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SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

2023-03-16

The Solid State Drive (SSD) is nothing new these days. It has become very popular in last few years. The Solid State Drive is a new form of data storage consisting of writable storage particles that can be used on desktop computers. and laptops. Due to media change, storage speed has improved significantly.

However, many users are still skeptical or confused about SSDs. For various reasons, they are still reluctant to buy SSDs. This time I will answer some little knowledge about solid state drives. drives for you to help you understand, select and use solid state drives.

(I) Why buy a solid state drive?

Why did you write this paragraph? Because many users still doubt use of solid state drives. In my opinion, besides disadvantage that they are more expensive than mechanical hard drives of same capacity, SSDs are better than mechanical hard drives.

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

The physical structure of a solid state drive: memory and control chips are welded to circuit board, there are no mechanical parts.

In fact, if solid state hard drive currently on market does not fail, it can be used by ordinary people for more than five years. One of problems that we often encounter is that computer runs slower and slower, which is caused by structure of mechanical hard disk. The motor is used to drive disk into rotation, and rocker controls read/read probe. write. This type of work results in a permanent reduction in rotational speed due to mechanical wear and aging. Since SSD directly reads data on storage medium via a circuit, it will not slow down at all due to increased use time until it is completely damaged due to physical erasure and storage write time. unit reaches its limit.

B. What are advantages of solid state drives over mechanical hard drives?

A: It is small in size, light in weight, fast in speed, low in heat generation, strong in toughness, impact resistant and wide temperature range.

B. Is SSD only used for fast boot?

A: No. In addition to short startup time, startup and installation speed of various applications (including software, games, etc.) on SSDs is much faster than mechanical hard drives. Simply put, you can feel changes caused by SSDs all time you use your computer.

Q: How much faster is an SSD compared to a mechanical hard drive?

A: In terms of continuous read and write speed, SATA SSD is 3 to 5 times faster than mechanical hard disk, and random read and write speed can reach more than 7 times. M.2 Solid State Drive Nvme Channel, More Coming Soon. Combined, it can be at least 3x faster with daily use. For example, to decompress a large compressed file, if mechanical hard drive takes half an hour, solid state hard drive may take less than 10 minutes, when reading a game, mechanical hard drive takes more than 1 minute, and solid state hard drive only needs 20 seconds. You won't get that feeling unless you use SSDs, but once you do, 99% of users say they can't keep up with speed of mechanical hard drives anymore.

Q: Are SSDs relatively unreliable?

A: There is a foreign website that made statistics on repair rate of storage products, and results show that failure rate of SSDslei is lower than that of mechanical hard drives. There is no electronic product that is 100% problem-free, but now that technology is very mature, it is baseless to say that SSDs are unreliable and prone to problems.

Q: How to use an SSD?

A: On 99% of modern computers, it can be used immediately after installation, like a mechanical hard drive. The premise is that PCs released within 10 years, Win 7 and above operating system. Computers after 2008 mostly have a native SATA III interface and have AHCI mode enabled by default. Whether it's Mac OSX or Windows 7/8/10, it will do 4K alignment during installation. In other words, today's software and hardware has already made all preparations for SSDs, you just need to install and use them. Of course, if you are one of those extreme 1% users who insist on installing SSDs on PCs with XP or earlier operating systems and antique masters, please seek further assistance from Baidu. I am sorry that my options are limited and I cannot give details reply.

B. What is difference between expensive and cheap SSDs? Is expensive necessarily better?

Oh. The prices of different brands/models of SSDs vary greatly. They use different quality chips, different materials, different R&D and design costs, and different software support and after-sales service. As with any product, there will be differences. , cheap and expensive. I do not recommend that you buy cheapest and most expensive models here, but choose appropriate products according to your budget, performance of cheapest model will be relatively low.

Q: What interfaces are now available for SSDs? What is difference between SSDs with different interfaces?

