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Solid State Drives

Say goodbye to your hard drive.

SSD (Solid State Drive) technology has arrived, based on flash technology Solid State Drives can be more reliable, faster, and more durable than traditional magnetic hard drives, SSDs are the cutting edge solution for mobile users.  Benefits include longer battery life, and reduced chances for data corruption.  Likewise, SSDs are a great alternative for the PC enthusiast who is always looking for the very best in system performance.
The big splash last month was MAC’s new ultra thin notebook, which was made possible by a Solid State Drive.  However the advantages reach beyond the notebook, adapter kits are available that allow SSDs to be installed in PCs or to be used as portable storage devices.
Solid State Drives are being brought to market by the same suppliers that provide us with memory products now, like Samsung, Lexar, Micron and so on.

Why an SSD?

SSDs are data storage devices that utilize non-volatile (do not lose data when power is removed) flash memory for computing applications that traditionally rely upon a mechanical hard disk drive. These devices are industry-standard replacements (via a SATA connection) for hard drives.
The SSD has no moving parts, creating greater stability by eliminating the mechanical delays and failures associated with a conventional hard disk drive.   Continuous motion generated by multiple moving parts creates heat, which is a leading factor in hard drive failure. In fact, hard drives are one of the components most likely to fail. Because an SSD does not have moving parts, heat dissipation and noise are reduced or eliminated, resulting in a very rugged and reliable offering compared to a mechanical hard drive.  SSDs also have extreme shock and vibration tolerance, and their operating temperature ranges meet or exceed that of standard hard drives.   SSDs also provide for silent operation, similar to that of a standard USB flash drive unlike the grinding and humming of a mechanical hard drive.
Without the moving mechanical parts that cause latency issues, SSDs are not impeded by spin-up, seek time, or rotational latency. This equates to faster boot times, faster application loading, and greater overall system responsiveness. Via SATA, a 2.5-inch SSD offers data transfer rates of up to 3Gb/s.

SSDs will also use less energy, so notebook batteries will last longer then before.

So what’s the downside?

You know there has to be one right? 

Well so far the SSDs are only offered in smaller sizes ranging from 2GB to the recently announced (but not yet delivered) 128GB drive from A Data. 

And then there is the cost.  Like any new technology it comes at a premium, currently Price Watch has 8GB SSDs listed from$175 to $260, compared to about $100 for a 200GB notebook drive.