What ssd drive for computer. Recommendations for choosing an SSD drive

If the computer is modern or completely new, then be sure to pay attention to - these are the fastest drives with a logical interface specially designed for SSDs. Details are below in the relevant section. But most often, we are talking about a 2.5” disk with SATA 6Gb/s. In any case, the SSD is faster than any hard drive times, and NVMe SSD - dozens of times. There may not be a bay for 2.5” drives in the case - this is not a problem, you just need an adapter from 2.5” to 3.5”. To save money, you can use.

It is almost impossible to distinguish a fast disk from a slow one by eye, even the old SATA-II from SATA-III. But sometimes speed matters. Who needs tests of solid state drives - we have plenty of them, NIKS tests drives. The SSD performance comparison will help you choose and buy the SSD with the fastest performance.

It's simple! Windows 10 will eat you 30-40 GB, 8-16-32 GB for hibernation, 8-16 GB for the swap file, office programs for 5-10 GB and each game for another 10-50 GB. In fact, the minimum amount is 120 or 128 GB, comfortable, allowing you not to save every gigabyte - 240 or 256 GB. On SSD drives 480 - 512 GB, you can install applications and games without looking back, but if you need to dump everything in a row - photos, music, movies, etc. - there are SSDs per terabyte and higher, if necessary. It is worth remembering that the prices of SSD drives directly depend on their capacity, and the larger the amount of memory, the higher their cost will be.

The fastest growing SSD market thanks to NVMe Boot technology - Instantly launch modern PCs using the fastest PCIe M.2 NVMe SSDs. Plus, you can install the drive directly on a compatible motherboard, which is important for compact systems. The corresponding M.2 connector and its parameters must be specified in the description of the motherboard. When installing an NVMe SSD, make sure that the motherboard supports this technology, otherwise it will not be possible to install the OS on the SSD. The situation is the same in laptops, but information about M.2, mSATA and NVMe may not be available, and if it is, then it is scarce - see below about SSD for a laptop. The mSATA form factor is gradually fading into the background and is practically not found on new motherboards and laptops.

These drives require reliability, increased write and rewrite capacity, and the ability to seamlessly handle multiple I/O operations (IOPS). The most difficult situation is the database server, where data can be overwritten constantly by several SSD volumes per day. For such cases, you need to purchase SSDs suitable for database servers. Usually, the same 2.5” SSDs are installed in servers, but if Hot Swap baskets are designed only for 3.5”, then you will either have to replace the basket with a compatible one, or use special adapters that repeat the dimensions and location of the 3.5” HDD interface. Prices for SSD drives for corporate systems based on NAND flash are much higher, and it is best to choose them by resource (TBW) and the number of overwrites of the entire SSD volume per day (DWPD). Separately, it is worth mentioning the Intel Optane SSD based on 3D XPoint - this is a completely new level of speed and resource. Based on this technology, Intel makes fast and reliable SSDs for workstations, gamers and enthusiasts, and, of course, high-speed server SSDs.

It's very simple: the "life" of SSDs is reduced every time you write new information to it. If you have a personal computer that you turn on once a day in the evening after work, then you can buy ... any SSD drive, because any modern SSD has enough resource for domestic applications and simple office tasks, regardless of the type of memory cells (3D MLC, 3D TLC and others). Low prices for SSD drives make them affordable for every PC or laptop user. If the work is related to the creation of large files, work with photos / videos, then it is already possible and necessary to choose more resourceful SSDs. For example, half the SSD capacity per day per write (0.5 DWPD) is already a very good indicator of reliability for workstations, computers for designers or photographers.

Usually we are talking about replacing a 2.5” HDD with a solid state drive. Just make sure your hard drive is free to access. HDD has a SATA interface, and measure the thickness of the drive. If 9 mm - any will do. If the thickness is 7 mm, then it is better to choose a thin 7 mm SATA SSD to fit exactly. More complex cases do not have a clear solution - you need to find out which solid state or hard drive is installed and whether it should be replaced, and this is not always easy. If the laptop has optical drive, then you can replace it with an SSD using - this is very convenient and allows you to leave the old drive in your laptop.

An SSD has a lot of advantages over a standard HDD, the most important of which is its much higher speed.

