So ssd. SSD (Solid State Drive), or Solid State Drive

Solid state drives (SSDs) are new and fast and a good alternative for hard drives. HDD drives but do you need it? Read on as we demystified the SSD. The last few years have seen a noticeable increase in SSD production and price reductions (although of course you can't compare prices between SSDs and traditional hard drives in this way).

What is an SSD? In what ways will you benefit from purchasing an SSD drive? What should be done differently with an SSD? Read on to learn all about solid state drives.

What is a solid state drive?

You may find it hard to believe, but solid state drives are actually quite old technology. Solid state drives have been around for decades in various forms, the very first being based on random access memory and were quite expensive, and only appeared in ultra-high-end and super computers. In the 1990s, the first SSDs were made based on flash drives, but they were again too expensive for the consumer market and barely visible outside of specialized computer circles. Throughout the 2000s, flash memory prices continued to fall, and by the end of the decade, consumer SSDs were entering the personal computer market.

So what is a solid state drive? Here you must first highlight what a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) is. A hard drive is a set of ferromagnetic coated metal plates that rotate on a spindle. Recording on the surface of magnetic plates is carried out by a tiny mechanical handle (drive lever) with a very thin sting (head). Data is retained by reversing the polarity of the magnetic bits on the surface of the plates. This, of course, is a little more complicated, but suffice it to say that everything here is done by analogy with an automatic record player, his hand is looking for a track on the record, as well as the drive handle and head hard drive looking for data. When you want to write or read data from magnetic hard drives the plates rotate, the hand searches and finds the data. This is the same mechanical process as it is digital.

Solid state drives, on the other hand, have no moving parts. Although the scale is different, and the storage area on the HDD is much larger, and the SSD has much more in common with a simple portable flash drive than a mechanical hard drive (and, of course, much more than ever with a tape recorder! ) The vast majority of solid state drives on the market are NAND flash, a type of non-volatile memory that does not require electricity to store data (unlike the RAM in your computer, which loses its stored data as soon as the power is turned off). NAND memory also provides a significant speed increase much more than mechanical hard drives, since the time wasted when the plates are spinning and not looking for data is removed from the equation.

Comparing Solid State Drives to Traditional Hard Drives

It's always good to know what SSDs are, but it's even more useful to compare them to the traditional hard drives you've been using for years. Let's look at a few key differences in pointwise comparison.

Spin Time: SSDs do not have "spin" time; The drive has no moving parts. Hard drives have different spin times (usually a few seconds); when you hear a click-whirrrrrr for a minute or two when booting up your computer or when accessing rarely used files, you always hear the hard drive spinning.

Data access and latency: SSDs find data very quickly and are typically 80 to 100 times faster than HDDs; skipping mechanical spinning plates and data retrieval so they can access data almost instantly. Quick search data on hard drives prevents the physical movement of the armature and the rotation of the plates.

Noise: SSD drives are silent; no moving parts means no noise. Hard drives range from fairly quiet to very loud sound levels.

Reliability: Individual production issues aside (bad drives, firmware, issues, etc.) SSDs have taken the lead in terms of physical reliability. The vast majority of hard drive failures are the result of mechanical damage; at some point after x tens of thousands of hours of operation, the mechanical drive simply wears out. I mean, the read/write cycle of hard drives is limited.

On the other hand, SSDs have a limited number of write cycles. This limited number of write cycles is the main issue for condemning SSDs, but the reality is that the average computer user is unlikely to be able to do many read and write cycles on an SSD. Intel's X25-M, for example, can handle 20GB of data for 5 years without failure. How often do you erase and write the 20GB of data on your main drive on a daily basis?

In addition, SSD drives can be used further; when NAND modules have reached the end of their write cycles they become read-only. The disk then reads data from bad sector and overwrites it on a new part of the disk. Aside from lightning or a catastrophic design flaw, an SSD failure sounds more like “old age, why are my bones aching!” rather than an abrupt “boom! bearings in the HDD!” and his stop. You will have enough time to Reserve copy your data and to purchase a new drive.

Power Consumption: SSD drives consume 30-60% less power than traditional hard drives. Saving 6 or 10 watts doesn't sound like much, but within a year or two on a heavily used car, it all adds up.

