What is an SSD drive used for? Things Not to Do with a Solid State Drive (SSD)

Until recently, media operating on the principle of magnetic recording were used to store data. In the 70-80s of the last century, they were floppy disks, which then gave way to more reliable and capacious hard drives. This state of affairs was observed until the end of the last decade, until SSDs appeared on the market - solid-state electronic media, devoid of moving mechanical parts and characterized by high performance.

At first, they were distinguished by their small capacity and high price. The service life of these devices also left much to be desired. Therefore, there was no clear answer to the question of why an SSD drive is needed. With a capacity of 32 or 64 GB and a price of several hundred dollars, these media seemed like an expensive toy to most. And the slight advantage in write/read speed (up to 1.5-2 times) made SSDs interesting only for “geeks” trying to squeeze maximum performance out of their PC.

But progress does not stand still, and soon more capacious and affordable solid-state drives went on sale, which attracted the attention of a wide audience. The question of why you need an SSD hard drive has become more relevant than ever.

Design features, advantages of SSD drives

To understand why install an SSD drive, you need to understand the main advantages of such drives. It doesn’t hurt to know the main disadvantages of these gadgets.

Design of HDD and SSD drives

The most important difference between SSDs and traditional hard drives is a different design and operation principle. Unlike HDDs, solid-state drives do not have any mechanical components in their design. High-speed flash memory arrays are used to record data, accessed by an internal controller. This design gives SSDs a number of advantages that are not available to classic HDDs.

• Silence. Due to the absence of moving elements, the SSD does not make sounds during operation.
• Shock resistance. Unlike an HDD, where the magnetic head can scratch the surface of the disk when the device is moved or dropped (thereby damaging it and the stored data), an SSD is less vulnerable. Of course, as a result of a blow to the case, contact between components may be disrupted, but a drive hidden inside a computer or laptop is sufficiently protected from this.
• Low power consumption. The main energy consumer in a railway is the motor that drives the disks. It rotates at a speed of 5, 7 or 10 thousand revolutions per minute and consumes up to 95% of all electricity supplied to the drive. Thus, an SSD is up to 10 times more economical, which is especially important for thin laptops.
• High read/write speed. The magnetic method of data recording has reached the limit of perfection. It is impossible to get more than 100-200 MB/sec in sequential recording mode from a hard drive without reducing its service life, increasing its size, increasing power consumption and increasing its price. SSD flash memory does not have this disadvantage and works up to 10 times faster.
• Stable operating speed. If information on a traditional hard drive is recorded on physically different disks (their designs are HDD 2 or more) or sections thereof, there is a delay caused by the need to move the reading head. Because of this, the speed of work is significantly reduced. A similar latency when reading cells in an SSD flash memory array is millionths of a second and does not significantly affect overall performance.

Disadvantages of SSD

Despite all the advantages, it is too early to talk about the perfection of SSD technology. The disadvantages of such drives are their insufficiently low cost (3-10 times more expensive than a HDD in terms of 1 GB of memory) and limited service life (from 10 thousand to 1 million rewrite cycles per cell). This indicator for HDDs is theoretically unlimited, but in practice reaches tens of millions of cycles.

Another disadvantage of solid-state drives is electrical vulnerability: when high voltage caused by a problem with the power supply, both the controller and the flash drive burn out.

SSD drives - why are they needed?

Knowing the main advantages of solid-state drives, answer the question “Why do you need an SSD drive in a computer?” much easier. Purchasing this gadget will, first of all, increase the comfort of using the gadget and extend its battery life (if it is a portable PC). High operating speed will have a positive effect on OS loading time, opening documents and gaming performance.

Why is an SSD drive needed in a laptop?

If it comes to a laptop, then the question “why do you need an SSD” can not be discussed at all. In any case, buying a solid-state drive will not make things worse. Energy-efficient technology will allow you to achieve longer operating time on a single charge, the absence of high voltage in the supply circuits minimizes the risk of permanent disk failure if the power supply fails, and the amount of memory in a laptop PC does not play as important a role as in a desktop one.

