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What is an ssd hard drive. Set - EnablePrefetcher = dword: 00000000. What is

Today we will analyze the main points and principles of functioning of SSD technology. As you remember, in we conducted a comparative test of one SSD and two HDD drives. We considered how it looks from the inside and what main blocks it consists of.

Also - they listed the main advantages of this technology, and now we will consider the disadvantages that are inherent in it at the moment. We present the main ones in the form of a list:

High (relative to HDD drives) cost of data storage, i.e. - less disk capacity we get for more money
Greater vulnerability (relative to devices with a magnetic recording principle) to electrical interference and power supply problems (sudden power outages, magnetic fields, static electricity)
You can not completely fill the disk (15-20% of the space should be free)
The service life of the media is limited to a certain number of write cycles of its cells

But let's get it right! Let's start with what is an SSD drive and how does it work?

This is a solid state drive that uses NAND flash memory chips instead of traditional ferromagnetic platters.

NAND memory is an evolution of flash memory, the chips of which had much lower speed, durability and structurally looked more massive.

You may be interested in the fact that flash memory was developed in one of the divisions of Toshiba in 1984. The first commercial chip based on this development was released by Intel in 1988. And a year later (in 1989), the same Toshiba introduced a new type of flash memory - NAND.

At the moment there are three main options (modifications) of NAND memory:

SLC (single-level - Single Level Cell)
MLC (two-level - Multi Level Cell)
TLC (Three Level Cell)

The most expensive and reliable solutions are devices based on SLC chips. Why? They allow each memory cell to store only one bit of information. Unlike them, MLC and TLC chips can store two and three bits, respectively. This was made possible by using different levels of electrical charge on the gates of the memory cells.

Schematically, this can be represented as follows:

Such a multi-level structure allows a sharp increase in the capacity of chips with the same physical volume (as a result, each gigabyte is cheaper). BUT! Nothing is given for free! Therefore, MLC and TLC chips have a sharply reduced "life" period, which is directly related to the number of rewriting cycles of their cells.

For SLC, this is 100,000 erase/write cycles, for MLC - 10,000, and for TLC - only 5,000. Such a decrease in reliability is associated with the gradual destruction of the dielectric layer of the floating gate of the cell due to the small reserve for changing its state under the influence of electric current. Plus, due to the fact that with each new level the task of accurately recognizing the level of an electrical signal becomes more complicated, which means that the total search time for the desired cell with data increases, and the likelihood of reading errors increases.

To combat the phenomena described above, manufacturers have to develop specialized highly intelligent control microcontrollers for SSD drives, which, in addition to I / O procedures, must write information to the media so that its flash memory chips wear out evenly and control this wear by balancing the load, also - carry out error correction, etc.

It is the controller that is the weak point, since it is more sensitive to power problems and damage to the firmware (firmware) in it can lead to the complete loss of all user data. And their correct recovery is an even more labor-intensive operation than in the case of HDD disks. Due to the fact that the data is scattered across different memory chips and it is necessary to correctly restore their original structure, and this is not easy.

Therefore, manufacturers of SSD drives regularly update the firmware of their drives and make them available for free download, finalizing and improving the algorithms of the device and preventing data loss in the event of an emergency.

Manufacturers also struggle with the wear of MLC memory cells by a method that has proven itself in magnetic disks: reserving part of their volume (10-20%) for dynamic replacement of worn cells. In the case of an HDD, this area serves as a replacement.

But we, as users, can also help our SSD drive not to waste its limited "life" resource and configure the operating system in such a way as to minimize unnecessary disk accesses.

I will show the general principles of what to do and what to try to avoid, and you will already set up your system for optimal work with a solid state drive.

For example: we know that the Windows operating system actively uses the paging file (hidden system file "pagefile.sys") during its operation. What does this mean in relation to the wear of SSD drive cells and everything we talked about above? And the fact that a separate area of the system flash drive is intensively used (often overwritten with some service data that we do not need and, in fact, actively wears out)!

What can be done? Right! Move the paging file to another (non-SSD drive), as I did, or, with a large amount of RAM, completely abandon it (set it to "0")?

Let's move on: the defragmentation procedure is not only unnecessary for this type of device (their access speed is the same for any cell, regardless of where the final file is located), but is simply harmful. For the same reason as described above. Extra (idle) accesses to the disk only further reduce its limited resource. So - turn off the corresponding defragmentation service. Also, it would not be superfluous to disable file indexing, which is necessary for faster search, but do we use it that often?

The principle, I think, you have caught. And now I would like to show you a small program "SSD Mini Tweaker" (tweaker - optimizer), which in a similar way optimizes the operation of an SSD drive. In it, it is enough to put the checkmarks we need in front of the relevant items and click the "Apply changes" button.

The computer will restart and the changes will take effect. The program is remarkable in that it has a Russian interface and detailed help in Russian. So, at any time, you can familiarize yourself in detail with the function that you are going to disable or leave enabled.

You can download the utility. The archive contains versions for 32-bit and 64-bit systems and a help file in Russian.

Since we have devoted so much time to the issue of optimal use of the disk and the wear of its memory cells, I cannot but present you with another interesting development. The program "SSD Life Pro", the main task of which is to keep track of the time of the disk and report the approximate date of its failure.

What do we see here? The entry "FW: 1.00" is the firmware version of the disk, the occupied and free space on it, the total operating time from the first power-up and the number of starts are shown below. Also pay attention to the TRIM line (should be active), this indicates that the performance of the SSD drive will be optimal.

Below is a screenshot of the same program, but taken from the website of its developer. It shows that the disk from the Intel company correctly passed its SMART parameters to the utility, and based on them, the utility displayed an extended forecast of its state.

As you can see, the drive failure is "scheduled" for November 7, 2020 :)

If we click on the link “What do you think?” at the top of the program window, then we will go to the developer’s website and we will be able to find out (in Russian) exactly how such a calculation is made?

You can program. If it accurately shows the "life" of your disk - unsubscribe, I think all readers will be interested!

