Saving Energy with Solid State Drives
If your searching for ways to save energy, consider SSD technology when replacing or purchasing your next Hard Drive. Conventional Hard Disk Drives have internal parts that spin. Movement takes power. Movement creates friction, which creates heat, makes your fan run more often. The internal temperature of your PC greatly effects its life span overall.
There are different variations of SSD, so to oversimplify the explanation - A SSD Drive is similar to a bootable, write-able USB flash drive configured to fit and connect in the same slot as a spinning Disk Drive. A few years ago the life span of SSD was a big question - not because of reliability, but technical limitations. Each year, this increases, with added technologies like wear leveling. Depending on the vendor, the capacity and type of SSD, 5 to 10 years for a standard user is common. The larger (GB) the SSD, the longer it will last. Speed and performance varies depending on the usage, expect 2X.
For Laptops, SDD is a must. Battery drain is cut in half. Spinning disks can fail as a result of shock from dropping. SSD is much lighter than a spinning disk. If you have a NAS or some other storage device, this is another excellent option.
When considering a SSD purchase, you need to be aware of:
- The size of the disk enclosure (typically 1.8″ for Ultra Portables, 2.5″ for Laptops, 3.5″ for Desktops)
- Data and Power Connector Type (SATA, IDE, ESDI, SAS, etc.)
