SSD or SSHD - a comparison
There are some differences between the SSD and SSHD hard drives. We will show you in which points the two hard drive types differ.
SSD vs. SSHD - duel of hard drives
An SSHD hard drive is a hybrid model of the conventional HDD hard drives and the newer SSD hard drives. This brings some advantages, but also one or two disadvantages:
- Speed: The combination of SSD and HDD is supposed to optimize the speed, but the SSD is still ahead in terms of speed. However, the SSHD is not much slower either.
- Weight: SSD hard drives are a lot lighter than the SSHD. This is of little importance for laptops, and for desktop computers this factor also plays almost no role. The SSD still saves space.
- Volume: Operating noises can hardly be heard at all with an SSD. SSHD hard drives often have a similar operating volume to HDD hard drives.
- Electricity: Saving electricity is not part of the supreme discipline of the SSHD. An ordinary SSD is much more economical here. Please note this for mobile use.
- Sensitivity: If you frequently remove or transport your hard drives, this factor can also be important. An SSD sometimes survives a small fall, with SSHD hard disks, similar to HDD hard disks, the opening of the read and write head means that there is not much to save even in the event of a small crash. Backing up data and creating backups as early as possible.
SSD or SSHD - which is better?
- Price: If SSD hard drives were not so expensive, they would only be used in computers. An SSHD is often more expensive than an HDD, but much cheaper than an SSD. An SSD with 500 GB storage space costs around 400 euros, an HDD with 2000 GB storage only costs around 100 euros, an HDD with 3000 GB also costs around 100 euros. But there is also SSD for max. 200 euros.
- Storage: The SSD also leaves something to be desired in terms of capacity. Due to the high price, computers are usually only equipped with small SSD hard drives and an additional HDD.
- Lifetime: With an SSD, each memory cell can only be written to with a limited frequency. The more you use an SSD, the shorter the lifespan. In comparison, an SSHD is much more durable.
- Conclusion: With a hard drive, speed is the most important factor. Here, the SSD is still ahead. However, if you are looking for a lot of fast storage with a slightly longer lifespan, you can also use the much cheaper SSHD hard drives.
In the next practical tip, we will show you how to extend the life of an SSD. We have tested hard drives for you and present the best products in our hard drive leaderboard.