At the end of this topic, let's listen to the recommendation of the respected Intel company, which says that the ideal operating conditions for an SSD solid state drive is its data occupancy is less than 75% with a ratio of static (rarely changed) and dynamic (changed often) information - 3 To 1 . You should not use the last 10-20% of the disk space, as they are needed for the TRIM command to work correctly. To work, it needs free space to regroup data (same as for the defragmentation function). The general rule is - the more free space - the faster the device works.

At the moment, the SSD drive is ideally suited as a system partition on which the operating system and programs are installed and that's it. The data and all work on them should (if possible) take place on the second (HDD) disk. Also, solid-state drives can be effectively used on servers for caching static data.

Now, let's take a quick look at why the more expensive models of SSD solid state drives have such excellent speed qualities and how else do they differ from their "younger" counterparts?

Firstly, it is the same smart drive controller chip that can be designed as multi-channel i.e. - can write data simultaneously to each flash memory chip of the disk. As a result, the overall performance of the device will be equal to the speed of one memory chip multiplied by the number of controller channels. Well, if you simplify the situation a little :)

Also, in more expensive models, additional elements are used that are soldered onto the board. This can be, for example, a series of capacitors located near the disk's RAM chip, which ensure that data is saved from the cache memory during a power failure.

When a critical mass of bad drive cells is reached, high-quality chip firmware can completely block the SSD drive for recording functions and switch it to read-only mode, which guarantees the safety of user data (possibility) until the device is completely out of order.

And at the end of our article, let's touch on another interesting variety of solid state drives. These are "RAM SSD" drives. What is it?

Such hybrid devices use volatile chips to store information, which are completely identical to those used in modules. They have ultra-fast data access, read and write speeds and can be successfully used to accelerate large databases and where peak performance is needed.

Such systems are equipped with batteries to maintain operation in the absence of electricity, and more expensive models are equipped with backup systems when data is copied to HDD media.

Here's what a similar device might look like, which is defined by the operating system as a hard drive.

And here is a simpler version, made in the form of a PCI Express X1 board

As you can see, the principle of operation here is the same, but the function of flash memory chips or HDD "pancakes" is performed here by ordinary RAM modules.

Now, as promised, I want to say a few words about subjective feelings after using a solid state drive. The operating system (Windows 7) boots and shuts down noticeably faster. The same can be said about installing and running programs. Some applications are simply amazing: "Microsoft Word 2003" "shoots" in less than a second! You don’t have time to mentally prepare to work with him :) Yes, quickly, but don’t expect something phenomenal, after all, this is not a “revolution”, but an “evolution” :)

That's all I have for today. See you in the next articles!

And at the very end - what the production of NAND memory chips looks like:

13. 03.2017

Blog of Dmitry Vassiyarov.

What is an ssd drive and what is its trick?

Hello readers. Today we will talk about what is an ssd drive. For some ordinary computer users, the concept of ssd - solid state drives is new and incomprehensible.

After reading this article, you will not only understand what it is about, but you will also be able to keep up the conversation about this device and choose the right one for yourself. After all, old iron goes down in history and each of us sooner or later has to change it. What do modern developments look like? Read on.

What is a solid state drive?

A solid-state drive, also referred to in English as a "Solid-State Drive" (SSD), is a storage device based on memory chips.

The situation is not very clear, right?

I won’t torment anymore and I’ll explain more simply: this is a kind of flash drive that replaces the work, but has a different configuration and work technology, and besides, it works faster and has large amounts of memory.

If you are reading this article, most likely your computer has an ordinary hard drive installed: it has plates that read and write heads that spin at breakneck speed. Because of this, the screw makes noise. With a solid state drive, this cannot be, because it is only a microcircuit - no spinning and buzzing mechanisms.

This is how HDD and SSD differ from the inside:

Types of microcircuits

Solid state drives are different depending on the specifics of data storage on chips:

Benefits of an SSD

In addition to noiselessness, a modern drive has the following advantages:

Strength. It is not afraid of shocks and vibrations, unlike the usual hdd drive. The latter must be protected from shaking, because if the reading heads fly into spinning disks, you can say goodbye to photos accumulated over the years, reporting documentation and other important data that you store on the screw.
Small size. Compared to conventional screws, SSDs are much lighter and smaller.
Low power consumption.
Incredibly high data transfer speed. This is the biggest plus.

Flaws

As they say, not without a fly in the ointment:

High price. Most likely, this is not for long, because already now the cost of solid-state drives is gradually decreasing.
Impossibility of data recovery.
If in the event of a hard drive failure there is a chance to get at least some of the information, then it will not work in an SSD - there are simply no programs or any methods.

Why? I'll explain with an example. With voltage drops in a conventional hard drive, only the controller often burns out, but in an SSD drive it is located next to the memory chip.
Therefore, if something catches fire, then the whole thing burns out.

Limited number of rewrite cycles. Many may not even notice this shortcoming, because an MLC drive can work on average for 3-4 years (this is only in theory), and a more expensive SLC can last even longer.

Moreover, during this period, as a rule, any computer requires one or another update. But there is good news: FRAM technology has already been developed that can operate in continuous read and write mode for 40 years. Not weak?

In addition to the types of chips, SSDs differ in several other ways. They must be taken into account when choosing. Let's take a closer look.

Interface

This parameter indicates what type of connection the drive has. It also depends on the data transfer rate. The main types of throughput tires:

works at a speed of 1000 Mbps. This is an outdated version, but still occurs occasionally.
SATA is slightly faster (1500 Mbps).
SATA2 (3000 Mbps) is faster.
Want to experience the full potential of an SSD? Choose the 3rd generation bus, which is twice the speed of the previous one (up to 6000 Mbps).
There are also devices with a PCI Express connection type. Do you want to turn your computer into a super-fast car? Prefer PCI-e because it is even faster than SATA3. This interface is capable of transmitting data at a speed of 2 Gb / s.

An example of an SSD with a PCI-Express connection interface

There is another tire. This is an M.2 interface (in theory it should be faster even than PCI-E), but so far such drives are not quite popular, and manufacturers have not yet learned how to make fast products using its potential. Another advantage is that such devices are very small in size.

An example of SSD drives with an M.2 interface

Form factor

This criterion indicates the size of the drive.

SSD with dimensions in 3.5 inch device. They are mainly taken for server computers, they are rarely used at home.