As for the shorter service life, the experience of service centers shows: the laptop hard drive fails and undergoes premature wear several times more often and faster than in a desktop computer. This is due, first of all, to the significantly greater number of dynamic loads to which the device is subjected during transportation and operation. If you accidentally drop a laptop from your lap while data is being written to the HDD, there is a high risk of damaging the drive, even if the computer is not visually damaged. Therefore, there is a high probability that the SSD will last even longer than the HDD.

Why an SSD drive in a gaming PC?

Gamers are currently the main part of SSD buyers. The use of a solid state drive allows them to achieve better performance in 3D games by reducing their startup time. Loading levels, inventory, surrounding objects and other elements of the game world from files stored on disk is also much (up to 10 times) faster.

The difference is noticeable in "seamless" games such as Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto or Fallout. Inner world they are located on one huge card, and to reduce the load on the hardware, only part of it is stored in RAM. This could be a situation, for example, within a radius of 200 meters around the character. As you move through the area, moving away objects are removed from RAM, and objects toward which the player is approaching are written in their place. Thus, reading from the hard drive occurs constantly and it is not difficult to guess that an SSD will allow you to supply data to the processor much faster and more efficiently than a hard drive.

For gamers, the high cost of a gigabyte of solid-state drive is not critical, since games take up relatively little space. If a collection of 100 movies in FullHD quality weighs approximately 1 TB, the same Fallout 4 requires less than 50 GB of free space.

Why do you need an SSD hard drive in a multimedia computer?

In a home PC used for web surfing and multimedia tasks (watching movies, listening to music), an SSD drive is the least needed. Only connoisseurs of Blue-Ray quality content may need such a disc. It takes a long time to wait until a 40 GB movie is written to the PC memory (about 10 minutes). But to store a selection of your favorite movies in FullHD, QHD or 4K UHD, capacious SSDs of 500, 1000 or 2000 GB are required. The cost of such drives exceeds a thousand dollars, and not everyone can afford such a purchase.

For undemanding PC users, a large SSD in a multimedia computer is unnecessary. The capabilities of classic (magnetic) hard drives are sufficient to satisfy the needs of 99% of users. However, a small (64 - 128 GB) solid state drive used as system storage (for Windows installations), will not be superfluous. It will significantly increase the overall performance of the PC, reduce the noise level of the system unit and use more energy economically.

A big fan of high-quality Chinese technology, a lover of clear screens. Supporter of healthy competition between producers. He closely follows news in the world of smartphones, processors, video cards and other hardware.

It probably won't be wrong to say that the computing world is entering the era of solid-state drives. Indeed, in comparison with them, hard drives are significantly inferior in power. For example, doubling your computer's RAM can increase its performance by no more than 10%. It's another matter if you equip your computer with an SSD.

Thus, a solid-state drive for a laptop purchased three years ago can increase its power by almost 3 times. This means that a laptop “upgraded” with an SSD, firstly, has performance almost equal to a modern model in the same price category. Secondly, the launch of all programs is faster, including video conversion.

Thus, the question of why a solid-state drive is needed can be answered briefly - to increase the performance of your computer or laptop. However, SSDs also have other important advantages.

Plus the first: stability. Hard drives, which have moving heads and rotating magnetic platters, are susceptible to damage and shock, unlike solid-state drives. SSD memory chips, due to the absence of moving parts in them, are not sensitive to external influences. Therefore, even after your laptop falls from a small height, all data will be saved and will not be damaged.

Plus the second: silent operation. SSDs use flash memory that responds to high-speed data transfer. In addition, thanks to flash memory, SSDs operate almost silently. True, the fan of the computer cooling system makes this plus little noticeable.

How to install a solid state drive? Most modern PCs have a bay where you can install an SSD, and thus use a solid-state drive and a hard drive in parallel. But to really improve your computer's performance, you will need to move the operating system from the hard drive to the SSD.

