Overnight, your computer won’t start, your hard drive stops responding, and it’s 10 years of file backups that have just vanished in an instant. Replace your hard drive regularly to avoid the worst! Let’s explore the technologies that let you secure your data while also improving your machine’s performance.

According to data center manager statistics, within 4 to 6 years, about one hard drive in two is at risk of failing. It is strongly recommended to replace them every 3 to 4 years. However, amid the huge range of options available: SSD, hybrid drives, magnetic platter hard drives… it’s hard for the uninitiated to find their way. Here’s a quick overview of the technologies to help you choose the right storage device.

SSDs

You’ve surely already heard of the SSD (Solid State Drive)? Unlike the “classic” drives that have equipped our machines for decades, this system is made up of flash memory chips identical to those found in USB drives. As a result, they are silent, shock-resistant and, above all, they offer read and write speeds up to five times faster than a hard drive, from 500 to 600 megabytes per second versus 130 to 160 MB/s.

This quickly becomes the ideal choice for starting your computer in 15 seconds or for fully enjoying apps and games thanks to unmatched smoothness. Currently, storage capacity is limited to 2 terabytes (TB), and remains prohibitively expensive (around €800). For a 512 GB capacity, which is more than adequate for running your operating system, expect to pay between €100 and €200.

Another sensitive point with this technology is memory chip wear. Indeed, data must be erased with an electrical pulse before new data can be written to the same location, which used to cause rapid SSD wear. Technological advances now allow for better distribution of data across the entire memory surface and let manufacturers offer a five- to ten-year warranty without taking any risk.

Hard Drives

Hard drives or HDDs (Hard Disk Drive) are finding less and less room in our mobile devices (ultrabooks and tablets) seeking lightness, but they still hold their ground against SSDs. They are made up of magnetic platters spinning at rotation speeds between 5,400 revolutions per minute up to 15,000 rpm for professional models. They contain precision mechanics that make them more fragile than an SSD, since even a significant impact can render them inoperative. Even though manufacturers, never short on big numbers, claim a reliability that lets them run for a million hours, nearly a hundred years!

Its main strengths are its large storage capacity: up to 8 TB, and its price: less than €100 for a 2 TB drive. It becomes ideal for storing and archiving large volumes of data (photos, videos, etc.). If you want a responsive system, opt for a minimum rotation speed of 7,200 rpm. Finally, there are drives optimized for NAS servers that are certified to run 24/7.

Hybrid Drives

Called SSHD (Solid State Hard Disk), the hybrid drive combines flash memory, generally 8GB, with a hard drive ranging from 500 GB to 4 TB, spinning at speeds between 5,400 and 7,200 rpm. The principle of the hybrid drive is to store the most frequently read data in the flash memory. They gain in access time and responsiveness, while the hard drive portion offers large storage capacity, all at a price roughly identical to a classic hard drive.

These drives offer a good technological compromise when reading small files or starting the operating system. However, forget about this performance gain when it comes to reading large files such as HD videos. The cost/performance ratio of this type of drive is certainly a good choice when it comes to boosting a somewhat aging machine.

Performance / Cost Choice

In conclusion, if you want a fast drive, go for the SSD. Hybrid models will give your computer a new lease of life combined with large storage capacity. As for the HDD, you can count on it for a very large capacity at a very low cost (approx. 0.4 ct/GB).

It can never be said enough: before a hardware failure causes you to lose your data, remember to perform regular backups.