Cost: SSDs are not cheap. Traditional prices for HDD fell about five cents per gigabyte of data. Solid state drives are much cheaper than they were 10-20 years ago (when they were limited to dedicated computer systems), but they are still quite expensive. Depending on the size and model, you can expect to pay somewhere between $1.25-$2.00 per GB.

SSD Care

In managing the operating system, saving data, and interacting with your computer, the only difference you'll notice as an end user when running an SSD drive is the speed boost. When it comes to taking care of your drive, there are a few rules that are critical.

Do not defragment the drive. Defragmentation is useless for an SSD and reduces its lifespan. Defragmentation is a technique that finds chunks of files and optimizes them for placement on hard drive platters to reduce seek time and wear on the drive. SSDs do not have platters and have almost instantaneous seek times. Their defragmentation eats up more write cycles. By default in Windows 7, defragmentation is disabled for SSDs.

Disable Indexing Services: If your OS has any search-added tool like indexing service, turn it off. The read time on the SSD is fast, which you don't actually need to create a file index and the disk indexing and index writing process itself will be slow on the SSD.

Your OS must support clipping. The TRIM command allows your OS to talk to the SSD and tell it which blocks are no longer in use. With this command, performance on an SSD will rapidly degrade. This publication for Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.6.6+, and Linux kernel 2.6.33+ support the TRIM command. And registry hacks and additional programs exist to modify earlier OS versions such as Windows XP to semi-support the TRIM command. Your SSD drive must be paired with a modern OS for maximum performance.

Leave part of the disk empty. Check the specs for your device, most manufacturers recommend keeping 10-20% empty. This empty space helps the alignment algorithm (they pass data through the NAND memory of the modules to minimize the total wear on the disk and ensure long term service and optimum drive performance). If you leave too little space, then the alignment algorithms will cause premature wear on the disk over time.

Media to a second drive: SSD drives are expensive, so it makes no sense to store your massive media files on your expensive SSD drive. You can pick up traditional 1TB hard drives, and use a large additional disk(if possible) to store large and static files (such as movies, music collections, and other multimedia files).

Invest in memory: Compared to the cost of SSDs, RAM is cheap. The more RAM you have installed, the fewer disk write cycles will be. You'll be able to extend the life of your expensive SSD drive by making sure you have adequate RAM installed in your system.

Solid state drive for me?

On the this moment you've got a history lesson, a point-by-point comparison, and some tips for keeping your SSD in top shape, but do you really need an SSD drive? Check all that apply and prepare for the following:

• Nearly instant load times: You can go from cold boot to web browsing in seconds with an SSD; you could often get into the same window in more than a minute with a traditional hard drive.
• You want fast access for general applications and games: We've said this many times before, but SSDs are ultra-fast.
• You want a quieter, less power hungry computer: As highlighted above, SSD drives are quiet and use significantly less power.
• You'll be able to use two drives, one for the OS and one for files: if you're only storing a few family photos and a CD-Rip or two, you'll need a more affordable traditional HDD to store large files.
• You're willing to pay a hefty sum for an SSD: that's the highest amount per gigabyte to date, but the performance gain is a whopping 3,000% at the same time.
• If your list looks more full than empty and you're looking for speed while you work, then an SSD is for you!

Some well-known manufacturers have switched to the production of solid state drives already completely, for example, Samsung sold the hard drive business to Seagate.

There are also so-called hybrid hard drives, which have appeared, among other things, due to the current, proportionally higher cost of solid state drives. Such devices combine a hard disk drive (HDD) and a relatively small solid state drive in one device as a cache (to increase the performance and service life of the device, reduce power consumption).

So far, such drives are used mainly in portable devices (laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc.).

The history of development

Currently, the most notable companies that are intensively developing the SSD direction in their activities are Intel, Kingston, Samsung Electronics, SanDisk, Corsair, Renice, OCZ Technology, Crucial and ADATA. In addition, Toshiba is showing interest in this market.