To simplify this procedure, there are special programs issued by manufacturing companies, as well as external containers costing from 300 rubles. Containers make it possible to use a solid-state drive as removable storage. After transferring the data to the SSD using a USB cable, the drive is removed from the external container and installed in the computer. In this case, the data is saved on the hard drive.

But what if your PC or laptop doesn't have an extra bay where you can install an SSD? In this case, you will have to replace the hard drive with it. To do this, you first need to transfer the information system to an external hard drive using an SSD with an external container, and then replace it.

How to choose a solid state drive? The main guidelines are the capacity of the SSD, good combination memory and controller, as well as a suitable connector. It is these factors that play a significant role in increasing computer performance after installing an SSD. Flash memory and the controller affect the data transfer speed of the solid-state drive, for example, they determine whether a movie will be copied in 45 seconds or 75.

When an SSD is connected to a laptop or PC, data is transferred through the SATA connector. It is better to choose an SSD with a SATA 3 interface; it provides higher transfer speeds; however, SATA 2, although it has half the performance, is still significantly faster than a hard drive in speed. The speed of operation is also affected by the capacity of the solid-state drive. The performance of computers equipped with an SSD with a capacity of 500 GB is much higher than those with a 250 GB drive or, especially, a 120 GB drive.

Of course, the capacity of an SSD directly affects its price: the larger the capacity, the more expensive the drive is. However, the ability to remain fully operational for many years will pay off the investment in the future. So, having dealt with the question of why a solid-state drive (SSD) is needed, it remains to mention the fastest models of various capacities.

To do this, we will use the results of independent testing. Computer Bild magazine compared solid-state drives in terms of data transfer speed, power consumption, heat dissipation and performance indicators. As a result, among models with a capacity of 120 GB, the Samsung SSD 840 Pro took first place, and OCZ SSDs from the Vector series showed the highest performance among SSDs with capacities of 250 and 500 GB.

What shouldn't you expect from SSDs? Firstly, low power consumption, and secondly, increased battery life. Both of these indicators remain unchanged when replacing the HDD with an SSD. Nevertheless, it is already clear that the future belongs to SSDs, and we hope our review will help you make a good choice.

Hello friends! Technologies do not stand still and are developing more and more rapidly every year, especially in the computer industry. It seems like just yesterday that we only learned about the three laws of robotics, written by Isaac Asimov, and today the Japanese are already designing dolls whose electronic “filling” is half as powerful as a small server room, but which have never even heard of the mentioned laws.

The changes also affected the area of ​​data storage. Today you will find out what an SSD drive is and why it is needed, whether such a device is needed in principle or how you can do without it.

Why solid state

Such drives have been known for many years, but most users have only recently turned their attention to them as a worthy alternative to traditional hard drives. So why is it called solid state? The name comes from the English word Solid - “Solid state”. In fact, this is an ordinary microcircuit built on semiconductors - a green board with a bunch of tracks that everyone who has ever disassembled the body of an electrical device has seen.

The architecture of the device resembles the already familiar flash drives. SSDs use the same type of energy-efficient memory circuits that do not lose data even when there is no power for long periods of time. The only difference is in dimensions, capacity and recording speed. In addition, a flash drive is designed to be used as a plug-in external device, while an SSD is still, in most cases, an internal device.

Externally, solid-state drives resemble hard drives, but differ in size - they are smaller. According to standardization, there are slightly different form factors: for example, M2 or U2. This does not mean that an SSD cannot be installed in a regular system unit: there are special adapters for old cases, and new cases are already equipped with mounting slots.

Benefits of SSD

A logical question may arise: why such a device in a computer at all, if there are familiar and affordable hard drives. And solid-state drives have several advantages:
Higher data read and write speed. This is especially appreciated by users who process large files, as well as gamers whose games load faster.

Less power consumption. For laptop computers, this is a decisive factor, because the device can work longer on the same battery charge.

