With the continual advancement of technology, many computer users find themselves facing the question of whether a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) is still necessary or if a solid-state drive (SSD) alone will suffice. The quick answer is that most users will benefit from having both an HDD and an SSD in their system.
Why Have an HDD?
While SSDs are faster and more reliable than HDDs, HDDs have the benefit of much higher storage capacities at lower costs. A 1TB HDD costs around $40 while a 1TB SSD costs around $100. So HDDs allow you to store a lot more data for less money. Some key advantages of HDDs include:
- Higher capacities – HDDs generally range from 500GB to 10TB for consumer models. SSD capacities max out at around 8TB for consumer drives.
- Lower cost per GB – HDDs provide more storage space per dollar spent.
- Good for archival storage – HDDs work well for storing data that doesn’t need quick access, like photos, media libraries, documents, etc.
For most users, having a large HDD in addition to an SSD allows you to store all your data while keeping costs down. You can store operating systems, programs, and games on the SSD for fast access and keep files, media, and other data on the HDD.
Why Have an SSD?
SSDs provide huge improvements in performance over HDDs. Some key advantages include:
- Faster boot and load times – SSDs can boot in seconds rather than minutes.
- Faster access and transfer speeds – SSDs have no moving parts so they can access data much more quickly.
- More reliable – No moving parts makes SSDs less prone to failure due to shock or vibration.
- Lower latency – SSDs have near instantaneous response times forRandom access vs HDDs.
Having your operating system and frequently used programs and games on an SSD will make your system much snappier and responsive. Booting, loading screens, file transfers, and game level loading will be significantly faster.
Typical Usage Scenarios
Here are some typical usage scenarios for HDDs and SDDs:
Gaming PC
- 120GB+ SSD for OS, core programs, and a few top games.
- 1TB+ HDD for rest of game library, media storage, photos, documents, etc.
General Home PC
- 120GB+ SSD for OS, programs, and apps.
- 500GB+ HDD for photo, music, document storage.
Performance PC
- 250GB+ SSD for OS and core programs.
- 1TB+ SSD for games, scratch disk, active projects.
- High RPM HDD (ex: 10,000 RPM) for additional storage and backup.
Ideal HDD and SSD Setup
The ideal setup for most users is likely:
- 250GB SSD for OS, programs, and active games/projects.
- 2TB or higher HDD for additional storage and backups.
With a setup like this you get the speed of an SSD for the things you actively use like your OS and current games. And you get abundant extra storage from the HDD for everything else like photos, media, documents, and your steam library.
A setup like this provides the perfect combination of speed, responsiveness, storage capacity, and value for money. The 250GB SSD has enough room for what you need regularly accessed while the multi-TB HDD stores your mountain of other data.
How to Configure HDD and SSD
Configuring your PC to optimize HDD and SSD usage is straightforward:
- Install OS on SSD – This could be Windows, Linux, etc. This allows for fast boot times.
- Install programs on SSD – This includes browsers, office suites, creative programs, etc that you use actively.
- Install some games on SSD – Your primary competitive online games will benefit from being on the SSD.
- Change default storage locations – Configure Downloads, Documents, Pictures folders etc to save on the HDD by default.
- Store media files on HDD – Your photos, videos, music, etc will be fine living on the HDD.
- Store game library on HDD – Steam and other games can be installed to the HDD. Just the select few on the SSD.
If you configure your system appropriately as outlined above, your OS and daily programs will benefit from the speed of the SSD while your mass of files and data will live on the cheaper HDD storage.
Maximizing Limited SSD Space
With SSD sizes topping out at around 8TB for consumers, you can still find yourself running out of space on your speedy SSD. Here are some tips for maximizing limited SSD space:
- Uninstall unused programs – Clear out anything you are not actively using.
- Only install selective games – Avoid installing your whole Steam library and other game launchers.
- Store documents/photos on HDD – Configure folders like Documents and Photos to live on HDD.
- Move media storage to HDD – Store your videos, audio files, downloads folder on your HDD.
- Change cache locations – Browser and program cache folders can live on the HDD.
- Compress rarely used data – Use ZIP, RAR, 7ZIP archives to compress data you rarely access.
Carefully considering what really needs to be on the SSD can help you maximize its capabilities. The goal is to install only active programs and current project files on it so that their performance shines.
Maintaining Your HDD and SSD
To keep your high speed SSD and high capacity HDD running smoothly:
- Defrag HDD periodically – Defragmenting your HDD helps rearrange files and unused space to optimize performance. Do this occasionally, like once a month.
- Don’t defrag SSD – Defragmenting is only useful for HDDs, do not do this to SSDs as it will wear them out prematurely.
- Keep at least 20% of SSD free – Having breathing room keeps an SSD running at peak performance so resist maxing it out.
- Enable TRIM – TRIM is a system that optimizes SSD by clearing unused blocks. Keep this enabled.
- Update SSD firmware – Keep firmware updated to ensure best performance and reliability.
- Monitor HDD health – Keep an eye on HDD health metrics via tools like CrystalDiskInfo to watch for problems.
Properly maintaining both your SSD and HDD will give you the best experience in terms of speed, storage capacity, lifespan and value for your money.
SSD vs HDD: Benchmark Comparison
Here is a benchmark comparison of some typical SSDs vs HDDs:
| Drive Type | Interface | Read Speed | Write Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| SATA SSD | SATA 3.0Gb/s | 500MB/s | 350MB/s |
| NVMe SSD | PCIe 3.0 x4 | 3,500MB/s | 2,500MB/s |
| HDD (7200 RPM) | SATA 3.0Gb/s | 150MB/s | 150MB/s |
| HDD (5400 RPM) | SATA 3.0Gb/s | 100MB/s | 80MB/s |
This comparison shows the huge performance advantages SSDs provide over HDDs in terms of transfer speeds. NVMe SSDs are even faster than SATA SSDs. So for optimal speed for your OS, programs, and games, SSD is the clear winner.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the ideal scenario for most users is to have both an SSD and an HDD. Use the SSD for your OS, programs, and active games/files to take advantage of the speed. Use the HDD for mass photo/media storage and game libraries where huge space is more important than speed.
With the right combination of SSD and HDD, you can build a high performance system with abundant fast storage and huge capacity. Configure your OS, programs and active projects on the SSD while relegating your mass of media files and backups to the HDD.
Maintaining both drive types properly and maximizing the capabilities of your limited SSD space will give you an optimal balance of speed and storage capacity. With SSD and HDD working in tandem, your system can both perform great and store tremendous data.