Architecture and operation

NAND SSD

Drives built on usage non-volatile memory (NAND SSD) appeared relatively recently, but due to a much lower cost (from $ 1 per gigabyte), they began to confidently conquer the market. Until recently, they were significantly inferior to traditional drives - hard drives - in write speed, but they compensated for this with a high speed of information retrieval (initial positioning). Solid state drives are already being produced with read and write speeds that are many times greater than the capabilities of hard drives. They are characterized by relatively small size and low power consumption.

RAM SSD

These drives, built on the use volatile memory (same as used in RAM personal computer) are characterized by ultra-fast reading, writing and information retrieval. Their main disadvantage is their extremely high cost. They are mainly used to speed up the work of large database management systems and powerful graphic stations. Such drives are usually equipped with batteries to save data in case of power loss, and more expensive models are equipped with backup and / or online backup systems. An example of such drives is I-RAM. Users with enough RAM can organize a virtual machine and place its hard disk in RAM and evaluate performance.

Disadvantages and advantages

Flaws

Advantages

• No moving parts, hence:

• Complete absence of noise;
• High mechanical resistance;
• Stability of file reading time regardless of their location or fragmentation;

• High read/write speed, often better than throughput hard drive interface (SAS/SATA II 3 Gb/s, SAS/SATA III 6 Gb/s, SCSI, Fiber Channel, etc.);
• Low power consumption;
• Wide operating temperature range;
• Great modernization potential of both the drives themselves and their production technologies.
• Lack of magnetic disks, hence:

• Much less sensitive to external electromagnetic fields;
• Small dimensions and weight; (no need to make a heavy case for shielding)

Microsoft Windows and PCs with Solid State Drives

Windows 7 introduces special optimizations for working with solid state drives. With SSD drives, this operating system works differently with them than with regular HDD drives. For example, Windows 7 does not apply defragmentation to the SSD drive, Superfetch and ReadyBoost technologies, and other read-ahead techniques that speed up the loading of applications from ordinary HDDs.

Acer tablets work on the SSD - Iconia Tab W500 and W501 models, Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 under Windows control 7.

Mac OS X and Macintosh computers with SSDs

On June 11, 2012, a new 15-inch MacBook Retina was introduced based on flash memory, which can optionally be equipped with 768 GB of flash memory.

Development prospects

The main disadvantage of SSD drives - a limited number of rewrite cycles - with the development of non-volatile memory manufacturing technologies will be eliminated by manufacturing according to other physical principles and from other materials, for example, FeRam. By 2013, the company plans to launch retail drives built using ReRAM (resistive random-access memory) technology.

see also

• Hybrid hard drive

Notes

Links

• HDD is dead, long live SSD? Critical review from Mobi magazine, 08/15/2007
• SSD drives based on NAND-memory: technologies, principle of operation, varieties, 06/28/2010
• Test of four Team SSDs from TestLabs.kz

Solid state drives (SSD)
Key terminology	Encryption · ECC · flash file system · Flash Memory - SLC/MLC · flash memory controller · Garbage collection · IOPS · MB/s · Over provisioning · secure erase · Team TRIM · Wear leveling · Write amplification
Flash drive manufacturers	Hynix · Intel · Micron · Samsung · Toshiba · Kingston
Controllers
SSD manufacturers	List of SSD manufacturers
Interfaces	SATA SAS USB PCIe NVM Express
Related organizations	INCITS · JEDEC/JC-64.8 · NVMHCI · SATA-IO · SFF Committee · SNIA · SSSI · T10/SCSI · T11/FC · T13/ATA

Personal computer components

Where we analyzed what it is, how it works, etc. What we didn't say was that hard drives have actually outlived their growth potential in both volume and performance, and have been replaced by modern solid-state drives or SSDs. Although HDDs are still quite common, SSDs have also become quite popular, and are slowly pushing outdated technology from the market.

Since the topic is popular and relevant, in today's article we will deal with SSD: we will find out what it is, what features of their work, characteristics, in general - as usual. Let's start.

What is an SSD

SSD drive - a computer non-mechanical storage device consisting of memory chips and a microcontroller. It comes from the English Solid State Drive, which literally means solid state drive.

In this definition, every word has a meaning. A non-mechanical device means that there are no mechanical parts in it - nothing moves, buzzes or makes noise inside. As a result, nothing is worn out, nothing is worn out. Since SSD drives have replaced traditional mechanical drives, this property is very important. Old drives were afraid of vibration during operation, solid state drives were not.