Longer service life. Due to the lack of mechanical parts, there is a higher chance that the device will not fail at the most inopportune moment.

Impact resistance. When transporting the device, there is a higher chance that the user will lose important data due to a fall or mechanical impact. This is the reason for the growing popularity of portable SSDs.

Often a small SSD is installed on a computer as a system volume for faster loading operating system. Such a computer will not only boot faster, but the OS will also be faster due to quick access to all system files.

Disadvantages and Limitations

You may ask: if this device is so gorgeous, why don't all users use it on PC? Alas, everything still comes down to cost: for the same price you can buy a regular hard drive with a capacity ten times greater than an SSD. When assembling or upgrading a computer, users are often limited in funds, so they have to “rein on their horses,” maneuvering between the coolness of the part and its cost. And so we would instruct everyone, yeah.

There is still a misconception among users that SSDs are unreliable. Yes, this was observed at the time of their mass appearance on the market. The reason lies in the use of cheap controllers that did not cope with their task. Today, the cheapest SSD is guaranteed to “survive” up to 3,000 rewrite cycles. Have more quality devices this figure rises to 10,000. This is even more than a traditional HDD.
Another myth is that the operating system must be somehow cleverly configured to work with a solid-state drive - for example, disabling the page file. This is wrong. All the user has to do is activate the AHCI mode in the BIOS, which is necessary for the correct operation of the device. Please note that older motherboards do not support this mode - instead there is a now obsolete IDE

Why is it needed?

"To be or not to be?" – the reader will think. Buy an SSD or save money by buying something else. According to reviews from my clients, no one has ever experienced dissatisfaction with the purchase of such a device. There were several claims regarding warranty repairs, but this is a statistical error that always appears when large quantities sales

And if you get nervous every time your computer starts to slow down and freeze, the SSD is the best option get rid of such phenomena. You will most likely not stop being nervous, but you will already find another reason, but the computer will “fly” with such a drive.

True, there is one small “BUT”. You quickly get used to the good stuff, and then working on a computer with a regular HDD will be a little uncomfortable. But these are little things, aren’t they?

And if you are already heading to an online store for a brand new SSD drive, read these instructions - it will help you correctly. You might also be interested, of course, if you think that you can’t live without an HDD.

I advise you to pay attention to the Kingston SSDNow A400 120GB 2.5″ SATAIII TLC device - a good and affordable 120 Gb drive.

And with that, I say goodbye for today. Thank you for your attention, friends, and see you next time. Don't forget to share my blog posts on in social networks. Computer literacy to the masses! And to receive notifications about new articles.

If you are building a powerful computer or want to speed up an old one, then an SSD will come in handy. Finally, the cost of these drives has dropped so much that they can be considered as a reasonable alternative to hard drives (HDD).

The following SSD features will help you choose the best drive that is compatible with your computer and meets your needs.

1. Which form factor to choose: SSD 2.5″, SSD M.2 or another

SSD 2.5″

This form factor is the most common. The SSD looks like a small box, reminiscent of an ordinary HDD. 2.5″ SSDs are the cheapest, but their speed is sufficient for most users.

Compatibility of 2.5″ SSD with computers

An SSD of this form factor can be installed in any desktop computer or laptop that has a free bay for 2.5-inch drives. If your system only has room for the old 3.5-in. hard drive, you can also insert a 2.5″ SSD into it. But in this case, look for an SSD model that comes with a special lock.

Like modern HDDs, a 2.5″ SSD connects to motherboard using the SATA3 interface. This connection provides a throughput of up to 600 MB/s. If you have an older motherboard with a SATA2 connector, you can still connect a 2.5″ SSD, but the drive's throughput will be limited old version interface.

SSD M.2

A more compact form factor, making it suitable even for particularly thin ones that do not have room for a 2.5″ SSD. It looks like an oblong stick and is installed not in a separate compartment of the case, but directly on the motherboard.

To connect to the board, each M.2 drive uses one of two interfaces: SATA3 or PCIe.

