Summary
Solid-state drives (SSDs) are an easy way to speed up old computers.
Here are a few factors to consider before deciding.
USB offers a range of speeds, with the latest USB 4 specifications keeping up with Thunderbolt 4.
Bemfica de Oliva / How-To Geek
However, even the best consumer-grade HDDs rarely reachread/write speedsabove 150 MB/s.
If you need higher transfer rates, you’ll need to get an SSD.
Also, keep in mind that even solid-state drives have differences.
A small form factor combined with a rugged design at a $119 means that this little drive will last you a long time.
To be fair,HDDs won’t be museum pieces anytime soon.
They’re used for lots of applications, both by end users and corporations alike.
you might get a 1TB SSD from a reputable brandfor $60 during sales.
The Seagate One Touch Hub is a massive 20 TB external HDD designed to store tons of mixed media, including movies, music, games, and more.
But, for that same money, you get 4TB on an HDD.
But it still exists.
Also, while not particularly affordable,you might purchase a 22TB HDD.
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
SSDs Resist Damage better
One of the main selling points of external storage devices is their portability.
But what good is being able to carry your data anywhere if it’s prone to physical shock?
It’s not a good idea to throw an SSD from a 3-story building.
Corbin Davenport / How-To Geek
That’s not the point.
However, an SSD will be less likely to break if something hits your backpack, for example.
Reliability Differences Are Negligible
A commonmyth about SSDsis that they wear out faster than HDDs.
Then, the opposite argument appeared: solid-state drives were said to be actually more reliable than hard-disk ones.
Turns out that, probably, neither is true, andboth storage types are pretty dependable.
Well, HDDs and SSDswilleventually fail.
It depends on your priorities, but almost always the answer will be the same.
As a bonus, it’ll be lighter (and possibly smaller) than a hard disk drive.
Either way, we’re here to help you.
