What is SSD Storage? The 5 Types You Need to Know

What is SSD Storage?

While some computer components are getting smaller, the amount of data processed is getting bigger. Since not everything can be moved to cloud storage, local storage is still necessary, and people have three options – SSDs, HDDs, or a combination of both.

But what is SSD storage, and why do so many people recommend it?

Summary

• SSDs, or Solid-State Drives, are a type of data storage device that uses non-volatile memory chips, providing faster data retrieval speeds and higher durability compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs).

• Unlike HDDs that use mechanical parts, SSDs function using flash memory, eliminating physical read/write heads, thereby minimizing potential for data loss due to physical damage and providing silent, energy-efficient operation.

• SSDs, however, have limited write cycles, meaning the cells can only be written a certain number of times before they wear out, but modern SSDs have technology in place to manage and mitigate this issue, significantly extending their lifespan.

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How an SSD Works – in-depth

To understand how an SSD works, you must first understand how legacy storage components like HDDs (hard disk drives) work.

HDDs have been around for decades and are still used today for storage purposes, despite being considered old technology.

At its core, an HDD functions similarly to how a record player reads music off vinyl records. The HDD itself is an electro-mechanical storage device featuring multiple disks or platters. These disks spin around a central axis and require a mechanical arm to read and write data.

By nature, HDDs come with many moving parts. This is where the SSDs differ greatly in terms of storage technology. Instead of using a mechanical arm to read and write data on disks, SSDs store and access data using microchips.

It’s very similar technology to that found inside a USB stick.

An SSD needs flash-based memory to work. NOR and NAND are the two most popular types of flash memory, with the latter being considered the fastest.

NAND memory is non-volatile, has superior write speeds, is smaller, and can protect and store data even after turning off the drive.

Instead of using a mechanical arm, SSDs rely on processors or controllers to do everything: read, write, store, restore, clean up, and cache the data on the drive. You may also see these processors referred to as controllers.

HDDs physically read and write data, whereas SSDs read and write it on silicon layers made from interconnected flash memory chips. It’s a purely electronic storage method.

A Brief History of SSDs

HDDs are the oldest computer storage technology and date back to the early 1950s. Back then, a single HDD had 50 platters, each 24 inches wide. Those massive devices were able to store around 3.75MB of data. In today’s terms, that’s less than an average quality MP3 file.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that 5.25-inch HDDs were developed and paved the way for the form factor everyone uses today. Due to physical constraints, current 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch HDDs have remained unchanged in size for decades.

Of course, the cable interface that connects them to the motherboard has changed from IDE to SCSI to Serial ATA or SATA.

But why is it important to know about the history of HDDs when talking SSDs?

Although SSD technology started commercial use in 2007, the concept of SSD storage goes further back.

It started with the idea of bubble memory in the 1970s. Interestingly, the concept came and went in just a decade as HDDs improved. But SSD technology kept being improved behind the scenes.

In fact, the flash memory technology used in SSDs today is an extension of the old bubble memory idea presented in the 1970s. The main reason it’s superior is that it doesn’t need consistent power to avoid losing the data stored.

In 2007, the first SSDs appeared on the market in the OLPC X0-1 and Asus Eee PC 700 notebooks. They were used as primary storage chips and soldered to the motherboard. That’s very different than the SSDs you can find today.

Nevertheless, that marked a turning point in computer storage solutions.

Slowly but surely, SSDs improved their storage capabilities and were even standardized to the 2.5-inch form factor. This was possible due to having no moving parts and not requiring as much space as HDDs.

The 2.5-inch form factor was considered perfect because it could fit in both notebooks and computers without a problem. It also helped laptop manufacturers by enabling them to stick to a single drive bay design.

Eventually, newer form factors appeared that were even better. But, most consumer PCs still use 2.5-inch SSDs.

SSD Types

Currently, there are four types of SSDs available for general use. They’re categorized based on connection interfaces or memory protocols.

SATA SSD

The SATA interface is the first connection interface used in SSDs and is still arguably the most commonly used today. The average speed of SATA or mSATA, smaller SATA interface SSDs, hovers in the 500 to 600 MB/s range.

Depending on the manufacturer and technology, SATA SSDs can read and write much faster, but the cost-to-performance ratio isn’t necessarily worth it.

Even the slowest SATA SSD is arguably at least five times faster than the average HDD. Hence most people will buy even the cheapest SSD to store their operating system and use a separate HDD for general storage.