Just know what they are :-)

Basically, the most common are 2.5 inch devices.

The "2242" format is a small scarf with a diameter of 22x3.5x42 mm (in the image it is a disk with mSATA signature)

There are also sizes “2260” and “2280” - these are also drives in the form of a handkerchief connected to the M.2 interface.

Memory

Are you going to install a system on a solid state drive? Then 60 GB will be enough for you. If you take it to store multimedia data, give preference to a larger volume. It can reach 4 terabytes, so start from your financial capabilities.

Most often choose a capacity of 240/256 GB. Minimum - 120/128 GB - this is enough to install the operating system and store a small amount of media files. For other types of files, usually solid-state drives are not purchased, well, not counting the majors :).

Performance

In addition to the speed of a flash card, another important feature is the number of I / O operations that it can perform per second. In English, it looks like this: input / output operations per second (IOPS). In this situation, choose according to the principle: the more - the better.

Although by and large, these figures are conditional. Many factors affect performance (controller model, chip type, capacity, cache algorithm, etc.), so to find out the capabilities of a drive, you need to test it. But since this is impossible to do before buying, it remains only to trust the manufacturer's data.

Well, that's basically all that I wanted to cover in this topic. I hope I wrote in detail and clearly. Now you know what an ssd drive is and its features, so you can safely upgrade your computer.

The abbreviation SSD stands for Solid-State Drive. Which, in fact, is translated as a solid-state drive. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it does not contain moving mechanical parts: inside there are only boards and microcircuits, with the help of which information is recorded, stored and read.

The history of SSDs began quite a long time ago. For the first time, something similar was implemented by StorageTek in 1985. But at that time, the high cost and low manufacturability of components did not allow mass implementation of solutions to the masses, and there was no particular answer why a fast SSD drive was needed in a computer, if interfaces and peripherals still worked slowly. But in the early 2010s, the popularity of SSDs increased dramatically. Almost every new laptop now ships with an SSD or hybrid hard drive configuration. Next, we will look at what it is - an SSD in a laptop or desktop computer.

Why do you need an SSD in your computer?

The purpose of an SSD is no different from an HDD. It is designed to perform the same function - to store data, the operating system, swap files, and the like. Naturally, this replacement is more expensive if you translate to calculate in terms of gigabytes / ruble. It is more than likely that the situation will change in the near future.

Laptop and computer SSD hard drive device

There is essentially no difference between what an SSD is in a laptop and a desktop computer. it can be a case similar to HDD, or it can be made in the form of a board for installation in an M.2 connector. If you disassemble the SSD or look at the board, then it is very similar in design to a regular flash drive. In general, an SSD is a large flash drive, with the same principle of operation.

The controller controls the entire device, which distributes data among cells, monitors their status, deletion, and generally performs all functions similar to those of a processor in a computer.

The memory itself is flash memory, the same as on flash drives. The SSD uses the NAND type, which is a three-dimensional arrangement of conductors where a number of cells are used at intersections.

According to the method of writing data to a cell, two types of implementation are distinguished: SLC - Single-level Cell and MLC - Multi-level Cell. As you might guess, in the first case, only one bit is written to one cell, in the second - several. Now another type has come out of the MLC, the name of which has settled in everyday life, although it is included in a subset of this type - TLC, Triple-level Cell.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to each implementation. MLC comes out cheaper in terms of volume/price ratio. This makes the SSD hard drive cheaper in the long run, which affects consumer choice as well. But the structure of recording in several layers imposes restrictions on the number of write cycles and performance. The more nesting levels are used, the more complex the algorithm for working with cells becomes and the less resource. SLC is proportionally more expensive, has a greater resource and performance.

Manufacturers solve problems with the resource and reliability of memory using algorithms that allow you to control the process of using cells: recording is made in those areas of memory that were used the least. Another approach is used - memory reservation. Almost every SSD leaves about 20% of the memory “in reserve” in order to replenish it from there in case of loss of a cell.

How an SSD works

Probably, many people know how a regular hard drive works - a magnetic head runs from the beginning to the edge of a rotating disk and reads data from the tracks. The main problem of magnetic disks is that it takes too much time to position the head in the area with the necessary data. And if the file is also divided into several pieces in different sections, then the time of the reading or writing process increases significantly.

To understand what an SSD drive is, you need to know how it works. To access data for reading or cells for writing, the system only needs to know the address. The controller then simply returns blocks of data. The time is spent just looking up the address and transferring data - literally milliseconds.

Types of hard drives

By type, SSD can be characterized by form factor and interface type. There are three main form factors:

2.5". The disk is dressed in a 2.5-inch case. Provides compatibility between almost all types of systems: laptops, servers, PCs.

As a separate board for the PCIe slot. Provides good speed and reliability, uses PCI Express interface.

M.2. A relatively new format, presented mainly in the form of a board that is installed directly on the motherboard in the M.2 connector, which is very compact. Such an SSD can be found in three different versions depending on the length: 2242, 2260, 2280. The last two digits indicate the length in mm.

There are several other formats that are rare and are needed for a narrow range of tasks, such as 1.8”, 3.5” or mSata.

Interfaces are more difficult to understand. Here - porridge in standards and specifications. Let's start with the most popular - SATA. To date, there are three major revisions and two additional ones. SATA - Supports up to 1.5 Gbps. Now it is becoming less and less common. SATA II - up to 3 Gb / s. SATA III - up to 6 Gb / s. Revision SATA 3.2 received an additional prefix Express. It has speeds up to 8 Gb / s and is backward compatible with other SATA, and, most interestingly, it has a PCI Express interface at the core. The interface can be implemented in both 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors.

With a PCI-E interface, it's a little easier. It is implemented mainly in M.2 for SSDs. It is worth noting that PCI can be multi-channel. The more channels, the faster the data transfer rate.

General characteristics of SSD (Solid State Disk)

Let's look at the basic characteristics by which an SSD can be identified, analyze what it is, and compare it with an HDD.

Interface and form factor

We have already talked a little about this. Now consider this in the context of choice and relevance for different systems. With interfaces, everything is simple - eSATA is now considered the most productive, which in the specifications in some stores and manufacturers can be designated as PCI-E. Today it is the fastest interface.

