How to choose an SSD drive for your computer

Solid state drives SSD appeared on the market a long time, but more and more are gaining popularity they have recently. SSD drives are expensive, but they greatly improve system performance, due to the very high speed of reading and writing data. How to choose SSD drive for the laptop?

Unlike conventional hard disks are used instead of the magnetic tracks new technology – in flash memory. But except for large performance benefits are there still a few drawbacks – it rows life, small size, and high price. In this article, we will try to understand how to choose an SSD drive for the computer and look at what they are and how different from each other. But first, you need to find out what is the SSD drives.

WHAT IS THE SSD DRIVES?

SSD or Solid State Drive – this storage device without moving parts, based on the memory chips, or in other words, a solid state drive.

The usual hard drive consists of a rotating magnetic disk at high speed and the laser head for reading and writing data. Storing data is accomplished by magnetization and demagnetization relevant cells. But to work with the unit, change the disc rotation speed, and most importantly, to move the recording head takes too much time. Therefore, the hard disk can be very fast.

But this problem is solved by an SSD drive. How to choose SSD drive for the laptop? Here, instead of all this complex mechanism uses flash memory. Due to this no longer necessary to move the recording head, the recording disk in anywhere performed instantaneously.

But memory technology based on the chip is more expensive than conventional hard drives. In addition, flash memory has one very undesirable property – a limited number of overwrites. Therefore, manufacturers have come up with different ways of placing the cells and compensation to their drives to work as long as possible.

So you can choose the right SSD drive to your computer, first, you need to consider what types of disks exist.

HOW TO CHOOSE SSD DRIVE FOR THE LAPTOP?

TYPES OF SSD DRIVES

During the development of this technology has several types of SSD drives, they differ in size, connection method to a computer, speed, and method of placement of memory cells.

DIMENSIONS AND CONNECTION METHODS

The size, the method of connection SSD drive to the motherboard and speed are related because it is these characteristics depend on the connection interface. Consider the most common ways to connect the SSD so you know how to choose SSD:

• SATA – these SSD drives are connected to the same interface as the usual HDD drives. For compatibility with space for installation of these drives have the body size 9h7h2,5 centimeters, which corresponds to the size of the HDD. In our time, they are most commonly used because they can be easily installed on any PC or laptop instead of a conventional hard drive. But such an option there is a limit – the maximum data transfer rate – 6 Gb / second. For the HDD is a very big figure, but some may develop SSD and more.
• mSATA – is exactly the same connection interface, as well as at the SATA, and therefore the same speed. Only here there is such a large body. This type is often used for SSD laptops. The difference between this type of disc only in size.
• PCIe – these discs look like conventional PCI cards, and through the use of this interface can reach data transfer speeds of up to 30 GB / sec. But they are only in personal computers because of its size can be used, and there are two or even three times more expensive than conventional SATA SSD.
• NVMe – modification PCIe SSD drives, which gives even greater performance thanks to special optimization, but at the moment it is only compatible with the new motherboards. The case looks exactly like PCIe.
• M.2 -. It is a smaller version of SSD disk for PCI. It works according to the same protocol and allows us to develop the same speed with the data, but instead of a large body is made in the form of a small fee. Most modern motherboards already support slots of this type, but they can also be connected via a PCI.

METHODS OF ORGANIZATION OF MEMORY CELLS

By way of organizing the memory cells are divided into SSD drives differ in the number of bits stored in one cell. In fact, the smaller, the more resource overwriting and speed, but at the same time and the higher the price. Therefore the manufacturers try to reduce the cost of production by increasing the amount of data in a single cell. At the moment, there are types of memory:

• SLC NAND – this type of memory is designed for a long time. Located in one cell one bit of data. It guarantees maximum performance and up to ten thousand overwrites the data, but is very expensive and therefore not released.
• MLC NAND – is the next-generation flash memory in which one cell propagate two bits. The number of possible overwrites reduced to three thousand times and twice the speed of falls. But the price of such devices is more or less acceptable.
• TLC NAND – in this standard in a cell already placed 3 bits of data and overwriting falls resource 1000. But they are cheaper. Manufacturers have found a way out of the situation, adding different balancing controllers that substitutes released cells in the reserve, as well as trying to give the same load on all cells. Also used cache memory type SLC. All this ensures SSD work up to 3 years or more.

Now often used with MLC TLC and different optimizations.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN SSD DRIVE?

Now that you already know what are SSD drives let’s look at how to choose an SSD drive for your computer. How to choose SSD drive for the laptop? Members only pay attention to volume, price, and size. But we must also take into account the type of memory layout, the connections, and the controller manufacturer.

THE AMOUNT OF SSD MEMORY

The larger the higher price of the device, but at the same time overwriting longer life because the controller has more space to redistribute the load between all cells. Most often, SSD drives have capacities of 128, 256 GB and 1 TB. In most cases, under the system users can take 128 GB SSD for the system.

HOW TO CONNECT

In fact, there are only two connection methods using SATA and PCI interface. SATA more common and versatile. Such drive SSD may be installed in the computer or in a notebook. But if you want a very high speed is better to choose PCI interface.

TYPE OF MEMORY

To learn how to choose SSD drive for the laptop 2016 you need to pay attention to the type of memory. How to choose SSD drive for the laptop? The first type of memory, SLC – now no longer available. On the market are two types of spread – MLC and TLC. The first is more expensive but has a resource record 3 million times, and the speed of the data of 50 milliseconds. Such discs during normal use may be 5-7 years but are more expensive.

Discs that use memory TLC, have resource records of 1000, 75 milliseconds while reading, and about three years to five years of service life. For a home computer, it is possible to choose the memory TLC. But if you often copy large files, it is better to choose the MLC.

THE CHIP MANUFACTURER

There is another very important parameter, which is worth paying attention to. This memory chip manufacturer. On the one hand, it would seem that it does not matter, but each manufacturer has its own characteristics and weaknesses.

• SandForce – this is one of the most popular controllers. It is inexpensive and has good performance. The main feature – the use of compression when data is written on the carrier. But there is a drawback – when the disc is full recording speed drops significantly;
• Marvel – similar to the SandForce, has excellent speed, but it does not depend on the percentage of the disc is full. The drawback – too expensive;
• Samsung – also quite popular controllers. Have support AES encryption at the hardware level, but sometimes you can watch the speed decrease due to problems with the garbage collection algorithm;
• Fizon – has excellent performance, small price and the lack of any problems that would reduce speed. But there is a drawback. He is not well shown in the operations with random write and read;
  Intel – better Fizon, but much more expensive.

Major manufacturers of memory cards – it’s Samsung, SanDisk, Intel, and Toshiba. But the memory card is not so different, so much importance selection board manufacturer has not.

Conclusions

In this article, we looked at how to choose SSD drive for the laptop, now you know what parameters need to pay attention to choose the device that you need. And you’re already using SSD? You notice the improvement in performance? Advise how best to choose SSD our readers!

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