PCIe is several times faster than SATA3. If you choose the first one, then there are a few more things to consider: the interface version and the number of lines connected to the connector for data transfer.

• How newer version PCIe, the higher the throughput (data transfer speed) of the interface. Two versions are common: PCIe 2.0 (up to 1.6 GB/s) and PCIe 3.0 (up to 3.2 GB/s).
• The more data lines connected to the SSD connector, the higher its throughput again. The maximum number of lines in an M.2 SSD is four; in this case, in the drive description its interface is designated as PCIe x4. If there are only two lines, then PCIe x2.

M.2 SSD compatibility with computers

Before purchasing an M.2 SSD, you should make sure that it will fit your motherboard. To do this, you need to first check the physical and then the software compatibility of the connector on the drive with the slot on the board. Then you need to find out the length of the drive and compare it with the allowable length of the slot allocated for M.2 in your system.

1. Physical compatibility of interfaces

Each connector on the motherboard intended for connecting M.2 format drives has a special cutout (key) of one of two types: B or M. At the same time, the connector on each M.2 drive has two cutouts B + M, less often only one of two keys: B or M.

The B-connector on the board can be connected with a B-connector. To the M-connector, respectively, a drive with an M-type connector. SSDs, the connectors of which have two M + B cutouts, are compatible with any M.2 slots, regardless of the keys in the latter.

M.2 SSD with B+M key (top) and M.2 SSD with M key (bottom) / www.wdc.com

Thus, first make sure that your motherboard has an M.2 SSD slot at all. Then find out the key for your connector and select a drive whose connector is compatible with this key. Key types are usually indicated on connectors and slots. In addition, you can find all the necessary information in the documents for the motherboard and drive.

2. Logical compatibility of interfaces

In order for an SSD to fit your motherboard, taking into account the physical compatibility of its connector with the connector is not enough. The fact is that the drive connector may not support the logical interface (protocol) that is used in the slot of your board.

Therefore, when you understand the keys, find out what protocol is implemented in the M.2 connector on your board. This could be SATA3, and/or PCIe x2, and/or PCIe x4. Then choose an M.2 SSD with the same interface. For information about supported protocols, see the device documentation.

3. Size compatibility

Another nuance on which the compatibility of the drive with the motherboard depends is its length.

In the characteristics of most boards you can find the numbers 2260, 2280 and 22110. The first two digits in each of them indicate the supported drive width. It is the same for all M.2 SSDs and is 22 mm. The next two digits are the length. Thus, most boards are compatible with drives with lengths of 60, 80 and 110 mm.

Three M.2 SSD drives of different lengths / www.forbes.com

Before purchasing M.2, be sure to find out the supported drive length, which is indicated in the documents for the motherboard. Then choose one that matches this length.

As you can see, the issue of M.2 compatibility is very confusing. Therefore, just in case, consult the sellers about this.

Less popular form factors

It’s possible that your computer case won’t have a bay for a 2.5” SSD, and your motherboard won’t have an M.2 connector. The owner of a thin laptop may encounter such an atypical situation. Then for your system you need to choose a 1.8″ or mSATA SSD - check the documents for your computer. These are rare form factors that are more compact than 2.5” SSDs, but inferior in data exchange speed to M.2 drives.

In addition, thin laptops from Apple may also not support traditional form factors. In them, the manufacturer installs an SSD of a proprietary format, the characteristics of which are comparable to M.2. So, if you have a thin laptop with an apple on the lid, check the supported SSD type in the documentation for the computer.

External SSDs

In addition to internal ones, there are also external drives. They vary greatly in shape and size - choose the one that is most convenient for you.

As for the interface, they connect to computers via USB port. To achieve full compatibility, make sure the port on your computer and the drive connector support the same USB standard. The highest data transfer speeds are provided by USB 3 and USB Type-C specifications.

