Is it hard to choose the storage for your laptops and computers? Most people may know the two storage components for the computers, but may not know which one is better. An SSD or a HDD, that’s a question.

1. 5 Comparisons Measuring SSD and HDD Performance
SSD vs. HDD
Is it hard to choose the storage for your laptops and computers? Most people
may know the two storage components for the computers, but may not know
which one is better. An SSD or a HDD, that’s a question.
SSD stands for Solid State Drive. SSD can be thought of as an oversized
and more sophisticated version of the humble USB memory stick. An SSD
does functionally everything a hard drive does, but data is instead stored on
interconnected flash memory chips that retain the data even when there's no
power present. The chips can either be permanently installed on the system's
motherboard (as on some small laptops and ultraportables), on a PCI Express
(PCIe) card (in some high-end workstations and an increasing number of
bleeding-edge consumer systems), or in a box that's sized, shaped, and wired
to slot in for a laptop or desktop's hard drive (common on everything else).
These flash memory chips are of a different type than is used in USB thumb
drives, and are typically faster and more reliable. SSDs are consequently more
expensive than USB thumb drives of the same capacities.
HDD, Hard Disk Drives, uses magnetism to store data on a rotating platter. A
read/write head floats above the spinning platter reading and writing data.
The faster the platter spins, the faster an HDD can perform. Typical laptop
drives today spin at either 5400 RPM (Revolutions per Minute) or 7200RPM,
though some server-based platters spin at up to 15,000 RPM!

2. Both SSDs and hard drives do the same job: They boot your system, and
store your applications and personal files. But each type of storage has its
own unique feature set. How do they differ, and why would you want to get
one over the other?
5 Comparisons Measuring SSD and HDD Performance
As the price-per-gigabyte chasm between SSDs and HDDs continues to shrink
(experts expect the gap will close between 2018 and 2020), more and more
people are flocking to SSDs in a variety of uses. In 2014, SSDs powered 21%
of all laptops; researchers forecast that number would double by 2017.
Conversely, HDD implementation was expected to fall from 79% in 2014 to
59% in 2017.
Hard disk drives (left) typically come in standard sizes, while the appearance
of solid-state drives can vary slightly.
With SSD pricing quickly becoming a non-issue, here are five other ways to
compare HDDs and SSDs to see which option might be best for you.
1. SSD vs. HDD: Speed
When comparing the two storage drives, the speed at which data is written
and read is the distinguishing factor between HDDs and SSDs. The former
uses magnetism to store data on a rotating platter; the faster the platter
spins determines how quickly information can be stored. SSDs, however, use
flash memory and an embedded processor to store data.
SSDs provide noticeable performance upgrades, both for consumer-grade
computers and web hosting servers. Many of our favorite hosts that operate
all-SSD infrastructure, including InMotion, A2 Hosting, and DreamHost, say
the configuration leads to page loads that are up to 20 times faster.
2. SSD vs. HDD: Reliability

3. Because there are no moving parts, SSDs tend to be more durable and can
better withstand the various bumps or jolts your computer experiences. The
read/write process doesn’t degrade, and SSDs will maintain data integrity for
more than 200 years.
With platters that spin at 7,200 rotations (or more) per minute, the
mechanisms inside HDDs are not only subject to more wear and tear, but
they are more susceptible to damage if dropped or bumped.
3. SSD vs. HDD: Lifespan
You know the saying, “speed kills.” While that may be a little exaggerated
when it comes to storage devices, it does hold a grain of truth. SSD cells can
wear out over time, slowly losing performance before dying. According to
many, though, SSD users are far more likely to replace their storage drive
because of obsoleteness than for suffering from a shorter lifespan.
As for HDDs, the argument is much the same with durability: Moving parts
leave more room for things to fail. With only a few nanometers separating the
platter and read/write head, any accidental contact can lead to data loss or
complete failure.
4. SSD vs. HDD: Power Consumption
This comparison can be illustrated pretty simply. Which takes more energy:
running a marathon or tapping buttons on the remote while lying on the
couch? HDDs need to spend extra electricity spinning up a stationary platter
and moving the read/write head around, while the electricity SSDs use is
solely devoted to storing data — no movement, friction, or extraneous noise.
For desktop computers and servers, SSDs equal lower energy bills. On laptops
or tablets, users can typically squeeze out a few extra minutes or hours of
battery life with SSDs.
5. SSD vs. HDD: Gaming
Resource-intensive computer games provide an excellent test of pushing both
storage devices to the limit. However, SSDs make very little difference in
gameplay performance. Framerate issues won’t be solved by a storage device;
those require an upgraded graphics processing unit, or GPU. Some gamers
have reported that SSDs can reduce hitching, or the brief pauses when the
games can’t pull assets from the hard drive fast enough to keep up with the
player.
Overall, SSDs and HDDs are effectively the same when it comes to the action
on the battlefield. The SSD benefits to gamers, however, are the same
experienced by other PC users: faster boot times and quicker game loading.
How to Transfer: Migrate or Clone HDD to SSD