The form factor must be chosen depending on the type of PC - laptop or stationary. In a stationary one, for compactness, you can use M.2, which takes up little space on the board and does not require additional power. New laptops also support M.2. For older ones, the 2.5-inch form factor is relevant.

Disk capacity and speed

SSD capacities are quite expensive. The most budget version of a 32 GB SSD can be bought for about 1,500 rubles, while an HDD for the same money will already have a capacity of 160 GB or more. As for the speed, then everything is not so clear. Very often, the speeds of reading and writing data in the specifications for disks are greatly overestimated. And not necessarily only with little-known small companies, but even with famous brands. Therefore, you have to focus on reviews and measurements of reputable services and testers.

Type of memory chips

Interestingly, now both types of memory - MLC and SLC - are almost the same in terms of performance and write / rewrite resource. Much depends on the implementation of a particular manufacturer. Before buying each specific model, we would recommend looking at tests and reviews on these gadgets.

Leading manufacturers of SSD drives for PC

In the top are well-known manufacturers of drives. There is nothing special about their implementation. Moreover, controllers manufactured by Samsung or Intel can be found not only in their own drives, but also in devices of competing brands. Main names in the top:

Samsung. They produce a wide range of SSDs for a variety of tasks;
Western Digital. One of the oldest media manufacturers. Produces three different lines of drives - Green, Blue and Black;
Intel. Everything is clear here. Reliability and quality;
Transcend. Known mainly for its flash drives. Now release and full-fledged SSD.

Which SSD drive is better to buy

If the budget is not limited, then there are no problems. If every ruble counts, then it is better to approach the issue thoroughly. Let's look at a couple of models that are worth paying attention to.

The memory type it uses is TLC. The declared read/write speed is 540/520 Mb/s. The total storage capacity is 120 GB. In total, 75 TB of data can be written to the disk. On average, users write to their disk from 5 to 30 GB per day, which gives approximately 10 TB per year. Thus, the resource of this SSD should be enough for about 7.5 years. The SATA interface is used for connection. You can buy a disc for 3600 rubles. And its 2.5-inch form factor will allow it to be used both in a "stationary" and in a laptop.

Here are a couple of reviews about it:

Review of Samsung SSD 850

Read more on Yandex.Market: https://market.yandex.ru/product/1973235126/reviews?track=tabs

If compactness and space saving are in the first place, then you can consider an SSD with M.2. Within 5000 rubles, you can buy Intel SSDPEKKW128G8XT.

This is a drive with an M.2 connector and a size of 2280. Please note that there must be more than 80 mm of free space from the connector to the nearest component. Memory type - TLC. The total disk size is 120 GB. This drive is interesting in that it is connected using a PCI-E interface with 4 channels via an M.2 connector. And this means that the bus does not limit the capabilities of the SSD and fully allows you to give out excellent write and read speeds - which, by the way, are declared by the manufacturer at 650 MB / s for writing and 1640 MB / s for reading. The total resource is 72 TB of data. The device costs 4290 rubles.

More details on Yandex.Market: https://market.yandex.ru/product/1974689676/reviews?track=tabs

Intel SSDPEKKW128G8XT

In general, prices over $5,000 don't inherently imply big jumps in performance. Only the total volume of the disk changes. By the way, for an SSD, the volume indicator also affects durability. For example, a 120 GB drive with 30 GB daily writes will last approximately 7.5 years. At the same write rate, a 500 GB device should last 4 times longer.

You can give this: you need a disk only for the system and programs - you can choose a smaller one, 60 or 120 GB, and store all data, movies, pictures, and so on on another HDD. If you plan to store everything on one SSD, it is better to immediately choose a larger one. PCI-E interfaces are still more expensive than SATA, but they do not limit in speed, therefore, if the budget allows, it is better to choose the PCI-E interface.

Answers to frequently asked questions about the SSD drive

During its existence, SSD managed to acquire myths and legends, as well as constant questions. We will consider a few of them.

Special operating rules

Many believe that with proper use of the disk, you can increase its service life. This includes various optimizations - disabling caches, indexing, paging file, defragmenting. In fact, to a large extent, these actions will not affect the SSD resource. Rather, a decrease in overall performance due to disabling functionality will be less justified than a shared resource increased by a couple of tens of gigabytes.

The only thing that can be advised is to make backups: save your important data on alternative media - the cloud or another disk. Although this advice applies to all carriers in principle.

How SSD differs from HDD

Read and write speed, shock and vibration resistance, noise level, power consumption and weight. These are the main advantages of SSD over HDD.

What is TRIM in SSD

TRIM is an instruction for ATA interfaces that allows the operating system to inform the disk about which memory blocks can be not used and considered empty. Why is it needed for SSD drives? It was introduced in connection with the specifics of the operation of solid-state drives. When writing new data to a cell, the SSD cannot simply take and replace the old data with the new one. He has to first read the data into the cache, clear the cell, and then write it down - in this case, the access speed decreases significantly. TRIM solved this problem. The system and the drive constantly exchange information about which cells are no longer needed, and on a TRIM signal, resets these cells to zero. The next time the SSD writes, it just calmly writes data to it right away.

Do I need an SSD for gaming?

Here, too, not everything is so simple. Firstly, a significant increase in FPS in games from using an SSD can not be expected. The current solid-state drive will be at the start of loading worlds and levels - locations will load faster. There is a possibility that an SSD drive can help in cases where performance is limited by the amount of RAM, when this data is dumped into the swap file. But in such a situation, changing the HDD to an SSD instead of increasing the “RAM” is a dubious pleasure.

By the way, there is an interesting video of testing popular games on different discs:

Hard Drives vs. SSDs

The choice is obvious. Computer enthusiasts who have already tried SSD drives in their work have felt the difference and do not want to go back to using a mechanical drive as a system drive. Cons SSD - a significantly higher price, small capacity - as technology develops, gradually disappear.

The benefits of flash storage cannot be ignored: fast access times, high data transfer rates, and superior I/O performance. We also note the mechanical reliability, low power consumption and silent operation.

With so many manufacturers offering SSDs at the moment, it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you go directly to the test charts page, you can see just how much SSDs outperform hard drives. Even if you do not look for the fastest solid state drive, but take the performance of the most inexpensive model as a starting point, even such a drive will be many times faster than any hard drive!