NVMe SSD

The NVMe SSD uses a specific memory protocol that boosts traditional SSD speeds considerably. Unlike a traditional SATA SSD, an NVMe SSD can easily reach speeds of 2 to 2.6 GB/s.

One thing that makes NVMe SSDs highly sought-after is the newer technology and PCIe connection interface.

In addition, an NVMe SSD takes advantage of flash memory. Therefore, whether the storage drive is connected internally or externally doesn’t matter. The speed will be consistent.

M.2 SSD

An M.2 SSD is essentially an SSD with an M.2 connector. This is the fastest type of SSD on the market that can easily reach speeds of 3 to 3.5 GB/s. If a regular SATA SSD is five times faster than an SSD, top-of-the-line M.2 SSDs can be four to five times faster than a standard SATA SSD.

One of the reasons for this is the connection interface. An M.2 SSD connects directly to the motherboard without needing cables.

It has a smaller form factor and is particularly suitable for ITX-type PC builds, ultrathin laptops, and other small systems.

M.2 SSDs can use either SATA or NVMe protocols which affect the read and write speeds.

PCIe SSD

A PCIe SSD is any type of SSD that uses a PCIe connector. This interface enables higher data transfer speeds by connecting the device directly to the motherboard.

Many users choose to install PCIe SSDs for their operating systems. That’s because they’re very fast but also expensive.

Due to the pricing, users can invest in a smaller 256 GB to 512 GB PCIe M.2 SSD for operating system storage. But for everything else that requires ample storage, they’ll likely use a cheaper SATA SSD or even an HDD.

It’s worth noting that not every laptop or PC can support a PCIe SSD. It comes down to the motherboard design and compatibility.

PCIe connectors are shared with the GPU. Therefore, some motherboards don’t have room for an additional PCIe card.

Users must be cautious when planning new builds to ensure they can install an expensive lightning-fast SSD in their systems.

Special Consideration – SSHD

An SSHD or hybrid drive is an older but still meaningful technology for some users. It’s not exactly a type of SSD but rather an HDD fused with SSD technology.

Hybrid drives still have moving parts but also use flash memory. This enables much faster read and write speeds than traditional HDDs, despite not reaching the averages of a decent SSD.

SSHD hybrid drives connect to the motherboard using SATA cables and come in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors.

Some consider this outdated technology, especially given the SSD’s increasing availability and affordability.

However, there’s an argument to be made for using hybrid drives. They’re slightly more expensive than HDDs but still faster and can match their storage capacity.

Therefore, someone who needs slightly more storage space and decent speed might find that a good SSHD fits their budget better than a low-performance SSD with similar capacity.

The biggest argument against SSHDs is the dual-drive setup. Users can dedicate a cheap, low-capacity SSD entirely to the operating system in a dual-drive configuration.

Then, they can use traditional HDDs for their storage needs. The idea behind this is that in most applications, the SSD performance is primarily noticeable for OS boot times and certain system applications and services.

Not every software takes full advantage of an SSD. Therefore, despite its superior performance over HDDs, the fast read and write speeds aren’t always necessary.

How NAND Flash Memory Works

It’s important to know more about NAND flash memory, what it means, how it works, and where it makes a difference to understand SSDs better.

NAND flash memory has become one of the best and most cost-effective memories on the market. The technology relies on floating-gate transistors to store information and retain it even without a power supply.

It differs from RAM or random access memory, which is volatile and loses data when no longer powered.

Typically, electrical circuits need a power source to sustain different electron charges across memory cells. This is what causes data loss in volatile memory types.

NAND technology solves this by adding a secondary gate that can collect and trap electrons while moving through a cell. The stuck electrons continue to fulfill their data storage attributes even if the device isn’t receiving voltage.

Main SSD Advantages

Despite their higher price tag, there are more than a few benefits to using solid state drives.

Lightning Fast Speed

Superior speed is the main draw of SSD devices. Whether using a SATA or NVMe SSD, these devices can boot a computer or notebook in mere seconds. This is outstanding compared to any HDD or SSHD on the market.

Even a fresh OS installation on an HDD won’t boot as fast as one on an SSD and will become increasingly slower within weeks.

Furthermore, all apps launch faster when installed on an SSD. The same applies to system services and file transfers, not to mention write and erase speeds. It can take seconds to move 50+ GB files from one partition to another or delete them from your system.

