPU/GPU/RAM instead. Besides, when I first got this PC I first played all the games I missed, which are from about 2003 - not very demanding for a dual core CPU.

Personally, I'd go for an HDD because I want to have 500GB - 1TB of storage. The only thing that's holding me back is this bad experience.

SSDs would give me 1) 30sec booting time
2) performance boost

nothing else

Well, I might as well ask for some tips, how to take care of my HDD. Maybe it will last longer this time around. Also, which brand? My last HDD was a Seagate Barracuda.