Benefits of SSDs

The advantages of solid state drives are in building their internal structure based on memory chips controlled by a special controller.

The absence of moving parts, high mechanical resistance, low noise level and the absence of time spent reading information fragments in different places on the disk are far from a complete list of the advantages of SSD drives.

Disadvantages of SSDs

1. Short service life. The main disadvantages of solid state drives include their low service life, which is measured by the manufacturer in units of the number of times information is rewritten, for example, 10 thousand times. The exact number of overwrite times depends on the type of memory. The service life of an SSD depends on the intensity of its use (overwriting), which, with an average load, is from 1 to 3 years.

When the media wears out, all information on the disk is lost. To monitor the state of "health" of the disk, there is a special SSD program Life Left, which calculates the wear percentage and warns the user of the imminent "death" of the disk, in order to leave the opportunity to transfer data to another disk.

2. High cost. In terms of cost, SSDs are significantly more expensive than traditional HDDs. Despite this, in situations where high data processing speed is required while supporting multiple tasks at the same time, the SSD drive becomes a kind of “magic wand” and so far the only device that is able to fulfill such serious goals set for it.

What is an SSD drive for?

Basically, solid-state drives are used to install an operating system on it, since this can significantly increase the speed of the operating system, launch applications and process data. The use of SSD disks for servers is very common, because such devices are able to provide fast execution of thousands of simultaneous operations, while guaranteeing stable buffer storage of operational data.

It is better not to use an SSD drive as a regular disk because of their main drawback - a quick failure due to the wear of memory cells during frequent overwriting. For static storage of information that changes slightly, you can use an SSD drive, but its high cost does not always allow you to purchase a high-capacity drive.

Key Features of SSDs

Capacity

Netbooks and subnotebooks are usually equipped with 8 GB SSD models, sometimes 32 GB, while in regular laptops this parameter reaches 256 and 516 GB. The cost of a disk greatly depends on the capacity of the disk.

For stable operation of the system, a memory capacity of 60-90 GB is sufficient. The most common models with a capacity of 128 GB.

Memory type

There are two types of memory that are used when building SSD drives: SLS and MLS.

SLS is a type of memory consisting of cells containing 1 bit of information and capable of having only two charge levels - 0 and 1. Its advantage is higher speed and durability, and its disadvantage is its high price.

MLS is a type of multi-level memory containing cells of several bits. Cells of this type are able to be in different states of charge, which contributes to an increase in capacity. The disadvantages of this type of memory are an increase in data access time and a decrease in service life due to a decrease in the number of rewrites by a factor of ten compared to SLS. The service life of a disk on MLS-memory does not exceed three years on average. Accordingly, devices with MLS-memory are much cheaper.

Controller

The main part of the SSD drive is the controller, which determines the speed, stability, reliability and quality of the device. There are several types of controllers, among which there are six of the most popular.

JMicron - from the first generation, has low performance and a small amount of cache memory, but at the price is the most affordable of all. Today, to meet this type of controller is unlikely. However, the low cost at one time caused a surge in sales, and perhaps manufacturers will soon bring new solutions to this type of device to the market.

Indilinx - good performance with a small disk thickness and memory sizes up to 512 GB.

SandForce is the most widely used controller type. Its work is based on the principle of data compression, which is performed immediately before writing to disk. The disadvantage is the complicated logic of the operation of such a controller, but this minus is justified by high performance and reduced memory access time. Reduced data takes up less space, which reduces the number of accesses to its cells, and therefore - this technology increases the life of the media.

Marvell is somewhat inferior to SandForce in terms of speed type of controller, and not so expensive.

Samsung - used in the same name models of SSD drives, with a fairly high speed and a considerable amount of cache memory.

Intel - Most often used for servers and workstations due to its reliability. Only a very low write speed prevents these devices from becoming the market leader in controllers.

Interface

SATA, SATA2 and SATA3 interfaces are the most common for SSD drives, providing parallel data exchange with a computer and without requiring additional software installation.

The PCIe interface is less common, supporting much faster communication with the computer, while requiring the installation of a special driver in most cases.

MTBF - number of hours between failures

This indicator is indicated by the manufacturer and ranges from 1 to 2 million hours, but in fact, not a single disk will work that long due to memory wear. Therefore, this figure can be ignored.