4. Web hosting customers looking to switch to an SSD will have a much
easier time of things, as many hosting providers will migrate your websites
and domains for free. If you’re feeling brave and feel like tackling the
transition yourself, we’ve compiled some information to help you transfer your
files and databases to a new host.
Free software, such as EaseUS Todo Backup, can help users upgrade their
personal hardware to SSDs.
However, Windows and PC users often struggle with fitting the operating
system and personal files onto a smaller-capacity drive when upgrading their
desktop or laptop storage. Typically, the easiest way to move an existing
Windows installation without reinstalling the operating system is by cloning
the drive. With the storage restrictions, though, everything might not fit. Here
are the steps to fix that:
1. When moving to an SSD, you’ll probably need to start by cleaning up
your current HDD: Delete files you don’t need, uninstall programs
you don’t use, and run the disk cleanup utility to remove any lingering
clutter. You might need to offload personal files to an external hard
drive, a second internal storage device, or cloud storage.
2. Once your system is ready to move, you can use a backup and disaster
recovery program to clone your information to the SSD. We’re
partial to EaseUS Todo Backup, which is a free program that can
optimize disk images specifically for SSDs. EaseUS provides instructions
for both Windows 8 users and those on Windows 7.
3. Now that the cloning is complete and you’ve verified that all your files
made the move to your SSD, boot your computer from the new drive
and reformat the HDD to remove your files. If you had to remove
your documents, images, and videos in Step 1, you can restore
personal files on the HDD. That way, you can deploy SSD speed for
booting up the system and loading applications while still enjoying easy
access to your data.

5. Although balancing the two hard drives can be tricky at first, PC users will
certainly benefit from the noticeably upgraded SSD performance and stability.
By sharing the work and being properly maintained, both drives stand to last
much longer.
Best SSD Hosting Options
As SSD prices drop and capacities increase, more and more hosts are
incorporating the storage drives into their infrastructure. The mantras in web
hosting are alliteratively amazing and accurate: Speed sells, performance is
pivotal, and milliseconds matter. Google has begun penalizing slow sites in
search rankings, and one in four visitors will give up on a site if it takes more
than four seconds to load.
Hosting providers also experience the same capacity-versus-performance
dilemma as their customers.
High-performance SSDs are available at all levels of hosting, but SSD plans do
tend to be slightly more expensive and have stricter storage limits than
hosting packages powered by HDDs. As with personal computing, however,
the benefits are well worth the investment to most users and site owners.
Shared SSD Web Hosting
SSDs gained initial hosting popularity in the more luxurious VPS and dedicated
server realms, but we’d argue they make even more of an impact in shared
hosting. Notoriously the most sluggish of the three services, shared hosting
attracts the most customers.

6. Aside from first-time site owners who might not understand or even need
faster performance, SSDs will provide a critical boost to mom-and-pop small
businesses and individual developers looking to stand out from the crowd.
Below, we’ve highlighted our favorite choice for SSD-powered shared hosting:
SSD VPS Hosting
Once you get a taste of SSD hosting, you’ll probably never turn back. As your
performance-minded site grows beyond shared hosting resources, you’ll find
even more acceleration with a virtual private server, or VPS.
With managed services, cloud infrastructure, and full root access commonly
included in the best SSD VPS plans, hosting providers enable customers to
truly put the pedal to the metal. Our favorite host for SSD VPS hosting,
displayed in the table below, excels in all phases of high-speed hosting.
SSD Dedicated Server Hosting
Dedicated servers are already known as being the cream of the crop for
handling high amounts of traffic and delivering optimal load-time performance.
Plus, its status as the most expensive hosting server configuration probably
indicates that the added cost of an SSD is not going to be an issue.
Hosting providers that offer the best dedicated server space will also likely
include the ability to customize your configurations and infrastructure, along
with speedy provisioning and support. Admittedly, it’s hard to go wrong with
any dedicated server and SSD, but the host below stands above the rest for
balancing price and power, and including services such as proactive
monitoring, automatic backups, and multi-layer security solutions.
Best of Both Worlds? SSD and HDD Combo Hybrids
You’ll have to spend a lot of time reading the fine print to find a web hosting
plan with both HDD and SSD storage, but they do exist — particularly at the
VPS and dedicated server levels, which allow for much more flexibility when
crafting your hosting architecture.
For personal computing, however, you don’t necessarily have to choose
between storage capacity or speed. We’ve already shared how you can create
your own hybrid desktop or laptop when upgrading your operating system to
an SSD, but hardware vendors have begun manufacturing and selling
combination drives, sometimes called SSHDs for solid-state hybrid drives, as
individual components or as a feature on a full computer. With computer
storage, hard disk drives and solid-state drives are a win-win situation —
stronger together than apart.
Reference from http://www.hostingadvice.com/how-to/ssd-vs-hdd/

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