Pros and cons of SSD

It is difficult to assess the benefits of an SSD based on tests that are designed to compare different drives with each other, relative to other upgrade methods (new processor, graphics card).

As a result, ordinary users seeking to build a modern high-performance PC can be advised to buy a small SSD drive and store most of the files on the hard drive, spending the bulk of the funds on updating other PC components.

If you ask a few ordinary users what kind of computer they would like to have, then the answers are likely to be similar. Sandy Bridge processor, at least 4 GB of RAM, good graphics card. The "default" set includes a hard drive, but SSD drives are usually out of the question. It is not right.

It would be appropriate to sacrifice a couple of hundred gigahertz of processor clock speed by supplementing the hard drive with a system SSD of about 60 GB. So you can get almost all the benefits of SSD technology without going broke on a large-capacity solid-state drive.

The Superficial Look Isn't Always Right

Our opinion is generally based on real, comparable data. The 2TB 7200RPM drive looks no doubt more attractive than the old 120GB 5400RPM model. If earlier the throughput of the SATA interface was 300 MB / s, now it has reached 600 MB / s. As you can see, the evolution is obvious, but for many such figures mean more than real results.

In this case, we have two problems at once. First, too few users know that using a solid state drive can really speed up applications significantly. The second problem is the small volume and high cost of SSDs.

But it’s worth repeating again: any modern SSD, regardless of model, is an order of magnitude faster than any hard drive. Let's illustrate this fact by comparing a simple SSD with one of the most powerful magnetic platter drives.

Samsung 470 Series vs. Seagate Barracuda XT

HDD: Seagate Barracuda XT, 3TB

We opted for a hi-end hard drive that combines high performance for an HDD with a large capacity. The Seagate drive is quite capable of representing the HDD as a class in this comparison. This is a modern hard drive with a capacity of 3 TB - not the maximum today, but this volume is enough for almost any PC.

Spindle speed - 7200 rpm. As the latest generation drive, Seagate Barracuda XT combines high sequential read and write speeds, decent - for a hard drive - response time, relatively high I / O performance. The drive is equipped with the latest SATA 6Gb/s interface. However, given the real peak performance of 160 MB / s, this is clearly just an advertising ploy: it was enough to limit ourselves to the previous version of the SATA interface.

Seagate XT belongs to the upper price bracket (about $250). It will appeal to those users who prefer modern hardware, but so far are cautiously looking towards the SSD. The drive is backed by a five-year Seagate warranty.

As an alternative, there are Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 and 7K3000 hard drives (both 3 TB), Western Digital Black Edition 2 TB. You can learn more about modern "heavyweights" from the world of HDD in the material on our website. "Four 3TB HDDs" .

SSD: Samsung 470 Series, 128 GB

Representatives of this Samsung line have previously been repeatedly used by us as reference drives in various tests, but today these drives are no longer the newest and best (see our material Samsung SSD 830 series dedicated to the new line of Korean solid-state drives).

The 470th series is represented by 64, 128 and 256 GB drives equipped with a morally obsolete SATA 3 Gb / s interface. If we compare the Samsung 470-series drive with the latest models of Crucial, Intel and numerous drives based on the second generation SandForce controller, then it does not look so modern.

Ultimately, the Samsung 470 Series SSD delivers data transfer speeds of up to 260 MB/s. Some of the latest SATA 6 Gb / s SSD models are capable of going over 500 MB / s in serial data transfer operations. The difference is significant. Our position in this case is that even the previous generation of solid state drives is far ahead of any hard drives, including the most modern models.

Samsung, Intel, and Toshiba design and manufacture SSD components in-house (the only exception is the Intel SSD 510 series, which uses a Marvell controller). All three vendors have released enough firmware to fix firmware issues, so none of them are perfect. The bottom line is that even if the Samsung 470-series drive is not exactly what computer enthusiasts dream of, this drive is quite consistent in terms of characteristics with a standard "middle class" SSD, and in this sense its choice is justified taking into account the purpose of this review. If you are interested in the question of comparing the performance of more recent SSD models, you can familiarize yourself with the results of the corresponding tests on the pages of our website.

Feature Comparison

Performance

As you can see in the video at the end of this article, an SSD can significantly speed up a modern computer - whether it's the speed of launching applications, loading levels in games, or importing a large amount of data. Why is this happening?

First of all, the success of SSDs is due to significantly higher data transfer rates. 2.5" hard drives reach 60-100 MB/s, 3.5" - 100-150 MB/s. Moreover, these figures reflect the performance of the HDD in the most favorable conditions for them. The characteristics that vendors like to give in the specifications for a particular HDD model relate to sequential data read / write operations - here the hard drive lag is manifested to the least extent. When the hard disk head moves to another partition / sector of the disk, the speed of operations is rapidly reduced.

Disk usage modes that prioritize I/O performance are not HDD-friendly. An example is Windows boot, which involves reading a huge amount of small blocks of data. Here, when comparing a hard drive with an SSD, the picture is even more sad.

The data transfer rate in such modes drops to a few MB/s. This applies even to the newest and most productive HDD models. Thus, hard drives do a good job of sequentially copying large files, but their use as a system drive is not optimal.

An SSD uses flash memory to store data. Such drives consist of many memory cells that are used in parallel to each other and interact with the controller through several data transmission channels. Such an architecture is capable of providing sequential read speeds from a couple of hundred MB / s to record values - more than 550 MB / s. However, as we have already noted, hard drives also perform well in serial data transfer.

The critical mode for SSDs is data write operations, since only blocks of data of a certain size can be written. If you need to write only a few bits to the disk, you will need a whole series of operations - reading, erasing and finally overwriting one or two blocks.

Thus, it is not uncommon for hundreds of MB / s to turn into only a few tens in practice. But while we are talking about blocks of about 4 kB in size, which are used by modern file systems, SSDs are still 10-20 times faster than HDDs, providing performance at the level of tens of Mb / s, while in the case of hard drives it drops to kb. /s due to delays in head positioning. In real work, such a difference is not only noticeable, but striking.