Price

The cost of any novelty that has just entered the market is generally always overpriced. Therefore, it is better not to rush, and before purchasing the latest SSD model, evaluate the selected model in about 3-4 months, when its price will be much more like the real one.

Before choosing an SSD drive for a laptop, the buyer should find out their main features that you should pay attention to.

First of all, this is the volume of the disk and its price - facts that affect the choice of any drive.

However, the SSD has its own characteristics that require you to take into account other factors, approaching the purchase more responsibly than the acquisition of other computer elements.

Moreover, the price of such a device will be perhaps the most expensive among all laptop components.

Purchase Benefits

Buying an SSD drive for a laptop is one of the most important steps to increase system performance and data processing speed.

On such a drive, information is accessed much faster.

Replacing an obsolete HDD with a more modern one will bring a greater increase in power than even increasing memory or installing a new processor.

Benefits of a solid state drive for a laptop:

increasing the speed of accessing data, which will speed up the launch of programs several times;
the compact dimensions of most devices (except for portable options), making it easy to choose an SSD for both a large 17-inch laptop and a small netbook with a 10-inch display;
light weight, especially important when used on a portable computer;
lower power consumption, which should improve your laptop's average battery life;
high level of reliability of the SSD.

Among the shortcomings that are noted in solid-state drives, attention is paid to its relatively small resource: 3000–5000 cycles.

For normal home use, this is roughly the equivalent of 7-8 years of work, more than the average user works with the same drive.

The comparative fragility of the SSD in this case does not really matter - dropping the laptop itself is also undesirable.

At the same time, the relatively high price of the device is offset by an increase in speed.

Features of choice

It’s worth starting the choice of a solid state drive that is suitable for you with the main indicator that immediately catches your eye when viewing various options in online stores.

This is the cost of equipment, which today is still several times higher than the same parameter for conventional HDDs, it depends on the volume and manufacturer of the disk.

Price and volume

The cost of an SSD can seriously affect the choice of a user with limited financial resources.

The only available options today are 60-120 GB drives, the price of which is in the range of 2-4 thousand rubles, almost the same as the cost of a 500-1000 GB HDD.

However, if the laptop is used only for work, and not for games, a 120-gigabyte drive will be enough to house the system and documents, and perhaps enough for backup.

When choosing an option for storing a large amount of information, it is worth considering budget SSDs with a capacity of 512 GB.

The cost of a gigabyte is lower than that of other devices - at the level of 20–30 rubles. instead of 40–80 rubles. for smaller or, conversely, new and larger drives.

It is worth paying attention to the 512-gigabyte options and because of increased speed data exchange.

Drives of this size (it can be not only 512 GB, some manufacturers produce 480 and 525 GB drives) work twice as fast as their 128 GB counterparts.

Size

Looking at SSD drives, you can see that their sizes differ from each other.

And, if a 3.5-inch drive is acceptable for a stationary PC, it is worth choosing models for 2.5 and even 1.8 inches for a laptop.

One of the most popular options today are the mSATA and M2 form factors, which are boards for SATA and PCI-E slots, respectively.

The dimensions of such discs are even smaller - the width can reach only 12 mm, the length - from 16 to 110 mm.

The only disadvantage of mSATA and M2 drives can appear if motherboard laptop does not have the appropriate slots.

But such obsolete "motherboards" have not been released for several years.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to noticeably improve the performance of an old (before 2010-2011) laptop even with the help of an SSD drive.

Interface

The standard interfaces for connecting SSDs are PCI-E or SATA.

In terms of price to quality ratio, the best options are drives connected via a SATA III connector.

Such an interface will provide data transfer rates up to 6 Gb / s - more than any solid state drive currently available.

Speed

Reading and writing speed are parameters that will affect the acceleration of work with information.

Most SSDs read faster than write.

When the cache is full, the actual speed of the drive may drop - although not as noticeably as in hard drives old sample.

However, even low-cost SSD drives have 3-4 times the speed compared to high-performance HDDs.

Therefore, choosing a budget model of a solid state drive (for example, a 512-gigabyte version for 10 thousand rubles), you will still get a noticeable performance boost.

Buying an analogue costing 25-30 thousand rubles is not always justified for the average user, even with an increase in speed.

A compromise solution is the choice of an option with a smaller capacity, but greater data transfer capabilities.