A: Currently, most common SSD interface is SATA III, besides mSATA, M.2, PCIe and other interfaces. Among them, SATA interface is most common interface, which is commonly used in desktop computers and laptops. And some laptops may not have a SATA interface, but have an mSATA or M.2 interface. First you need to check specifications of laptop, and then decide which interface product to buy, especially for laptops, you need to consider type and number of interfaces. The PCIe interface can only be used on desktop computers, it takes up a graphics card slot and is faster, usually intended for enthusiasts or corporate users.

B. What size SSD should I buy?

A: Depends on your daily usage and budget. I think it's better to have at least 240-256 GB at that level. In addition to operating system and necessary conventional software,Some frequently used games or large software may not be installed. And if there are very few funds, and requirements for hard disk space are not so large, then 120-128GB is quite suitable. As for users with a more adequate budget, there are no problems with 480-512 GB and above and several hard drives. At present, main way to use it is to use a solid-state hard disk as a system disk, and connect a high-capacity mechanical hard disk as a disk to store games, movies, audio and other files. For laptop users, it is necessary to take into account number of hard drives, if there is only one hard drive, then it is better to have a capacity of 240-256GB, and 120-128GB may not be enough.

B. Why do SSDs have different capacities? For example, 120/128 GB, 240/250/256 GB?

A: Due to different controller designs or due to chip characteristics, some solutions will use some of space for overcomputing to ensure product speed and lifespan, so actual available space will be different. such as 120 or 128 GB, 240, 250 and 256 GB. The difference between them lies in capacity. There is no necessary relationship between features, performance and quality, so don't worry about it.

Q: Will booting an SSD destroy it?

A: While it is in use, it will definitely consume hard disk. According to current situation, normal boot and use by ordinary users does not have much effect on life of hard disk, so there is no need to worry about it.

Q: Do I need to service my SSD regularly?

A: Generally not required. Currently, firmware of a solid state hard drive has a mechanism to sort and clean hard drive itself. In addition, due to difference in physical structure, even if a large number of small files accumulate after long-term use, performance of hard disk will not be significantly reduced. Under normal circumstances, performance will not drop much after being used for 2, 3 years or longer. If you find that there are unknown factors that have significantly reduced performance, you can perform a physical erase operation on entire drive. Please note that such operations should not be performed frequently. This will greatly shorten life of hard disk! Please use software tools or general tools attached to hard disk for operation method) In addition, no manual maintenance is required.

B. Can an SSD be used as a mobile hard drive?

Absolutely. Like a 2.5" hard drive, SATA SSD can be installed in a portable hard drive box and used as a mobileth hard disk. There are also mobile hard drives on market that are made directly from solid state drives.

High performance M.2 NVME SSD

1. Samsung 970EVO

Recommendation index: ★★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

Samsung is definitely leader in solid state drives! 970EVO is a new product that went on sale in May 2018. It uses Samsung's proprietary TLC particles and best Samsung Phoenix controller to date. It comes with a 5 year warranty, two years longer than 960EVO. Therefore, in terms of quality and performance, don't worry, 2450 MB/s sequential read and write, 4K IPOS value is 275 KB, is fastest of all TLC SSDs, and Samsung SSD very stable, rarely heard Problem with Samsung SSD.

2. Samsung 970PRO

Recommendation index: ★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

970PRO is most flagship and advanced product of all SSDs. Use top-level Samsung Phoenix master control, MLC particles, with a 5-year warranty. Since these are MLC particles, there is almost no drop in speed and they are very stable. 2900 MB/s sequential read/write speed, 435 KB IPOS for 4K. This solid state drive deserves to be considered fastest SSD to date. Because price is too expensive, so recommendation rate is not high.

If you think price is too high, I would recommend Samsung SM961, counterpoint 960 PRO, same main control and same MLC particles, the price of 256GB is only about 670 yuan, which is very favorable. However, SM961 is a product provided by Samsung to major mobile phone and laptop manufacturers, so it is not sold through official channels and has no official after-sales service. Only Xbao personal stores are on sale and store warranty is provided. .