Energy consumption and heating

SSDs consume, at most, a few watts. Hard drives can use up to 10 watts per hour or more if files are actively copied. Modern SSDs don't get hot at all. Hard drives, on the other hand, often need cooling. The usual air circulation inside your computer case is most likely enough, but the issue of competent cooling of the disk system is still worth considering when assembling a PC yourself.

Design features and reliability

SSDs have no moving parts, which makes them very reliable. Theoretically, there is a possibility that you will subject the SSD to extremely high vibration or shock, so that the chip soldering is broken. In practice, this situation is unlikely.

The exact same tiny chance of soldering failure exists with hard drives, but the real danger lies in the presence of moving elements - magnetic platters that rotate at high speed, and read / write heads. The principle of operation of a modern HDD resembles an old-fashioned gramophone.

Mechanical parts have a certain resource and, in general, the reliability of a hard drive is lower. Any strong shake can turn a working hard drive into a piece of useless hardware. Modern HDDs have a certain "margin of safety" in relation to shock loads (which is especially true for 2.5 ”drives for laptops), but in terms of mechanical reliability, they are still significantly inferior to SSDs.

Whether an SSD drive will outlive a hard drive is impossible to say with accuracy. It is known that HDDs are more prone to failure, as their design combines electronics and mechanical elements. On the other hand, SSDs are more sensitive to firmware and we know of cases where a solid state drive has become unusable due to firmware failure. Potential reliability issues for SSDs and HDDs are different, but exist in both cases. You can learn more about the issue of comparing the reliability of SSD and magnetic platter drives in the article. "Which is more reliable: SSD or HDD?" .

Test stand configuration

Performance Test Bench
CPU	Intel Core i7-2500K (Sandy Bridge): LGA 1155, 32 nm process technology, D2 stepping, 4 cores/4 threads, 3.3 GHz, 6 MB shared L3 cache, HD Graphics 3000, TDP 95 W, Turbo Boost max. frequency 3.7 GHz
Motherboard (LGA 1155)	Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3, rev. 0.2, Intel Z68 Express chipset, BIOS version F3
RAM	2 x 2 GB DDR3-1333, Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D
System SSD	Intel X25-M G1 80GB Firmware 0701 SATA 3Gb/s
SATA controller	Intel PCH Z68 SATA 6Gb/s
power unit
Benchmarks
Performance measurements	h2benchw 3.16 PC Mark 7 1.0.4
	Iometer 2006.07.27 File Server Benchmark Web Server Benchmark Database Benchmark Workstation Benchmark Streaming Reads Streaming Writes 4K Random Reads 4K Random Writes
System software and drivers
operating system	Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1
Intel Inf Driver	9.2.0.1030
Intel Rapid Storage Driver	10.5.0.1026

SSD Power Consumption Test Bench
CPU	Intel Core 2 Extreme X7800 (Merom), 65 nm, E1 stepping, 2 cores/2 threads, 2.6 GHz, 4 MB L2 cache, 44 W TDP
Motherboard (Socket 478)	MSI Fuzzy GM965, revision 1.0, Intel GM965 chipset, BIOS version A9803IMS.220
RAM	2 x 1 GB DDR2-666, Crucial BallistiX CM128M6416U27AD2F-3VX
System HDD	Western Digital WD3200BEVT 320GB SATA 3Gb/s 5400rpm
SATA controller	Intel ICH8-ME
power unit	Seasonic X-760 760 W, SS-760KM Active PFC F3
Benchmarks
Video playback	VLC 1.1.1 Big_Buck_Bunny_1080p
I/O performance	Iometer 2006.07.27 Database Benchmark Streaming Writes
System software and drivers
operating system	Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1
Intel Inf Driver	9.2.0.1021
Intel Rapid Storage Driver	15.12.75.4.64

Benchmark for evaluating performance in real applications
CPU	Intel Core i3-530 (Clarkdale) 32 nm, C2 stepping, 2 cores/4 threads, 2.93 GHz, 256 KB L2 cache, 4 MB L3 cache, HD Graphics, TDP 73 W
Motherboard (LGA 1155)	MSI H57M-ED65, revision 1.0, Intel H57 chipset, BIOS version 1.5
RAM	2 x 4 GB DDR3-1333, Kingston KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX
Controller	Intel PCH H57 SATA 3Gb/s
power unit	Seasonic X-760 760W, SS-760KM Active PFC F3
Test software
Performance Measurements	SYSmark 2012
Operating system and drivers
operating system	Windows 7 x64 Ultimate SP1 (updated on 2011-08-10)
Intel Inf Driver	9.2.0.1030
Intel Rapid Storage Driver	10.6.0.1002

The results of these tests are indicative for most models of SSDs and hard drives. The components under test are selected to provide the best comparison for both configuration options. The drives are tested on very similar systems. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the benefits of using an SSD as a system drive. We do not seek to prove that SSDs have advantages in all forms (in fact, we do not recommend using them for data storage).

Test results

Sequential Read/Write

CrystalDiskMark and Iometer clearly show significantly higher data transfer rates compared to a high-end hard drive. If you regularly read reviews, this fact is unlikely to be news to you.

Random Read/Write

The following results are very revealing in terms of booting the Windows operating system. When it comes to the real difference in everyday use, the gap between SSD and HDD may not be that significant, but in a synthetic test, the difference is striking.

According to CrystalDiskMark, the hard drive runs at 4K blocks in random read mode at 1.6MB/s and writes at 0.7MB/s. Similar indicators for SSDs are an order of magnitude higher: 19.7 MB / s for write operations, 70.6 MB / s for reading.

As the queue depth increases, the performance of the SSD increases even more, which is explained by the fuller use of its multi-channel architecture: 129.4 MB / s for write operations and 70.5 for reading. For the HDD, we also see a 3x increase in random write speed (up to 2.1 MB/s) thanks to NCQ support. However, the gap to the solid state drive is further widening.

In the case of larger blocks (in this test, 512 KB), the hard disk can provide much better speed than we just saw. However, the SSD still holds the lead here. A modern 6 Gb/s solid state drive would provide a more serious break from the HDD.

The alignment of forces is obvious: in a random search test using blocks of 4 KB, the HDD provided a result of about 700 KB / s, SSD - 18.4 MB / s.

