SSD
Key Properties
§ faster start-up
§ faster access
§ faster application launch time
§ more energy efficient
§ more reliable
§ more robust under extreme condition
§ lighter
A solid state drive (SSD) is a data
storage device that uses solid state memory to store persistent data. An
SSD is commonly composed of DRAM volatile memory or primarily NAND flash
non-volatile memory, meaning there are no moving parts. Because there is no
actuator arm and read/write head that must seek out data on a platter like
on a hard disk drive (HDD), they are faster in reading and in most cases
writing data.
An SSD’s biggest
boom is its performance potential. Unlike hard drives, SSDs don’t have to
wait for a physical arm to move read and write heads to specific points on
a spinning magnetic platter. Reading from flash memory is a virtually
instantaneous process, giving SSDs the ability to reach faster random read
times and greater read throughput than magnetic hard drives.
SSDs have
relatively longer life span. The NAND flash memory cells found in SSDs can
last for years beyond the three to five year life expectancy of a magnetic
hard drive.
SSDs don’t produce
any noise and generate very little heat.
SSDs main components are :
Controller -
Includes the electronics that bridge the NAND memory components to the SSD
I/O interfaces
Cache – A flash
based SSD uses a small amount of DRAM as a cache, similar to the cache in
Hard Disk Drives
Energy Storage –
This is necessary to maintain data integrity such that the data in the
cache can be flushed to the drive when power is dropped.
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