In comparison, some HDDs take minutes or hours to write and delete large files.

Apart from the superior technology that enables more speed, SSDs don’t face fragmentation issues. Fragmentation is an HDD-specific problem that stems from the physical recording surfaces.

HDD performance peaks when it works with large files stored in adjacent blocks. This would enable the mechanical arm to read files in a continuous motion. Unfortunately, as more files get stored on the drive, parts of files can get scattered around the platter. This phenomenon is called fragmentation and slows down the read and write speeds.

Without a mechanical arm and physical disks, SSDs never encounter this problem. Thus, they are faster by default and can maintain their top speeds for much longer.

Superior Durability

SSDs don’t have physical moving parts and aren’t stressed continuously like HDD devices. When powered, an HDD will keep moving its mechanical arm over the platters. Therefore, the components are continuously used while the device is powered, putting unnecessary strain on the parts.

This doesn’t happen with SSDs.

In addition, HDDs are much more susceptible to damage from magnets that can erase the data or corrupt it to the point that it’s unrecoverable.

Furthermore, physically damaging an HDD by dropping it could ruin the data. While SSDs can also stop working if hit, the data is more likely to remain stored safely on the memory.

If you add to this the better overall cooling that SSDs have, it’s no wonder the devices are more durable than HDDs, despite the latter’s bulky appearance and heavy builds.

Form Factor Scalability

Currently, the most commonly used SSDs have the standard 2.5-inch form factor. This concerns SSDs that use SATA interfaces.

But the introduction of PCIe M.2 SSD interfaces has proven that downsizing the form factor has plenty of scalability.

For example, some of the smallest M.2 form factor SSDs are as little as 1.65 inches long. The current form factor is only limited by technology and pricing concerns.

Eventually, SSDs will get smaller without sacrificing performance or storage capacity. It’s not unreasonable to believe that the entire form factor design will change.

This is a massive advantage over HDDs that seem stuck at the 3.5-inch form factor. It gives them the best price to performance to storage ratio.

HDDs won’t get any smaller, not for lack of trying. Several attempts have been made to shrink traditional spinning hard drives. But smaller form factors meant significantly lower storage capacity and performance.

Due to superior flash memory technology, HDD storage will likely look the same even a decade from now, should physical spinning drives remain in use. On the other hand, SSDs have plenty of room for improvement.

Noiseless Operation

Every computer and laptop makes noise. In most cases, the fans and power supplies are responsible for the majority of it.

However, HDDs are notorious for the extra decibels output. It’s because of their spinning platters. While the sound may not be annoying when the HDD is resting, putting it to work definitely raises the volume coming out of the case.

What’s even worse is that high-performance HDDs are actually louder. The faster they are, the more they work, and the louder they get.

An SSD doesn’t have this problem. As a non-mechanical device, it’s noiseless and ideal for quiet office setups, systems working 24/7, etc.

Low Power Consumption

There’s also the issue of power consumption. SSDs don’t necessarily use less power than HDDs.

Some are quite power hungry, especially drives in the premium price range.

But SSDs have better power consumption and management. Again, this is thanks to the non-mechanical design.

HDDs constantly waste power by spinning the platters and moving the arm whenever they’re online, whereas SSDs don’t waste it.

This not only results in lower energy bills but also helps extend the battery life of laptops. It can be a massive advantage during power outages, trips, and other scenarios.

Data Loss Prevention and Health Monitoring

SSDs don’t last forever. Their longevity is directly impacted by the write/erase cycles, which we’ll discuss in the disadvantages section.

But here’s what makes SSDs better. You can actively monitor the health of an SSD. This means estimating how many more cycles the device can handle before it can no longer write and erase data from the memory.

Many SSDs are designed by default to try and fail before the final erase cycle. While not all manufacturers do this, users can at least count on Intel SSDs to feature this design.

Thanks to this design, SSDs estimate when and how to process information, so no data is lost when they reach the point of failure.

Users can prepare replacement devices ahead of time and safely move sensitive data to avoid unfortunate events.

The design is much better management than most HDDs can offer. There are very few signs to look for and predict HDD failure. Usually, when an HDD stops working, the system won’t boot. Sometimes this can come without warning and result in total data loss.

Flexible Storage Solutions

Storage solutions vary wildly depending on whether you’re using a laptop or desktop computer. But even then, the storage capacity can be limited by form factors, case size, available drive bays, etc.