Memory chips are used to store information. The controller on the disk allows you to receive data from memory cells and write to them, transferring data to a common computer interface, regardless of the specifics of the media memory. A giant flash drive - that's what an SSD drive is, it may seem at first glance, but only with a bunch of useless components.

What is an SSD for?

In any computer, an SSD is a replacement for a regular HDD. It works faster, has small dimensions and does not make sounds. The high speed of loading applications and the operating system increases the comfort of working with a PC.

What is an SSD in a laptop, where every watt of energy counts? Of course, first of all, it is a very economical storage medium. It is able to work with a battery charge longer. In addition, it has a very small size, which allows you to include an SSD in the most compact hardware configurations.

What is an SSD made of?

A small building containing a small printed circuit board It's an SSD drive externally. Several memory chips and a controller are soldered onto this board. On one side of this box is a special connector - SATA, which allows you to connect an SSD drive like any other drive.

Memory chips are used to store information. This is not the one that is in every computer. The memory in an SSD drive is able to store information even after it is turned off. The memory of SSD drives is non-volatile. As with a conventional disk, data is stored on magnetic platters, here the data is stored in special microcircuits. Writing and reading data is an order of magnitude faster than when working with mechanical disk platters.

The controller on the disk is such a highly specialized one that can very effectively distribute data in microcircuits. It also performs some housekeeping operations to clean up disk memory and redistribute cells when they wear out. To work with memory, it is very important to perform service operations in a timely manner so that information is not lost.

Buffer memory, as on regular discs, used for caching data. This is fast RAM on an SSD drive. Data is first read into the buffer memory, modified in it, and then only written to disk.

How an SSD Drive Works

The principle of operation of an SSD drive is based on the specifics of the operation of memory cells. The most common type of memory now is NAND. Data processing is done in blocks, not bytes. Memory cells have a limited resource of rewriting cycles, that is, the more often data is written to disk, the faster it will fail.

Reading data is very fast. The controller determines the address of the block to be read and accesses the desired memory location. If several non-consecutive blocks are read in the SDD, then this does not affect performance in any way. It simply accesses another block at its address.

The process of writing data is more complicated and consists of a number of operations:

• reading a block into the cache;
• changing data in cache memory;
• development of the procedure for erasing a block on non-volatile memory;
• writing a block to flash memory at an address calculated by a special algorithm.

Writing a block requires multiple accesses to memory locations on the SSD. There is an additional operation to clean the block before recording. In order for the flash memory cells to wear out evenly, the controller uses a special algorithm to calculate the block numbers before writing.

The erase blocks (TRIM) operation is performed by SSD drives during idle time. This is done in order to reduce the time it takes to write a block to disk. When writing, the algorithm is optimized by removing the erasure step: the block is simply marked as free.

Operating systems execute the TRIM instruction on their own, which leads to the cleaning of such blocks.

Types of SSD drives

All SSD drives are divided into several types, depending on which interface they are connected to the computer.

• SATA - disks are connected to the computer via the same interface as conventional HDDs. They look like laptop drives and are 2.5 inches in size. The mSATA variant is more miniature;
• PCI Express – are connected as usual video cards or sound cards into the computer expansion slots on the motherboard. They have higher performance and, most often, are placed on servers or computing stations;
• M.2 - a miniature version of the PCI-Express interface.

Modern SSD drives use mostly NAND memory. According to its type, they can be divided into three groups that appeared chronologically: SLC, MLC, TLC. The newer the memory became, the lower the reliability of its cells became. At the same time, the capacity grew, which helped to reduce the cost. The reliability of the disk depends entirely on the operation of the controller.

Not all SSD manufacturers manufacture flash memory for their devices themselves. Their memory and controllers are produced by: Samsung, Toshiba, Intel, Hynix, SanDisk. Few users have heard of the Hynix SSD drive. The well-known flash drive manufacturer Kingston uses Toshiba's memory and controllers in its drives. Samsung itself is engaged in the development of technologies for the production of memory and controllers and completes their SSD drives with them.