Resource

For a conventional solid state drive, the number of rewrite cycles reaches 5000-10000. The larger this value, the longer the drive will last.

So, for example, for a frequently used small 60 GB SSD during the working day, the resource can decrease by 2-3 cycles.

A 512-1024 GB performance drive will last you about the same number of days as it claims to cycle. technical specifications-3000 (over 8 years old) or 5000 (13 years old).

Although improper disk handling can reduce the resource much faster.

Manufacturer

SSD drives are produced by many manufacturers, from Intel to SanDisk. Choosing a drive by brand is quite difficult.

But, if you need an inexpensive option, you should give preference to Crucial brands. Intel products provide high reliability.

And the fastest, albeit expensive, are SSDs from Samsung, Western Digital and Corsair.

Controller

The type of controller affects disk performance. Budget options use Phison models.

on expensive and fast drives install Marvell controllers that provide a noticeable performance boost.

Drives from the lower and middle price categories can have a SandForce SSD controller, which reduces the speed of working with data when the cache is full and the disk space is reduced, but at the same time writes information quickly.

Disc Installation

After the SSD drive has already been selected and purchased, it remains to install it correctly in the laptop.

If there is not enough space, you can replace the HDD already installed on the laptop with a solid state drive (which can then be inserted instead of a drive using a special adapter).

Another option that is suitable when choosing an M2 form factor solid state drive is to install the drive along with the HDD; there is enough space inside the laptop for this.

In this case, the overpayment for a drive with smaller dimensions becomes justified.

The third option is to buy a special case in order to make the SSD external. Although you can buy such a drive in a version that is already suitable for connecting via a USB connector.

True, the second option will cost more and will not allow, if such an opportunity arises, to install a disk inside a laptop.

Advice: An external SSD should only be connected via USB ports 3.0 or 3.1. The outdated interface 2.0 will not only not provide any increase in speed compared to the HDD, but may even reduce it.

After connecting the drive, it must be optimized by setting software from the official manufacturer or other suitable applications.

For example, the Intel SSD Toolbox program will ensure that the disk firmware is constantly updated and its partitions are aligned. Approximately the same task is performed by the AS SSD utility.

The interface of such programs for optimization does not require much time to master - it is quite intuitive.

Green means the SSD is working properly.

Red warns of possible problems and you need to download the utility no longer for checking, but for fixing errors.

One of these applications is Parted Magic, whose task is to restore lost SSD settings and return them to factory values.

SSD operation

Immediately after installing the SSD, it is advisable to split it into several sections (just like a regular HDD).

One partition will be used for the operating system and system files, the rest for storing other information.

Another option is to store the bulk of the files on a regular hard drive, and give the solid state drive at the disposal of the OS and most often launched programs.

This optimization of SSD space will extend its service life.

If the size of the drive is small (economical purchase option), in the range of 60-128 GB, it is recommended to periodically free it from unused files.

You should not allow the disk to work at the limit of its capacity - this affects both the speed of work and the operational resource.

To remove unnecessary information, you should use the CCleaner program.

When using solid state drives, it is worth knowing about the features of deleting information from it.

It is advisable not only to remove junk file built-in system tools, but also additionally clean the disk with a special utility - for example, Eraser, which can be called after installation from the Windows context menu.

Another way to extend the life of an SSD, preventing premature failure of expensive equipment and loss of information, is to provide uninterrupted power supply.

To do this, you need to monitor the sufficient level of charge of the laptop battery.

When connecting the device to the mains (for recharging or in case of battery problems), it is advisable to use a UPS.

An unexpected power outage can erase information on an SSD, and a short circuit in the mains in 80% of cases disables the drive itself.

Increase the life and efficient cooling of the SSD - using special laptop stands and periodic cleaning of the case.

Firstly, it will not increase the speed of work, unlike the HDD.

Secondly, by defragmenting the disk, you reduce the number of remaining write cycles.

conclusions

The best choice for the user who wants to improve performance and save money at the same time is today a 2.5-inch SSD with a capacity of 60-128 GB, suitable for most workloads.

If you have the financial resources, the best option for your laptop is a disk with the M2 form factor and a capacity of 512 GB.