The SSD is the king of flexible storage for a couple of reasons. First, it’s available in multiple form factors and with different connection interfaces, giving users access to various configurations.

Secondly, the slim size of standard SSDs technically eliminates the need for dedicated drive bays. Many solid state drives today come with four screws and don’t need racks.

Moreover, hard drives can only be installed on racks and take up plenty of space. When stacked, this can cause serious cooling issues in a desktop PC. SSDs, in contrast, can be mounted almost anywhere in the case, like behind the motherboard, for superior airflow.

Furthermore, laptops are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to storage. Most of them don’t have more than one drive bay, meaning that SSDs are pretty much mandatory. But the option of using an M.2 SSD enables users to still have superior performance and boot times without spending a fortune on storage space.

Lastly, even when considering portable storage units, the small size, weight, and extra toughness of an SSD make it a much better option than your average external HDD unit. Besides, when using an NVMe SSD, the external design doesn’t sacrifice speed.

Improves Multitasking

Multitasking on a laptop or computer requires four things. Many users are familiar with the concept of a good CPU with enough cores and threads. Others understand the need for good clock speeds and a decent amount of RAM.

But not everyone understands that the actual local storage devices play a role in multitasking.

SSDs are all about streamlining data access with fast read and write speeds. Attempting to multitask in different applications and with multiple windows open on an HDD is a tall order.

Modern multitasking, even in everyday applications and activities, can be bottlenecked using hard drives over solid state drives. It’s not just a matter of quality of life, but straight-up performance.

Main SSD Disadvantages

Of course, no technology is without its faults. Remember that SSDs haven’t been around for too long. Despite officially hitting the mass market in 2007, it took years for SSDs to be considered the gold standard in computer storage.

And even now, after much progress and advancements, there are some drawbacks to using SSDs.

Pricing

One could argue that it took almost a decade for every consumer to be able to afford an SSD on their laptops or computers.

A decent 1 TB HDD may cost up to $60. You could find SSDs with the same capacity in the $100 range.

But not all SSDs are created equal; cheap ones don’t always display amazing performance and durability.

Therefore, if you were to buy a 1 TB SSD, a $150 price point is more realistic. Most experienced computer builders recommend paying even a bit more for a brand-name SSD.

Of course, this is just for your average SATA SSDs. If you’re going into NVMe M.2 territory, 1 TB prices are off the charts. You could end up paying the same for 1 TB as for 2 or 3 TB in SATA SSDs.

However, prices are dropping at a steady pace, and there’s no reason to always upgrade to the latest generation of SSDs. Buying a last-gen SSD won’t affect the performance significantly, especially in non-specialized read/write applications.

But as it stands, SSD pricing is still far from being on par with HDD pricing. This is just one of the reasons why many consumers opt for dual-drive systems. You can use an SSD to supercharge the system and increase the OS speed and responsiveness while getting massive storage in the form of one or more HDDs.

Storage Capacity

Some files and applications today can require tens of gigabytes of disk space each. 4K movies, triple-A games, videos, audio editing projects, and many others need ample storage capacity.

It’s also another reason why HDDs still see plenty of use. They may not be fast, but they can store a lot of data.

SSDs are no joke either. The beefiest SSD on the market actually comes in a 3.5-inch form factor and holds a whopping 100 TB. But that’s an outlier that costs around $40,000 and shouldn’t be factored into any storage capacity debate.

The fact that it exists means that SSD storage capacity isn’t as limited as most people believe. Currently, there’s no point in pushing storage limits too far if it means consumers can’t afford the new devices.

For a more realistic discussion, you have to look at 1, 2, 4, and 8 TB SSDs. A 4 TB SSD is more than enough for most applications and already too expensive to be worth the trouble.

In comparison, HDDs can easily hold up to 12 TB while costing significantly less.

Storage capacity goes in favor of HDDs for a single reason. The price per GB of storage is much lower. And while SSD prices are decreasing, the storage capacity isn’t improving at the same speed. Therefore, it may be a long time until SSDs completely replace HDDs.

Besides, most people don’t need much space or a fast drive for everyday use. A 256 GB SSD can take care of all OS storage and application needs, and a 1 TB or higher HDD can be purchased for a similar price for a dual-drive configuration.

Write/Erase Capacity

The debate about SSD longevity is ongoing. Some believe that HDDs are doomed to fail sooner due to having mechanical moving parts. Others look at the write/erase cycles of SSDs and think they’re not meant to support heavy use.

