You are browsing through the computer section at a local brick and mortar in a search for a new computer. You look all around at the different sizes, makes, and models and finally decide on which computer you will be bringing home. One thing that really catches your eye is the 1TB HDD. You think about all the possibilities of a drive of this capacity. The pictures, the music, the videos, the documents, all can be saved onto one drive—finally.  As you walk up to pay for your laptop, you notice a similar computer being sold with only 256GB HDD at a much higher price. You then see the sign: SSD.

Benefits to using a SSD:

1) Significantly faster loading times

2) Snappier program performance

3) Less Power Consumption

4) Faster Read/Write Speeds

5) No Moving Parts=Quieter

6) More Reliable/Resilient

7) Smaller and Lightweight

8) Not susceptible to magnetic fields

Drawbacks to using a SSD:

1) Considerably more expensive

2) Limited Capacity

3) Transfer Speeds Decrease over time

4) Needs Additional Adapters for Desktops

5) Total Data Loss After Failure

Is it Right for Me?

That would depend on your personal needs and how much you are willing to spend. If the performance gains do not warrant the hefty price tag than you may want to wait. If you are building a computer with the hopes to squeeze all the advantages of your hardware, then you will truly enjoy the offerings that SSD’s offer. Installations of these drives are nearly identical to installing a standard HDD with a few minor exceptions. If you experience any problems installing one of these drives, contact a computer repair company to assist you. In addition, new hybrid drives are being pushed out into the market. These combine the large capacities of a standard HDD with the performance of a SSD. However, it is important to note that you will see the same performance differences as a true SSD but certainly a major upgrade to a standard HDD.