SSD Specifications

We have almost dealt with SSD drives, it remains only to talk about the characteristics. So:

• Disk capacity . Usually this characteristic is indicated by a value that is not a multiple of a power of two. For example, not 256 GB, but 240. Or not 512 GB, but 480 GB. This is due to the fact that disk controllers reserve part of the flash memory to replace blocks that have exhausted their resource. For the user, such a substitution occurs imperceptibly and he does not lose data. If the disk size is 480 GB or 500 GB, then it is the flash memory on the disk that is 512 GB, just different controllers reserve different amounts of it.
• Disk speed . Almost all SSD drives have speeds: 450 - 550 Mb / s. This value corresponds to the maximum speeds of the SATA interface through which they are connected. It is SATA that is the reason why manufacturers do not try to massively increase the read speed. The write speed in applications is significantly lower. The manufacturer usually indicates in the specifications exactly the write speed on a blank medium.
• Number of memory chips . Performance directly depends on the number of memory chips: the more there are, the greater the number of operations that can be processed simultaneously on one disk. In one line of disks, the write speed usually increases with the volume of the disk. This is explained by the fact that more capacious models have more memory chips.
• Memory type . More expensive and reliable MLC memory, less reliable and cheap TLC, as well as Samsung's own development - "3D-NAND". These three types of memory are now most commonly used in storage drives. In many ways, modern solid state drives the reliability of operation depends on the quality of the controller.

conclusions

Despite their similarity to a giant flash drive, SSD drives carry a whole range of modern technologies, due to which they show a significant increase in performance without losing reliability. Working with a computer, after installing the system on such a disk, becomes much more comfortable.

Good afternoon dear readers of my blog site! Today I will tell you all about solid-state SSD drives, which I use myself with pleasure and recommend this miracle. modern technology to you! Over the years, it has become customary that all information on laptop computer stored on HDD hard drive drive. Winchester seems very reliable, roomy, downright eternal. But now the solid state drive is becoming more common - a hard drive ssd based on memory chips.

What is a solid state drive?

Not everyone knows what kind of beast it is, and why many developers, system administrators and just advanced users sing praises to a small device.

Such drives are based on two types of memory:

• flush;
• kind of operational.

Inside the ssd drive there is a controller for control, the device has no moving parts. Some say that this is like a big flash drive, which is not far from the truth.

The small size allows the use of devices in compact devices: laptops, netbooks, smartphones, tablets.

How does storage work?

When compared with something SSD hard drive, you can bring the way the hard drive works. He first calculates where the desired sector with information is located, then moves the moving block of magnetic heads to the track. Like a hunter patiently waiting of course, the speeds are high, but the expectation is noticeable), when the desired sector falls into place above the magnetic head. Finally, the HDD will read and output the information. The more chaotic requests ( with a difference per second, request files from sectors of disk D, and immediately decide to read system data from C), the slower the “broom” works. The heads are constantly “rushing” around the areas of the disk, which slows down the work.

But an SSD for a laptop works on a different principle: this “real estate” simply calculates the address of the desired block with information (it is unique and recognizable), gets access directly for reading or writing. No movement of parts of the drive relative to each other. The faster the speed of the flash memory, controller and external interface, the faster the data will be on the desktop. And the computer is much quieter and 10 times faster. Everyone has probably heard an annoying sound when the computer is working hard, like someone is moving stones in search of the right information? This is the HDD, and since the solid state device has nothing to move, everything happens quietly, like a spy.

But if you need to change something in the data or completely delete it, SSD does not work so easily. NAND chips are designed to perform operations strictly on sectors. Flash memory is written in blocks of 4 kilobytes, and erased in blocks of 512 kilobytes.