2. Which memory is better: MLC or TLC

Based on the number of bits of information that can be stored in one flash memory cell, the latter is divided into three types: SLC (one bit), MLC (two bits) and TLC (three bits). The first type is relevant for servers, the other two are widely used in consumer drives, so you will have to choose from them.

MLC memory is faster and more durable, but more expensive. TLC is correspondingly slower and withstands fewer rewrite cycles, although the average user is unlikely to notice the difference.

TLC type memory is cheaper. Choose it if savings are more important to you than speed.

The drive description may also indicate the type of relative arrangement of memory cells: NAND or 3D V-NAND (or simply V-NAND). The first type implies that the cells are arranged in one layer, the second - in several layers, which allows you to create SSDs with increased capacity. According to the developers, the reliability and performance of 3D V-NAND flash memory is higher than that of NAND.

3. Which SSD is faster

In addition to the type of memory, the performance of an SSD is also affected by other characteristics, such as the model of the controller installed in the drive and its firmware. But these details are often not even indicated in the description. Instead, the final indicators of read and write speed appear, which are easier for the buyer to navigate. So, when choosing between two SSDs, with all other parameters being equal, take the drive whose declared speeds are higher.

Remember that the manufacturer indicates only theoretically possible speeds. In practice, they are always lower than stated.

4. What storage capacity is right for you

Of course, one of the most important characteristics when choosing a drive is its capacity. If you are buying an SSD to use as a fast operating system, a 64 GB device is sufficient. If you are going to install games on the SSD or store large files on it, then choose a capacity that suits your needs.

But do not forget that the storage capacity greatly affects its cost.

Buyer's checklist

• If you need a drive for office tasks or watching movies, choose a 2.5″ or M.2 SSD with a SATA3 interface and TLC memory. Even such a budget SSD will work much faster than a regular hard drive.
• If you are engaged in other tasks for which high drive performance is critical, choose an M.2 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and MLC memory.
• Before purchasing, carefully check the compatibility of the drive with your computer. If in doubt, consult the sellers on this issue.

We continue to deal with hard drives. And now let's talk about SDD.

What is SSD

An SSD disk is a computer non-mechanical storage device consisting of memory chips and a microcontroller. Comes from the English Solid State Drive, which literally means solid-state drive.
In this definition, every word has meaning. A non-mechanical device means that it has no mechanical parts—nothing moves, buzzes, or makes noise inside. As a result, nothing wears out or wears out. Since SSD drives have replaced traditional mechanical drives, this property is very important. Old disks suffered from vibrations during operation, but solid-state drives did not.
Memory chips are used to store information. The controller on the disk allows you to receive data from memory cells and write to them, transferring the data to the general computer interface, regardless of the specific operation of the storage medium. A giant flash drive is what an SSD drive is, it may seem at first glance, but only with a bunch of useless components.

What is an SSD for?

In any computer SSD replaces regular HDDs. It works faster, has small dimensions and does not make sounds. High loading speed of applications and the operating system increases the comfort of working with a PC.
What is an SSD in a laptop, where every watt of energy counts? Of course, first of all, it is a very economical storage medium. It is able to work with a battery charge longer. In addition, it has a very small size, which allows it to be included in the most compact hardware configurations.

What does an SSD consist of?

A small case in which a small printed circuit board is located is an SSD drive externally. Several memory chips and a controller are soldered onto this board. On one side of this box there is a special connector - SATA, which allows you to connect an SSD drive like any other drive.
Memory chips are used to store information. Is not RAM, which is in every computer. The memory in an SSD drive is capable of storing information even after it is turned off. The memory of SSD drives is non-volatile. Just like a regular disk, data is stored on magnetic plates, here the data is stored in special microcircuits. Writing and reading data is an order of magnitude faster than when working with mechanical disk platters.
The controller on the disk is a highly specialized processor that can distribute data in chips very efficiently. It also performs some of the service operations of cleaning disk memory and redistributing cells when they wear out. To work with memory, it is very important to perform service operations in a timely manner so that information is not lost.
Buffer memory, like on regular disks, is used to cache data. This is fast RAM on an SSD drive. Data is first read into buffer memory, modified in it, and then only written to disk.

