The Difference Between SSD vs. HDD - Which One To Choose

What is HDD?

Hard drive disks (HDDs) have been around for over 50 years and are still going strong. As a data storage device, HDDs still rely on the same mechanical technology from a few decades ago, which uses spinning disks (or platters) to read and write data.

However, over the years HDDs have greatly improved, decreasing their size and increasing their storage capacity. PCs nowadays can have even up to 10TB of HDD storage capacity - definitely enough to install the entire library of your favourite games with PLENTY of leftover storage.

Hard disk drives still have lots of mechanical components associated with them, which can sometimes reduce performance.

Pros of HDDs

Here are the main reasons why HDDs are still very much in the game:

• They have undergone massive optimisation over the decades
• They are less expensive than SSDs for the same amount of storage
• They usually come with ample storage capacity, a lot more than the average SSDs

Cons of HDDs

This type of storage device comes with a few caveats as well, such as:

• They run slower than SSDs due to the mechanical parts involved
• They use more energy compared to SSDs
• Shorter lifespan - HDDs run the risk of mechanical failure which can result in losing your data (the annual failure rate, or AFR for modern HDDs was around 1.57% in 2024)

What is SSD

Unlike HDDs, Solid State Drives (SSDs) have no moving parts. Instead, they use a type of flash memory called NAND (similar to USB technology), which delivers better performance in terms of data processing speed.

SSDs are much more compact than HDDs and help your software run smoother due to higher data processing speeds.

Pros of SSDs

Nowadays, many people prefer SSDs due to their amazing benefits:

• Due to not having any moving parts, SSDs are more durable, use less energy, and run cooler than HDDs
• SSDs also deliver much faster loading times for files and apps, making them better suited for resource-intensive files like games and even your operating system

Cons of SSDs

There are a few downsides to consider as well:

• SSDs cost more than HDDs as it is a newer technology
• Limited storage capacity - HDDs still hold a much higher storage capacity (up to 2.5 times larger), though SSD technology is slowly catching up
• Shorter lifespan - HDDs run the risk of mechanical failure which can result in losing your data (the annual failure rate, or AFR for modern HDDs was around 1.57% in 2024)