Because the device has to do the following work:

• The block containing the area to be modified is read. Transfers it to the internal clipboard;
• Changes the required bytes, erases the block in the memory chip;
• Determines the new position of the block (obligatory compliance with the mixing algorithm);
• Hooray - the block is written to a new location, and the SSD hard drive goes to “rest”.
• Advantages and disadvantages of an SSD drive

Naturally, such devices have both pluses and minuses. Let's start, of course, with the pleasant:

• high speed of reading a data block, which does not depend on where it is physically located. This is as much as 200 Mb / s or more;
• low power consumption, about 1 watt lower than HDD;
• low heat dissipation, even Intel confirmed this. Studies have shown that an SSD hard drive heats up 12 degrees less than usual. Still, throwing magnetic heads is a rather intense mechanical action;
• benchmarking revealed that a 1 GB solid state drive is able to work just as efficiently, not inferior to models with a 4 gigabyte HDD;
• work very quietly, rarely break;
• when optimized, they are perfectly combined with Windows XP / 7.

The cons are the following:

• power consumption increases greatly with an increase in the volume of the drive, when writing entire blocks of information;
• low capacity at a high price. This is when compared with HDD;
• the number of write cycles is limited.

As they say, think for yourself, decide for yourself what is better - hdd or ssd. Most devices are already equipped with solid-state devices, so it is undesirable to disassemble them. But sometimes the hard drive can be replaced. The question is, what exactly is important: the absence of noise, energy consumption or the speed of the computer?

My personal experience with an SSD drive

About a year ago I bought a 60 GB OCZ Vertex SSD with a speed of 430MB / s, put only the system on it, and made a regular HDD as storage various information. I strongly advise everyone to do the same, because the performance of my computer based on the i3 processor has increased not by 2 or 3 times, but by about 10 times! Of course, for high-quality operation of the system on an SSD drive, you must first configure the system itself (if you have Windows XP, remove it and forget it, but install Windows 7 or 8). How to do this I will tell further.

Tuning, optimizing SSD for Windows 7/8

What settings are we talking about and why do they need to be done? - I answer: If you do not make these settings, then your drive will fail in 1-2, since, unlike a regular HDD, it has a limited number of write cycles (about 10,000 thousand), this is the main disadvantage today, but with the right using it will work for you 4-5 years! I've had it for 2 years now and it's great!

Tip: Don't listen to those who tell you to find your solid state new firmware and update it! It works great from the factory. You only need to set up the system!

Let's start setting up:

Step 1.

After you have connected the drive and are going to install the system on it, do 2 important actions:

• Disconnect other hard drives to avoid problems with the installation of the system, I had a case when I installed the system and I have boot partition The system was created on a regular HDD and I puzzled over why the system still boots up as if nothing had changed!
• And secondly, go into the BIOS and set the AHCI mode to the connector where the solid state is connected, if your motherboard was purchased after 2011-2012, most likely this mode will be set automatically for you.

Step 2

When you mark up the disk, leave 10-15% of the total disk volume untouched, over time the disk wears out and takes clusters from this unallocated space.

Now let's optimize:

Step 1.

You need to disable the system cache Prefetch and Superfetch. They are not needed when running an SSD drive. In most cases, Prefetch is disabled automatically by the system, but I recommend checking it out:

Open the registry editor(press combination Windows keys+ R and write to execute: regedit)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control -> Session Manager -> Memory Management -> PrefetchParameters

Set - EnablePrefetcher = dword: 00000000

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control -> Session Manager -> Memory Management -> PrefetchParameters

Installing -EnableSuperfetch=dword:0000000

Step 2

Disable automatic file defragmentation. We do not need it, it only reduces the resource of the SSD drive. ( Only forWindows 7, inWindows 8 does not have this function, it is already used for other functions, and Windows 8 already works fine withSSD without any optimizations)

Click Start >> in the search field, enter - Defragmentation. Click on the "Set up schedule" button and uncheck the "Run on schedule" checkbox.

Step 3

Perhaps you have a 64-bit operating system and more than 8 GB of RAM, then I recommend disabling the paging file. We go:

Computer -> Properties -> Extra options System -> Advanced -> Performance Options -> Advanced -> Virtual Memory-> Edit. Install - No paging file

Step 4

You need to change the Memory Management parameter:

Go to Registry Editor Start >> Run >> regedit

And the second way to open the registry, press the key combination Windows + R and write Regedit in the execute

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Control -> Session Manager -> Memory Management

Installing -DisablePagingExecutive=dword:00000001

Step 5

In the SSD optimization process, you can also turn off logging file system NTFS

Again, go to Start > in the search bar, enter > > click on the program icon with the RIGHT mouse button and select > Run as administrator.