How does an SSD drive work?

The operating principle of an SSD disk is based on the specific operation of memory cells. The most common type of memory today is NAND. Data is processed in blocks, not bytes. Memory cells have a limited resource of rewrite cycles, that is, the more often data is written to the disk, the faster it will fail.
Reading data is very fast. The controller determines the address of the block that needs to be read and accesses the desired memory cell. If several non-sequential blocks are read in an SDD disk, this does not affect performance in any way. It simply refers to another block at its address.
The process of recording data is more complex and consists of a number of operations:
- reading a block into the cache;
- changing data in the cache memory;
- practicing the procedure for erasing a block on non-volatile memory;
- writing a block to flash memory at an address calculated by a special algorithm.
Writing a block requires multiple accesses to memory cells on the SSD drive. An additional operation appears to clean the block before recording. To ensure that flash memory cells wear out evenly, the controller uses a special algorithm to calculate block numbers before writing.
The block erase operation (TRIM) is performed by SSD drives during idle time. This is done in order to reduce the time it takes to write a block to disk. When writing, the algorithm is optimized by removing the erase step: the block is simply marked as free.
Operating systems independently execute the TRIM command, which leads to the cleaning of such blocks.

Types of SSD drives

All SSD drives are divided into several types depending on the interface through which they are connected to the computer.
- SATA – drives are connected to the computer via the same interface as regular HDDs. They look like laptop drives and are 2.5 inches in size. The mSATA option is more miniature;
- PCI-Express – connect like regular video cards or sound cards into the computer expansion slots on the motherboard. They have higher performance and are most often installed on servers or computing stations;
- M.2 – a miniature version of the PCI-Express interface.
Modern SSD drives mainly use NAND memory. According to its type, they can be divided into three groups that appeared chronologically: SLC, MLC, TLC. The newer the memory became, the lower the reliability of its cells became. At the same time, the capacity increased, which helped reduce costs. The reliability of the disk depends entirely on the operation of the controller.
Not all SSD drive manufacturers produce flash memory for their devices themselves. Their memory and controllers are produced by: Samsung, Toshiba, Intel, Hynix, SanDisk. Few users have heard of an SSD drive manufactured by Hynix. The well-known manufacturer of flash drives Kingston uses Toshiba memory and controllers in its drives. Samsung itself is developing technologies for the production of memory and controllers and equips its SSD drives with them.

SSD Specifications

We have almost figured out SSD drives, all that remains is to talk about the characteristics. So:
- Disk capacity. Typically this characteristic is indicated by a value that is not a multiple of a power of two. For example, not 256 GB, but 240. Or not 512 GB, but 480 GB. This is due to the fact that disk controllers reserve part of the flash memory to replace blocks that have exhausted their resource. For the user, such a substitution occurs unnoticed and he does not lose data. If the disk size is 480 GB or 500 GB, then the flash memory on the disk is 512 GB, just different controllers reserve different amounts of it.
- Disk speed. Almost all SSD drives have a speed of 450 - 550 MB/sec. This value corresponds to the maximum speeds of the SATA interface through which they are connected. SATA is the reason why manufacturers are not trying to massively increase read speed. The writing speed in applications is significantly lower. The manufacturer usually indicates in the specifications exactly the recording speed on blank media.
- Number of memory chips. Performance directly depends on the number of memory chips: the more there are, the greater the number of operations that can be processed simultaneously on one disk. In one line of disks, the write speed usually increases as the disk capacity increases. This is explained by the fact that more capacious models have more memory chips.
- Memory type. More expensive and reliable MLC memory, less reliable and cheaper TLC, as well as Samsung’s own development - “3D-NAND”. These three types of memory are now most often used in storage devices. In many respects, on modern solid-state drives, operational reliability depends on the quality of the controller.