SSDs and HDDs basically do the same thing: store applications and personal files, and boot systems. If you’re looking to add speed to an old desktop PC or laptop or if you’re choosing a drive for new PC builds, servers or system builds, how do you know which to choose? Should it be an SSD (solid-state drive) or an HDD (hard disk drive)?
To start, the two are engineered in totally different ways. SSDs are built using a non-volatile storage technology called NAND flash that doesn’t need power to retain data.
Since the mid-1950s, computers have used HDDs which are based on magnetic spinning platters. They use moving heads that read and write data to the spinning platters or disks. HDDs are mechanical devices with many moving parts and are more prone to mechanical failures and failures due to environmental conditions such as heat, cold, shock and vibration.