In the window command line type: fsutil usn deletejournal /D C:

Step 6

While using an SSD drive will make your computer boot very quickly, you need to turn off sleep mode.

In already open window command line enter: powercfg -h off and press ENTER.

Also turn off indexing of the solid body:

Again > Start >> Computer >> click on system disk (usually the system drive letter -C) right click and select properties, then uncheck the option "Allow the contents of files on this drive to be indexed in addition to file properties"

Step 7

Go to Computer >> (right click) Properties >> Advanced System Settings >> Advanced >> Environment Variables.

Enter a new address for environment variables TEMP and TMP by placing them on a second hard drive.

Step 8

And finally the last step SSD optimizations, transfer the user's folders (Video, Music, Documents, Downloads) to the HDD hard drive.

We create in advance on the hard HDD folder, now it will contain the user's libraries.

We right-click on all the folders whose location we want to change. On the Location tab >> click the "Move" button, then transfer to the HDD in the newly created folder.

That's all, now I think you understand that there is nothing complicated, configure, optimize, SSD under any Windows be it 7 or 8.

The abbreviation SSD stands for Solid-State Drive. Which, in fact, is translated as a solid-state drive. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it does not contain moving mechanical parts: inside there are only boards and microcircuits, with the help of which information is recorded, stored and read.

The history of SSDs began quite a long time ago. For the first time, something similar was implemented by StorageTek in 1985. But at that time, the high cost and low manufacturability of components did not allow mass implementation of solutions to the masses, and there was not much answer why a fast SSD drive was needed in a computer, if interfaces and peripherals still worked slowly. But in the early 2010s, the popularity of SSDs increased dramatically. Now almost everyone new laptop Comes with an SSD or hybrid hard drive configuration. Next, we will look at what it is - an SSD in a laptop or desktop computer.

Why do you need an SSD in your computer?

The purpose of an SSD is no different from an HDD. It is designed to perform the same function - to store data, the operating system, swap files, and the like. Naturally, this replacement is more expensive if you translate to calculate in terms of gigabytes / ruble. It is more than likely that the situation will change in the near future.

Laptop and computer SSD hard drive device

There is essentially no difference between what an SSD is in a laptop and a desktop computer. it can be a case similar to HDD, or it can be made in the form of a board for installation in an M.2 connector. If you disassemble the SSD or look at the board, then it is very similar in design to a regular flash drive. In general, an SSD is a large flash drive, with the same principle of operation.

The controller controls the entire device, which distributes data among cells, monitors their status, deletion, and generally performs all functions similar to those of a processor in a computer.

The memory itself is flash memory, the same as on flash drives. The SSD uses the NAND type, which is a three-dimensional arrangement of conductors where a number of cells are used at intersections.

According to the method of writing data to a cell, two types of implementation are distinguished: SLC - Single-level Cell and MLC - Multi-level Cell. As you might guess, in the first case, only one bit is written to one cell, in the second - several. Now another type has come out of the MLC, the name of which has settled in everyday life, although it is included in a subset of this type - TLC, Triple-level Cell.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to each implementation. MLC comes out cheaper in terms of volume/price ratio. This makes the SSD hard drive cheaper in the long run, which affects consumer choice as well. But the structure of recording in several layers imposes restrictions on the number of write cycles and performance. The more nesting levels are used, the more complex the algorithm for working with cells becomes and the less resource. SLC is proportionally more expensive, has a greater resource and performance.

Manufacturers solve problems with the resource and reliability of memory using algorithms that allow you to control the process of using cells: recording is made in those areas of memory that were used the least. Another approach is used - memory reservation. Almost every SSD leaves about 20% of the memory “in reserve” in order to replenish it from there in case of loss of a cell.

How an SSD works

Probably, many people know how a regular hard drive works - a magnetic head runs from the beginning to the edge of a rotating disk and reads data from the tracks. The main problem of magnetic disks is that it takes too much time to position the head in the area with the necessary data. And if the file is also divided into several pieces in different sections, then the time of the reading or writing process increases significantly.