At a high queue depth (64 commands), the SSD outperforms the hard drive in the random search test by 40-50 times.

In the Iometer read performance test, the Samsung 470 128 GB achieves a performance of 28,000 IOPS. The hard drive shows a result of 102 operations per second.

When writing, the SSD operates on blocks of data: writing even just a few bytes requires a full cycle of rewriting the entire block. Therefore, in write operations, the SSD gap is not so blatant, but we are still talking about an order of magnitude difference. Iometer shows a result of 1343.5 I / O operations for SSD and 132.5 for HDD.

I/O performance and access time

The "Database" boot script paints a clear picture: an SSD is 12 times faster than a hard drive.

In the "Web server" scenario, the SSD's superiority is even more significant, since read operations in this test account for the bulk of the load.

In the workstation performance test, the alignment of forces does not change.

Access time

Unlike a hard drive, access time on an SSD is hardly measurable.

PC Mark 7

Futuremark PCMark 7 simulates a typical PC experience. With rare exceptions, an SSD outperforms a hard drive by 2-4 times. Note that in these tests the overall performance of the system changes, taking into account the influence of the CPU and video card. Thus, here we see a picture close to that which takes place in everyday use of a PC.

Exceptions include video processing in Windows Movie Maker and the Windows Media Center download script. In these tests, SSD and hard drive provide close results.

Energy consumption

The smallest difference between an SSD and a hard drive in terms of power consumption is seen in the streaming write stress test. But even in this test, one hard drive consumes about the same amount of power as three SSDs.

Energy efficiency: performance per watt

In database applications, the Samsung 470 outperforms a Seagate hard drive by 476 times (I/O per watt).

In the test for streaming efficiency, the SSD outperformed the hard drive by 7 times.

Here it is necessary to briefly highlight the issue of measuring "capacity per watt", since SSDs are inferior to hard drives in this indicator. To provide the amount of disk space corresponding to the Seagate Barracuda XT 3 TB, you will need to build an array of fifteen SSDs. In this context, discussing "capacity per watt" is only theoretical. If you need a lot of storage space, HDDs currently have no alternative.

SYSmark 2012

The benchmark developed by BARCo is not often used in tests. The fact is that some companies, including AMD and nVidia, do not trust this test package, which is explained by the specific composition of the package: it focuses on boot scenarios that have little to do with everyday PC use. A significant percentage of the overall performance rating is given to OCR or archiving operations. It is worth noting that AMD indicates the presence in SYSMark of some optimizations for the Intel architecture.

Please note that in the tests from the SYSMark package, the SSD is very slightly ahead of the hard drive. We can say that the results are the same. The reason is that in this case it is not possible to isolate the impact of other computer subsystems on the final result.

Windows boot speed

A computer with a system SSD is also turned off faster - in five seconds instead of eight in the case of an HDD.

Application launch

We use a script that opens four applications at the same time. As in the case of OS boot, the speed advantage of launching applications on a system with an SSD drive is quite significant. How it looks in practice, you can see in the video.

Run applications on SSD and hard drive

So, we used a script that opens several applications at the same time and captures the difference in the form of a short video. The script runs immediately after Windows boots, after which it waits 30 seconds for all processes to complete. The script launches Internet Explorer 9 (an offline version of the THG site), Microsoft Outlook (the same set of custom folders as in SYSmark 2012), a "heavy" PowerPoint presentation, and a large image in Adobe Photoshop.

We missed this test four times in a row. File caching slightly reduces the load time for the fourth "run", but this can only be noticed in relation to the HDD. Let's watch a video:

Run multiple applications on hard drive and SSD

Our test simulates the scenario when you turn on your computer and open several applications at once - for example, an office program, a web browser, a messenger, an image editor. As long as the system has enough RAM (that is, at least 4 GB at the moment), CPU performance is in second place after the disk subsystem. In other words, plus or minus 500 MHz of the processor frequency is not so significant, but replacing the hard drive with an SSD, on the contrary, fundamentally affects the result.

Here the question arises - is the choice of a specific SSD model important? In our opinion, this issue is not so fundamental. Even if you opt for the latest SandForce SF-2200 controller drive that goes over 500 MB/s in sequential read, the difference compared to the older SSD model we used in this test will not be too noticeable. If this is your first time trying to use an SSD as a system drive, then you definitely won't want to go back to hard drives.

Any modern SSD improves system responsiveness

For those computer enthusiasts who have not yet tried using an SSD, we can safely advise this upgrade option. Undoubtedly, the game is worth the candle. Although not every benchmark reflects the benefits of using an SSD as a system drive (in particular, in SYSMark we do not see a significant gap), the real difference in performance is striking.

We compared one of the largest, fastest and most expensive hard drives on the market - Seagate Barracuda XT - with a modest, not the newest Samsung 470 solid state drive. Of course, you can opt for a more "advanced" model, but even if you choose relatively budget model, you can get all the benefits of SSD.

At the same time, we are not at all trying to retire hard drives. When it comes to file storage, there is no alternative to this type of drive. SSD should be used to install the operating system, place executable program files, application caches on it.

For most cases, the ideal configuration of a modern PC includes a system SSD drive and a large hard drive that stores movies, music, images, documents. Non-SSD systems are budget options, and SSD-only computers are almost never found in nature.

When upgrading a computer, users are increasingly tormented by doubts about what to choose: a hard drive or a solid state drive. Both types of devices have their advantages and disadvantages.

For a long time, the cost of solid-state drives was unnecessarily high, so only computer enthusiasts and avid gamers voted for them with a ruble. For other users, the hard drive was considered the smarter choice, as it offered the best value for money. But the cost of SSD gradually decreased due to the transition to a more advanced technological process. In addition, the balance of power in the market was significantly changed by the cataclysms that occurred in the countries of Southeast Asia in 2011. Severe flooding disrupted the entire production chain, causing hard drive shortages and almost doubling their prices worldwide. However, the cost of a gigabyte of "hard" memory is still higher than "hard", but the difference is not so great that one can name an unconditional favorite.