What’s a write/erase cycle?

A write/erase cycle is the process of writing data in a flash memory chip and erasing it. Each SSD has its own limit on write/erase cycles, determined by the manufacturer. As SSDs go through more and more cycles, the chip begins to degrade, eventually reaching failure.

In theory, an SSD should still last longer than an HDD. But depending on how it’s used, how well it was designed, and other factors, that may not always be the case.

Write/erase cycle limits can vary wildly. Most consumer, mass market SSDs have up to 5,000 cycles. But premium models with similar speeds and capacity may have up to 100,000 cycles.

Of course, this dramatically affects the pricing and just goes to show that not all cheap SSDs are worth buying. The boost in performance over an HDD might not last enough to be worth the extra bucks.

SSD longevity debates can still go either way because the technology is relatively new. There isn’t enough data to make a definitive statement. Even when using an SSD 24/7, you could potentially get decades of use out of it.

But it all comes down to the type of data you write, read, erase, and how the SSD processes it. For the time being, varying write/erase cycle limits is considered one of the drawbacks of using solid state drives.

Best Use Cases for SSDs

As mentioned previously, solid state drives aren’t always the best-in-slot solution for everyone. But based on the list of pros and cons, specific user categories definitely benefit more from investing in an SSD.

Anyone Who Needs Speed

Speed could mean everything to you if you’re a consummate professional or work in a fast-paced environment. This means fast boot times, switching between multiple operating systems, launching apps, and efficiently transferring files are top priorities.

For any of the above scenarios, solid state drives offer the best performance, especially those using NAND flash memory with an NVMe protocol.

Swapping between Windows and multiple Linux systems can be achieved in seconds, enabling you to ditch virtual machines. This is particularly useful on entry-level to midrange computers and laptops that lack the resources to support multiple virtual machines.

Using an SSD makes launching an app fairly seamless. When someone needs to reply to a work-related issue, they can be online and logged into a platform within seconds. The same applies to transferring large files.

Users on the Road

As beefy as hard disk drives look, they’re far more sensitive than a tiny solid state drive. Physical moving parts are prone to mechanical failures, especially when hit.

While tempting to use a hard disk storage solution for a laptop and get multiple terabytes of local storage capacity, an SSD can be the better option.

Slotting a 2.5-inch SSD into the drive bay or adding an M.2 NVME SSD will give you more data protection on the road. Slamming the laptop into a table, dropping it on the ground, or catching it into the cab door can still do plenty of damage to other components.

But the odds are that your SSD won’t feel anything and, at the very least, won’t result in data loss.

Audio Engineers

You may need plenty of storage for your projects as an audio engineer, DJ, or musician. That said, the speed you can read, write, and erase data is far superior when using a solid state drive.

Additionally, the data protection you get from knowing that SSD failure is unlikely to cause data loss means that your projects are safe no matter what.

There’s also the noise factor to consider.

A hard drive makes plenty of noise, especially if you want a fast one. SSDs are quiet and won’t interfere with the sound you’re trying to capture when using studio microphones.

Graphic Engineers and Video Editors

When working with video media files, storage capacity is a major concern. You need multiple terabytes of storage space to record, edit, and save projects.

However, it’s essential to consider the read and write times. SSD vs. HDD speeds are not up for debate. You can accomplish tasks at least five times faster using an SSD.

Add to that the data protection you get, file transfer speeds, superior application launch and operational speeds, and solid state drives are a no-brainer.

Granted, they might pose some storage limitations. But you could always get an external or backup HDD for extra storage capacity.

Solid state drivers are quickly becoming the norm for graphic designers, video editors, and engineers due to their superior speed and performance. They might be even more important for someone doing freelance work, where every minute wasted means dollars out of their pocket.

Gaming Applications

Whether you’re a game designer or gamer, an SSD can make a massive quality of life difference. For a long time, SSDs didn’t improve gaming performance significantly.

However, over time, things changed as more games were designed to take advantage of faster read and write speeds. Of course, having a solid GPU and CPU will matter more, but games that read tons of data to pre-load instances need SSD to cut loading and rendering times.

Furthermore, SSDs can offer some advantages in competitive gaming; hence they’re the industry standard for storage.

To game designers, working on an SSD can have an even greater impact. This is because popular 3D design engines like Unreal Engine, Frostbite, and Unity take advantage of write speeds when compiling blueprints and code.

