Since the mainstream release of solid state hard drives(at an affordable cost), I have stated that “within the next 10 years, solid state drives(SSD) will be the standard.” I still stick by that statement. The number one reason I make this statement is due to the physics and physical nature of Moving parts versus non-moving parts. You may say “what is this guy talking about’, well…. I am talking about the fact that traditional hard drives use magnetic spinning platters to write/store data. Motors are used to spin the disks and drive heads are used to read/write as the disks spin around. The effort of spinning the platters causes the drive to require more power than the SSD with no spinning disks. Also, traditional drives are sensitive to even the slightest jarring of the drive. Reliability is decreased due to the sensitive nature of moving disks and the drive heads. Furthermore, benchmark throughput have shown that the read times of solid state drives compared to traditional drives has shown faster access times. The need for the traditional drive to “spin up” before data can be read is the first point of poorer throughput(mechanical delay).

In contrast, the solid state drive writes/stores data in non-volatile memory chips. flash memory chips are used to read/write data. Lower power requirements are met since no need for extra circuitry to spin platters or move drive head arms. Reliability is increased because no physical movement of the drive will affect the ability to read/write data. Furthermore, data can be accessed faster without the use of drive heads and spinning platters.

As we move towards the future, technology continues increase in performance. As drives become more affordable and higher capacity, the default drive of choice will soon be the solid state drive.