Despite the fact that the SATA interface is far from the most advanced option for connecting drives today, even years after the appearance of the SATA SSD, it remains in demand. Manufacturers understand this, so they continue to release SATA-based solid-state solutions along with the latest NVMe SSDs.

Regardless of which connection interface you choose, the introduction of an SSD drive into a gaming PC will significantly add performance to the entire system as a whole. The operating system will start faster, programs will start up faster, and game locations will load much faster.

It is clear that HDD can still be a high-capacity storage for containing heavy media files, but a solid-state drive simply must become the basis of a PC without fail. Their cost is now not so fabulous to deny yourself a huge increase in productivity.

Solid state drives today come in several form factors: 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, PCIe expansion cards, and M.2 compact drives. For gaming, a drive that combines acceptable capacity, high performance, reliability and affordable cost is best suited.

In terms of cost, it is more logical to opt for SSDs connected via a SATA interface or inexpensive devices using the NVMe protocol. We have selected several solutions that meet these requirements and can add power to your gaming computer or laptop.

Best SSD Available: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB

What does the term "best" mean when it comes to storage? Best value for money, great performance or great feature set? The ideal SSD for a gaming PC should have an excellent price / performance / reliability ratio, and meet these requirements.

Samsung is the only SSD manufacturer that has full control over the manufacturing process: the company's engineers design the controller, program the firmware, produce the NAND flash, and create the finished product without the involvement of third-party developers. In addition, Samsung gives a five-year warranty on its drive.

1.

: 540 MB/s

: 510 MB/s

: 520 MB/s

: 496 MB/s

: 0.036 ms;

: 0.027 ms;

Overall score: 96.2

Value for money: 73

Samsung 850 EVO is available in capacities of 120, 250, 500 GB, as well as 1, 2, 4 TB. While not the most affordable or fastest SSD in every test, it has proven itself to be very reliable. Other drives boast high data transfer rates too, but in terms of overall performance, reliability, and cost, the EVO outperforms many.

Average retail price: 10 000 rubles

Best Budget NVMe SSD: Intel SSD 760p 512GB

It's no secret that NVMe drives are three times faster than SATA SSDs. If you're thinking about upgrading an older PC, you'll likely be limited to SATA, but newer Intel-based platforms and AMD platforms support M.2 storage. If you're a new PC owner and want to maximize your performance, M.2 storage is the perfect choice.

Read / write speeds for Intel SSD 760p 512GB are up to 3230/1625 MB / s, respectively. In the case of resource-intensive workloads, these figures may drop slightly, but even so, the performance will be superior to SATA solutions. When it comes to gaming, you can hardly feel the difference between the Intel SSD 760p and the Samsung 850 EVO 500GB, but otherwise it will be faster.

If you want to get the highest level of performance for anything other than gaming while equipping your PC with a modern M.2 drive, the Intel SSD 760p 512GB is good decision, if you take into account the ratio of price and performance.

Average retail price: 13 800 rubles

Best High-End SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 512GB

It is the fastest among SATA SSDs, but it also has a decent price. Think twice before buying one: it might make more sense to buy an Intel NVM drive from our selection - it costs less. But, if you're upgrading an old PC that doesn't support M.2 solutions and want to get the best performance, it's a drive.

The Samsung 850 PRO uses more durable MLC memory cells than the 850 EVO. Plus, the manufacturer gives a ten-year warranty on the device, which is twice as long as in the case of the previous version of the EVO series. In addition, it is one of the fastest SATA SSDs with a capacity of 512 GB. And the cost of 16,000 rubles is quite bearable for the High-End class.

1.

Average read speed (compressible data)

: 551MB/s

Average read speed (incompressible data)

: 518 MB/s

Average write speed (compressible data)

: 526MB/s

Average write speed (incompressible data)

: 496 MB/s

Average read access time

: 0.036 ms;

Average write access time

: 0.023 ms;

The Polish manufacturer GOODRAM is one of the few that positions its solid state drives as gaming. Its cost is 3,000 rubles less than the penultimate model (about 13,000 rubles), which immediately makes it a tasty purchase for any gamer. True, unlike the Samsung drive from the PRO series, a five-year warranty is provided here.

In terms of read and write speed, the drive is slightly superior to the competitive model from Samsung, so its purchase will be even more justified when choosing a high-end device. The access time here is also faster, and this becomes an additional argument in favor of the Polish product. And in general, during our tests, Iridium Pro showed very good results.