Heavy Laptop Users

As previously explained, the shock-resistant properties of solid state drives make them superior to hard disk drives in portable systems. That said, not everyone takes their laptop on daily commutes or puts them in grueling situations on construction worksites.

With that in mind, is there a good reason to install an SSD in a laptop when not traveling?

There are actually two good reasons that any heavy laptop user might want to favor a solid state drive as their primary storage unit.

First, laptop hard drives are typically clocked at 5,200 RPM, much slower than your typical desktop computer drive, which clocks at 7,200 RPM. You’re already sacrificing speed using a laptop. Therefore, using an SSD can make a massive difference.

Secondly, SSDs draw less power than hard drives and can substantially increase the battery life and extend their service life.

If you need another reason, it’s worth pointing out that laptops have much fewer drive bays available. Many today come with a single drive bay, meaning you have to choose between SSD or HDD storage.

However, the system’s motherboard could have an additional M.2 PCIe card. So, you don’t have to sacrifice HDD storage capacity for fast boost times if you install an M.2 SSD as the main boot drive.

When Is a Solid State Drive Less Useful?

There are a couple of scenarios where you might want to ditch solid state drives in favor of hard drives. For example, if your main purpose for buying a new drive is storage space for media files like music, videos, and documents, SSDs offer little value.

You can shove up to 8 TB or more into a system using hard drives and spend a fraction of what it would cost to achieve the same setup with SSDs.

In addition, faster SSD read speeds won’t affect playback quality at all. Even 4K videos won’t care about your drives because it only cares about the CPU, graphics card, and available memory. Similarly, HDDs are more than enough and considerably cheaper if you’re trying to build a server on a budget or set up a non-cloud backup system.

Another scenario when using a hard drive is better is when you’re building low-budget systems. These days you can put together a pretty good computer for just $300. It will be decent for browsing, entertainment, and other everyday tasks.

But adding an SSD to the same system could shift the price point by at least $100. And no matter what anyone tells you, there’s no point in buying an SSD with just 128 GB of storage capacity. That would be one way to keep the cost down, but it won’t give you enough space for your operating system in the long run.

Top SSD Manufacturers

Like all other computer components, SSD manufacturers constantly fight for supremacy on the market. Unfortunately, this means that it’s difficult to definitively say which has the best SSDs.

There are several factors to consider when comparing manufacturers, especially since they all use the same underlying technology.

Brand reputation is a big concern when it comes to reliability, longevity, and overall performance.

Then you have factors such as price-to-performance ratio, storage capacity options, read/erase cycles, specialty uses, bandwidth, connection interfaces, etc.

Intel and Samsung often seem to battle it out for the top two spots, with both companies having highly impressive SSD offerings for the average consumer and niche users.

In fact, Samsung is the world’s leading manufacturer regarding volume. Intel is nowhere near having the same output, although things can change once the new Intel manufacturing facilities are up and running.

Crucial, Western Digital, and Kingston are the next biggest manufacturers after Samsung regarding volume. That’s despite Western Digital still being most recognized for its hard disk drives rather than SSDs.

But companies like Corsair, ADATA, Kingston, and Crucial give Samsung and Intel a run for their money. The two giants typically compete in performance, with other manufacturers easily winning in pricing and availability for the average consumer.

With that in mind, Corsair, ADATA, Kingston, and Crucial have substantial experience working with flash technology as they were all RAM manufacturers long before getting involved in the SSD space.

While Intel and Samsung have nearly unlimited funds compared to other manufacturers, there’s no telling what the future holds in SSD development and what company may come out on top.

Paving the Way for Future Storage Solutions

Some people believe that cloud storage is the way to the future. But not many realize that cloud storage doesn’t mean storing something in the ether. Physical servers with physical storage devices stand behind a cloud infrastructure.

This could very well mean that your cloud backups are resting safely on a high-performance SSD somewhere out there.

SSD technology is here to stay for a long time, arguably much longer than DVDs and Blu-ray. For the time being, it’s not cheap enough for most users to use complete SSD configurations, given the massive storage space demands of modern entertainment and apps.

That said, SSDs are ridiculously low priced compared to five or 10 years ago. And although the storage capacity isn’t going up at a fast pace, prices are certainly dropping, and scalability isn’t an issue.

HDDs peaked years ago, and they’re not getting any better. SSDs, on the other hand, are becoming more powerful and even mandatory in some fields.

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