Who is who

Solid state drives, which, unlike hard drives, are based on flash memory rather than magnetic platters, are relatively new people in the computer market. Previously, memory chips were used only in flash drives and memory cards, on which, however, craftsmen managed to install operating systems. Silent and shock-resistant flash drives really looked promising compared to hard drives, but the USB interface did not allow for sufficiently high data transfer speeds, and even significantly loaded the CPU during I / O operations. As you know, demand creates supply, so very soon a new type of information storage device appeared on sale - SSD (solid-state drive).

In fact, a solid-state drive is nothing more than a large flash drive in which the USB interface has given way to a faster and, most importantly, SATA interface that almost does not load the central processor. The SSD controller also plays an important role, because it often becomes the “bottleneck” that limits the throughput of flash memory chips. The benefits of solid state drives include:

■ generally faster than hard drives, read and write speeds, as well as minimal data access delays. And this is critically important, because the "weak link" of modern computers is often the disk subsystem;

elevated temperature, constant vibration and even strong shocks;

■ variety of form factors. Among the SSDs there are classic 3.5- and 2.5-inch, as well as rarer 1.8-inch drives, thin boards without a protective case and PCI Express expansion cards, and even chips soldered directly to the motherboard.

The main structural difference between hard drives and solid state drives is the presence of moving parts. The speed of rotation of magnetic plates, which are colloquially called "pancakes", is usually in the range from 5400 to 7200 rpm, but there are exceptions - server models at 10,000 and even 15,000 rpm. This is why HDDs are more sensitive to shock than SSDs. Yes, and modern hard drives have much fewer form factors - only three: widespread 3.5- and 2.5-inch, as well as 1.8-inch models, which are less common. But still, hard drives have undeniable advantages over solid state drives:

■ more favorable ratio of price and capacity: for example, for 3 thousand rubles. now you can purchase either a 3.5-inch 500 GB HDD or a 64 GB SSD. Although two years ago the gap was four times larger - 1000 GB to 32 GB;

■ Retail availability of high-volume models – up to

4 TB. So, the volume of 550 for the consumer market is limited to 600 GB, and server models - 2 TB;

■ Long uptime due to the ability to repeatedly rewrite the sectors of a magnetic disk, while flash memory blocks can withstand much fewer cycles.

Purpose

It is impossible to name the sole leader of the race between HDD and SSD. since for each specific task it is necessary to select a suitable solution. We'll look at the most common situations and recommend the best drive type and model for each.

■ Netbook. Inexpensive compact laptops often have to work in the "field conditions". Frequent shaking and adverse weather conditions will obviously not benefit the hard drive - sooner or later problem sectors will appear on the plates or the spindle will completely jam. So in this case, solid-state drives, which are found in netbooks from many manufacturers, look preferable. Another thing is that, trying to minimize the cost of laptops, manufacturers put SSDs in them with a capacity of 8 to 16 GB. For Windows 7 and a set of frequently used applications, this is clearly not enough, and not everyone is ready to put up with the pre-installed less resource-intensive Linux operating system. Therefore, in the nearest electronics store, it is worth buying the cheapest available SSD with a capacity of at least 30 GB. For example, a 30-gigabyte OCZ Strata model with a read and write speed of 125 Mb / s and 40 Mb / s, respectively, will cost only 2 thousand rubles, but you may need an mSATA-SATA adapter to connect it. In addition, the device is much lighter than a 2.5-inch hard drive, which in the case of a netbook is an undoubted advantage. You don't have to worry about the SSD's MTBF either, as it'll probably last longer than the body and display of a "road" netbook.

■ Notebook. At least two types of laptops should be distinguished: those that serve as a replacement for a desktop computer, and camping models. Laptops designed for home use often play the role of file storage, and keeping hundreds of gigabytes of movies, music and photos on is too expensive. Therefore, if you decide to replace an old laptop hard drive or install a second one using a special adapter, sacrificing a DVD drive, bet on a 2.5-inch HDD. For example, the Western Digital Scorpio Blue model with a capacity of 1 TB and a rotation speed of 5400 rpm. will cost 3.5 thousand rubles.

A travel laptop usually requires high performance and the ability to store professional software and unfinished work projects. Therefore, a cheap 30 GB SSD, as is the case with a netbook. there is no way around it, we need a faster and more capacious model. A solid-state drive Kingston SSDNow V200 (Bundle Notebook version) of 128 GB with read and write speeds of 300 MB / s and 190 MB / s, respectively, can be a good option. For 4.8 thousand rubles. the buyer receives not only the SSD itself, but also a box where you can install the hard drive removed from the laptop.

■ Desktop computer. Desktop owners should bet on two types of drives at once: install the operating system and frequently used applications on a fast SSD, and store multimedia content on a capacious HDD. And if the budget allows, it is better not to save money, but to choose one of the best models in its class. Fans of complete silence are advised to pay attention to the Western Digital Caviar Green 3.5-inch 3-terabyte hard drive with a reduced rotation speed, while the rest will suit the Seagate Barracuda of the same volume. Both options cost about 5.6 thousand rubles.

With solid state drives, the choice is not so obvious: at least once a month, one of the industry leaders proudly announces the release of the next champion in read and write speed. But goods of limited demand, which include the flagship 550, reach Russian retail with a noticeable delay. Now on the shelves you can easily find the following top models of 120-128 GB solid-state drives worth 5-6 thousand rubles: OCZ Vertex 3 and Agility 3, Kingston HyperX SSD, A-Data S511. Corsair Force 3 and others. All of them are based on the SandForce controller, thanks to which they boast a throughput of up to 500 Mb / s. but only when connected to a SATA3 connector.

The Future of Storage

Already now we can say with confidence that sooner or later hard drives will go to their well-deserved rest, giving way to drives based on flash memory. Every year, hard drives find it increasingly difficult to meet the growing needs of powerful computing systems for speed, and they do not fit into the concept of the post-computer era at all. The near future is for SSD - this is beyond doubt, but scientists do not stop there and already loudly name the successor of flash memory ranks. The place of transistors, which are now used as memory cells, should be taken by memristors - passive electronic elements that can change their resistance. Theoretically, memristors can become the basis not only for faster and more capacious flash memory, but also for RAM, which will reduce the number of computer elements, making RAM and ROM a single entity.

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