Are you still using Hard Disk Drive? You must immediately replace it with this.
Any kind of hardware that stores data & information on the PC is called a Storage Device. We have been using Hard Disk Drives for a long time. But, its time to replace it with a faster and more reliable Storage Device.
We can classify the storage devices into three types based on their working mechanism.· Magnetic Storage Devices· Optical Disks· Flash Memory
Hard Disk is a Type of Magnetic Storage Devices, along with Floppy & Magnetic Tapes. All Magnetic Storage Devices have moving parts. CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and HVD comes under Optical Disks.
A hard disk contains a Spindle that holds rotating disks called Platters. These Platter Disks are coated with Magnetic Material that holds the data. The Magnetic Head on the disk reads and writes on the hard disk.
There are three kinds of Hard Disks Drives. The 3.5-inch Internal Hard Disk is used in Desktops, while the 2.5-inch Internal Hard Disk is used in Laptops. The External Hard Disk is portable device with USB connector.
As Hard Disk Drives have moving parts, it takes time for your PC to read and write data on it. Therefore, Hard Disks are slow. However, there a new type of Storage Device that will boost up your PC performance.
SSD (Solid Stage Drive) is a flash storage device that stores the data in a microchip. The microchip contains millions of memory cells that store about 3 bits of information each.
Unlike HDD, Solid State Drives don't have any moving parts. Therefore, they are reliable, faster, and reduces power consumption. Therefore, PC users are replacing HDD with SSD these days.
Moreover, SSDs are connected through SATA cables & transfers data up to a speed of 220 MB/Sec. Later, an advanced technology was introduced called M.2 SSD (Mini SSD – Version 2)
M.2 is the mini version of SSD. The 2.5" SSD looks similar to the external hard disk, and the M.2 looks like a RAM chip. M.2 is inserted on the motherboard. So, it is much faster than HDD & first version of SSD.
M.2 is available in 3 types.– M.2 SATA– M.2 PCIe– M.2 NVME
M.2 SATA uses SATA lane to transfer data. It runs on AHCI Protocol (Advanced Host Controller Interface), and the performance is similar to the 2.5" SSD.
M.2 PCIe SSD is connected through the PCI express port on the motherboard. M.2 PCIe has only one notch. It is a little better than M.2 SATA Drive but not as speed as M.2 NVMe
M.2 NVMe is the best variant of M.2 SSD that gives the best performance and speed. In fact, it is 5 times faster than M.2 SSD. You should have supporting motherboard to insert M.2 NVMe Drive.
A Computer can support up to 24 Storage Devices, but you should have Hi-Fi configuration for that. You can also install 1 HDD and 1 SSD on your PC. Or, you can even get a SSHD.
SSHD is a crossbreed of both HDD and SSD. Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD) has both Spinning Disk and Microchips. So, some programs are stored on the SSD part and some on the HDD part.
One downside of SSHD is that the users cannot choose what data they can store in HDD or SSD. The firmware decides what data will be stored in flash memory, and what data is stored on the platters.
So, among all the Hard Disk Types, you can go with SSD or M.2. SSD can be placed on any PC, but M.2 need dedicated ports on your motherboard. You can also have a HDD along with SSD.