3. Plextor M9PeG

Recommendation index: ★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

Plextor price is lower,Toshiba original TLC particles, the highlight is Continental main control, and there is also a heat dissipation vest, 5 years warranty, quality can be guaranteed . 2000MB/s sequential read and write, 4K IPOS value is 170KB, speed is not very fast, but price is cheap, usage is stable, and budget is not big to choose.

4. Intel 760P

Recommendation index: ★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

Intel is pretty good, except for price. Huirong's main control + Intel TLC particles, although performance is not as good as Samsung 970EVO in all aspects, it is much better than Plextor M9PeG mentioned above. The Intel brand is well known, and it also has certain blessings of faith. The sequential read/write speed is 2262.5 MB/s and IPOS value for 4 KB is 235 KB.

5. HP EX900

Recommendation index: ★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

Very, very cheap high performance nvme SSD, using Micron white chip particles, HP main control, 1700MB/s read and write, 4K IPOS 117.5Kb, faster speed than SSD NVME. It's fast, but it's also much faster than traditional SATA. This drive is mainly of low price and relatively average quality. If you just want a cheap NVME protocol SSD, you can buy it, otherwise, it is recommended to add 100 RMB to buy HP EX 920 or Puke Special M9PeG.

Traditional SATA SSD

1. Samsung 860EVO

Recommendation index: ★★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

SATA interface is most recommended, 1 because it's fastest SATA SSD; 2 because Samsung SSD is very stable, almost no one mentioned quality problems Yes, let people buy with confidence, buy with peace of mind. Samsung main control + Samsung TLC granules, 5 years of use no problem, 535MB/s sequential read and write, 4K IPOS 94k. Although it is a bit more expensive, it is fast, stable and safe to use.

2. Toshiba Q200

Recommendation index: ★★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

The biggest feature is use of Toshiba MLC particles. The main control is developed jointly by Continental and Toshiba. /s, 4K IPOS 74k, Although speed is not very high, its advantage is durability.

3. Lite T9

Recommendation index: ★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

We can say that it is ideal in terms of hardware. Toshiba eMLC particles (more durable than traditional MLCs) + Continental authentic core control are perfect for SSD with a lifespan of more than 10 years. Sequential read and write 455MB/s, 4k IPOS 77.5k, Although speed is not high, it is really more stable, strong and durable. The product is good, but price is too expensive, so degree of recommendation is not high.

4. Crucial BX300

Recommendation index: ★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

Possibly cheapest SSD with MLC particles. Using Micron MLC granules, but main control is a bit worse, this is Huirong main control. Sequential read and write is 530 MB/s and 4K IPOS is 89.5 KB, which is quite fast and economical. However, this SSD has a driver problem, you must use driver that comes from Microsoft, and you cannot use driver from Intel, otherwise it will cause freezes easily. A specific method can be inserted online, if you do not want and cannot throw, do not consider this one.

5. Intel 545

Recommendation index: ★★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

Even though price is not cheap, you get a better after-sales service and a more confident user experience. This 545s uses its own TLC particles + Huirong main control chip, 525MB/s sequential read and write, 4K IPOS is 80k, speed is not bad. Most importantly, it has 5 years of quality after-sales service, so you can buy it with confidence.

6. Toshiba TR200

Recommendation index: ★★★

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

This is a relatively good product with good quality and performance at a low price. If you have a small budget, you can buy this product. The TR200 used to be deprecated because its main control is weak and expensive, but now its price is constantly dropping. Although it's cheap, Toshiba's own 3DTLC particles are still very encouraging. The speed is also good, you can use it with confidence.

Comparison of several solid parameters presented in this article:

SSD Solid State Drive Q&A Guide and Xiaobai Buying Guide

In addition, there is a solid-state hard drive using PCI-E slot interface, which has better performance, but price is more expensive, and it is relatively small, so I will not talk about it. .

Finally, regardless of which SSD interface you plan to buy, before you buy, check if your motherboard supports appropriate slot. New and old interfaces of computers or motherboards purchased last year are relatively complete, so in general there is nothing to worry about if you are using an old computer, you should carefully study supported interface types before making a choice.