Quick Answer
There are a few easy ways to determine if your computer has a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD):
- Check your computer’s specifications – The manufacturer’s documentation or online spec sheet for your computer will state what type of storage drive it has.
- Check Disk Management – Open the Disk Management utility in Windows to view all connected drives. SSDs and HDDs are labeled differently here.
- Check Device Manager – Open Device Manager and expand the disk drives category. HDDs are labeled as such, while SSDs are listed as solid state drives.
- Check physical size – SSDs are typically more compact and smaller than HDDs in physical size.
- Check storage capacity – Consumer SSDs currently have maximum capacities up to 8TB, while HDDs can store up to 20TB.
- Check files/boot speed – SSDs allow for much faster boot times and file transfers than HDDs.
If you’re unsure, the easiest way is to check your computer’s documentation or specifications online. The type of drive installed is always listed.
What’s the Difference Between SSD and HDD?
SSD stands for solid state drive. HDD stands for hard disk drive. They have very different physical characteristics and performance attributes:
SSD
- Uses flash memory to store data.
- No moving mechanical parts – silent operation.
- Much faster read/write speeds than HDD.
- Lower latency, faster access times.
- More resistant to physical shock damage.
- Typically more expensive per gigabyte than HDD.
- Current capacities up to 8TB for consumer drives.
HDD
- Uses spinning magnetic disks to store data.
- Has moving read/write heads to access data.
- Slower than SSD, but cheaper per gigabyte.
- Potentially audible disk whirring when active.
- More vulnerable to damage from drops or shocks.
- Available in much larger capacities, up to 20TB.
The main tradeoffs are speed and price. SSDs are significantly faster, more reliable, and resistant to physical damage. But HDDs are cheaper per gigabyte for higher storage capacities.
Physical Size Difference
Due to their internal physical construction, HDDs and SSDs come in markedly different physical sizes:
HDD
– 3.5″ desktop drives – The standard size for desktop PCs, 6-10cm wide.
– 2.5″ notebook drives – Smaller size used in laptops, 4-7cm wide.
– 1″ micro drives – Very small HDDs for portable devices, 2-3cm wide.
SSD
– 2.5″ SATA SSDs – The most common size, same as 2.5″ HDD laptop drives.
– M.2 SSDs – Compact sticks that mount directly on a motherboard.
– mSATA SSDs – Tiny, bare circuit board SSDs for laptops and embedded systems.
SSDs have no moving parts and require far less physical space. Even the largest SSDs rarely exceed 9cm x 3cm. HDDs require much more room for internal spinning disks and moving actuator arms.
If you’re not sure of your drive size, measure its width or check your computer’s specs for the storage type. This can indicate if it’s an HDD, SSD or hybrid configuration.
Max Storage Capacity
Consumer SSD and HDD storage capacities also indicate the type of drive:
Hard Disk Drives (HDD):
– Capacities from 500GB to 20TB.
– Most common sizes 500GB to 6TB.
– Enterprise HDDs up to 20TB+.
Solid State Drives (SSD):
– Capacities from 120GB to 8TB.
– Most common sizes 240GB to 4TB.
– Enterprise SSDs up to 64TB.
If you see a very high capacity drive in a consumer PC, such as 10TB or greater, it is almost certainly a traditional HDD based on current SSD constraints. Smaller capacities below 500GB usually indicate an SSD.
Check Disk Management in Windows
The easiest way to identify whether you have an HDD or SSD in Windows is to check Disk Management:
- Open the Start menu and search for “disk management.”
- Click on Create and format hard disk partitions.
- This will open the Disk Management utility. Here you can see all your connected drives.
- Disk drives are displayed in the lower half. Hard disk drives are labeled as such. Solid state drives are labeled SSD.
So if you see a disk named SSD, you have a solid state drive installed. Any disk called a hard disk is an HDD.
Check in Device Manager
You can also identify HDD vs SSD in Windows 10 from Device Manager:
- Open the Start menu and search for “device manager.”
- Click on the top result to launch Device Manager.
- Expand the Disk drives category.
- HDDs will be listed as Hard Disk Drive. SSDs will be listed as Solid State Drive.
Again, this makes it easy to differentiate the two drive types. Just look for disk drives labeled SSD for solid state, or HDD for traditional hard disk.
File Transfer and Boot Speed
SSDs greatly outperform HDDs when it comes to data transfer speeds and boot times:
File Transfers
– SSDs can reach >500MB/s read/write speeds.
– HDDs max out at ~150MB/s speeds for large sequential transfers.
Boot Time
– SSDs can boot Windows in under 10 seconds.
– HDDs will take 30 seconds or longer to fully boot.
If your system is booting and loading files very quickly, there is likely an SSD installed. Slow boot and transfer speeds indicate a traditional hard disk drive.
You can time these tasks yourself to get a sense of the speed differences. Reboot your PC and use a stopwatch to time how long a full reboot takes. Then transfer a large file and compare the transfer rate.
Physical Operation Noise
When actively reading or writing data, HDDs produce audible noise from the spinning disks and actuator arm movement. SSDs have no moving parts, so make no sound.
If you never hear any faint whirring or clicks from your computer’s drive, that’s a sign it’s a silent SSD. The quiet operation is another bonus of solid state storage.
Checking Your Computer’s Spec Sheet
The easiest way to confirm your drive type is to check the specifications for your computer or motherboard. Manufacturers will always list the drives installed, including:
– Storage amount (SSD or HDD capacity)
– Drive interface (SATA, PCIe)
– Drive type (SSD, HDD)
Check the spec sheet for your computer or motherboard. If not available, the manufacturer product page will also have the full specifications listed.
You can also open your PC case and visually check the physical drive labels. SSD and HDD models are clearly marked with the type and capacity. This provides physical confirmation of the actual drives installed.
Using Third-Party Tools
If you want definitive proof of your drive type, dedicated tools can provide confirmation:
– Speccy – Free system information utility showing all drives. Lists hard disks as HDD and solid state as SSD.
– CrystalDiskInfo – Provides health status and full details for storage drives. SSD/HDD clearly marked.
– SSDLife – Small utility focused solely on SSDs. Will not detect HDDs.
– GPU-Z – Primarily lists GPU details, but also shows a breakdown of disks and drive types.
These free utilities are handy when you need to validate your actual drive type and details beyond just capacity. They retrieve low-level information directly from the drive controller.
Conclusion
It’s easy to determine whether you have a speedy solid state (SSD) or traditional hard disk drive (HDD) in your computer. The quick checks include:
– Referencing your computer’s official spec sheet.
– Checking physical drive size and capacity.
– Looking at the Disk Management utility in Windows.
– Viewing the drive name in Device Manager.
– Comparing differences in file transfer speeds and boot times.
– Listening for the physical sounds of a spinning hard disk.
– Using a disk information utility to verify drive details.
With SSD becoming the standard for PC storage, it’s helpful to know how to recognize these fast solid state drives versus classic HDDs when buying or repairing a computer. Follow the steps outlined above to be sure if you have the speed of an SSD or the larger capacities of a hard disk drive.