Average retail price: 13 000 rubles

Good afternoon, dear readers, today we will analyze how much free space do you need on the ssd to install the Windows operating system, how to predict further data growth so that everything works like clockwork and does not disable the device.

SSD(Solid state drive) is a drive in which there are no moving parts, such as in a conventional hard drive. Flash memory is used to store memory in an SSD. In simple words, this is such a big flash drive that has become very firmly established in our lives.

Why you need an ssd drive

And so we figured out the definition, now let me answer the question of what an ssd is for and where it is used. Literally 5 years ago, all computers and server solutions had HDD hard drives as a disk subsystem, which already ran into their performance due to their design and spindle speed. The world demanded further development, especially in the industry mobile devices, it was they who became the locomotive that pushed through the new technology, Solid state drive. SSD drives brought us:

hundreds of thousands of input / output operations (IOPS) compared to HDDs that delivered a maximum of 150 iops,
reduced electricity consumption,
reduced the amount of physical space required inside servers and computers

Stopped warming up
They became more durable and are not critical to falling or lightly hitting them
Reduced device weight
Laptops get extended battery life

I think you now understand why you need an ssd drive to make your life more comfortable and less nervous. How many times have I seen people at work whose hard drives began to die, after checking their condition with a special utility, I stated that the disk would soon be destroyed, there was nothing to change for, be patient. And now a man with gnashing of teeth and wild brakes of the operating system, tried to work, getting irritated every minute, more and more. With ssd, this does not threaten, it only has a 5-year warranty period from the manufacturer, and with average use in companies, it will live all 8-10 years, saving a lot of money to employers.

SSD volume in 2017-18

And so we figured out the question of why we need an ssd drive, now let's talk about its volume, which modern user interested in the most. When above I told you about the comparison of hdd and ssd, about all its advantages, I forgot to mention two significant disadvantages that are still holding back its mass exclusion from the market of servers and personal computers:

Much smaller volume compared to HDD
The price can be several times higher than that of hard drives

Although the volume of SSDs is increasing and the price per gigabyte decreases every year, they still leave much to be desired, HDDs still win by the volume and price per gigabyte formula. In such situations, they come to a compromise, in which a solid-state drive (SSD) is used for a clean installation of Windows 7 and higher, and a regular HDD 3.5 is used for any data.

At the moment, the largest ssd is 15 TB and it costs $ 10,000, which only large companies can afford, for very fast RAID arrays. Here's what this solid state drive looks like, from Samsung.

But this, as it turns out, is not the limit, Samsung is already developing an SSD with a capacity of 60 TB and this is already a very serious volume, I think that in the next 5-7 years this market will grow strongly and make the price of SSDs lower than that of hard drives.

How much ssd is needed for windows 10

Let's now figure out how big a solid state drive should be that has Windows 10 Creators Update installed on it. Here I can give figures from my practice, which includes servicing more than 700 computers with this OS.

For Windows 10 itself, you will need a 20 GB ssd drive
When installing updates operating system Windows 10 may require an additional 15 GB from you, just an example of the transition from threshold 2 to anniversary update , at this moment the Windows.old folder is created so that the user can roll back the system at any time.
Third party programs from 10 GB
Space for temporary files, about 5-10 GB

To summarize, for Windows 10, you will need a ssd solid-state drive in the amount of 120 GB, at current prices, it will cost you from 3200 rubles, which is not very expensive, the only thing you have to do is to tune it to reduce its wear and tear and buy an additional screw for your main files (Music, photo, video)

How much ssd is needed for windows 7 and 8.1

Let's now figure out how big a solid-state drive should be, which has Windows 7 or 8.1 on it.

The seven itself will require from 12-15 GB, but with constant updates, the folder can grow up to 30 GB, so you will have to constantly clean up old updates.
office suite Microsoft Office will require another 5-7 GB of space from you
Third party programs from 10 GB

I summarize, the seven will fit into 60 GB, but I advise you not to be asshole and buy 120 GB. The most joyful thing is that this technology only improves every year, we will wait. Today we looked at what an ssd drive is and why you need it, if you have questions, then write them in the comments, I will try to answer.