To understand what an SSD drive is, you need to know how it works. To access data for reading or cells for writing, the system only needs to know the address. The controller then simply returns blocks of data. The time is spent just looking up the address and transferring data - literally milliseconds.

Types of hard drives

By type, SSD can be characterized by form factor and interface type. There are three main form factors:

• 2.5". The disk is dressed in a 2.5-inch case. Provides compatibility between almost all types of systems: laptops, servers, PCs.

• As a separate board for the PCIe slot. Provides good speed and reliability PCI interface express.

• M.2. Relatively new format, presented mainly in the form of a board that is installed directly on motherboard into the M.2 connector, which is very compact. Such an SSD can be found in three different versions depending on the length: 2242, 2260, 2280. The last two digits indicate the length in mm.

There are several other formats that are rare and are needed for a narrow range of tasks, such as 1.8”, 3.5” or mSata.

Interfaces are more difficult to understand. Here - porridge in standards and specifications. Let's start with the most popular - SATA. To date, there are three major revisions and two additional ones. SATA - Supports up to 1.5 Gbps. Now it is becoming less and less common. SATA II - up to 3 Gb / s. SATA III - up to 6 Gb / s. Revision SATA 3.2 received an additional prefix Express. It has speeds up to 8 Gb / s and is backward compatible with other SATA, and, most interestingly, it has a PCI Express interface at the core. The interface can be implemented in both 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors.

With a PCI-E interface, it's a little easier. It is implemented mainly in M.2 for SSDs. It is worth noting that PCI can be multi-channel. The more channels, the faster the data transfer rate.

General characteristics of SSD (Solid State Disk)

let's consider basic characteristics, by which you can identify the SSD, we will analyze what it is and compare it with the HDD.

Interface and form factor

We have already talked a little about this. Now consider this in the context of choice and relevance for different systems. With interfaces, everything is simple - eSATA is now considered the most productive, which in the specifications in some stores and manufacturers can be designated as PCI-E. Today it is the fastest interface.

The form factor must be chosen depending on the type of PC - laptop or stationary. In a stationary one, for compactness, you can use M.2, which takes up little space on the board and does not require additional power. New laptops also support M.2. For older ones, the 2.5-inch form factor is relevant.

Disk capacity and speed

SSD capacities are quite expensive. The most budget version of a 32 GB SSD can be bought for about 1,500 rubles, while an HDD for the same money will already have a capacity of 160 GB or more. As for the speed, then everything is not so clear. Very often, the speeds of reading and writing data in the specifications for disks are greatly overestimated. And not necessarily only with little-known small companies, but even with famous brands. Therefore, you have to focus on reviews and measurements of reputable services and testers.

Type of memory chips

Interestingly, now both types of memory - MLC and SLC - are almost the same in terms of performance and write / rewrite resource. Much depends on the implementation of a particular manufacturer. Before buying each specific model, we would recommend looking at tests and reviews on these gadgets.

Leading manufacturers of SSD drives for PC

In the top are well-known manufacturers of drives. There is nothing special about their implementation. Moreover, controllers manufactured by Samsung or Intel can be found not only in their own drives, but also in devices of competing brands. Main names in the top:

• Samsung. They produce a wide range of SSDs for a variety of tasks;
• Western Digital. One of the oldest media manufacturers. Produces three different lines of drives - Green, Blue and Black;
• Intel. Everything is clear here. Reliability and quality;
• Transcend. Known mainly for its flash drives. Now release and full-fledged SSD.

Which SSD drive is better to buy

If the budget is not limited, then there are no problems. If every ruble counts, then it is better to approach the issue thoroughly. Let's look at a couple of models that are worth paying attention to.

The memory type it uses is TLC. The declared read/write speed is 540/520 Mb/s. The total storage capacity is 120 GB. In total, 75 TB of data can be written to the disk. On average, users write to their disk from 5 to 30 GB per day, which gives approximately 10 TB per year. Thus, the resource of this SSD should be enough for about 7.5 years. Used to connect SATA interface. You can buy a disc for 3600 rubles. And its 2.5-inch form factor will allow it to be used both in a "stationary" and in a laptop.

Here are a couple of reviews about it:

Review of Samsung SSD 850

Review of Samsung SSD 850

Read more on Yandex.Market: https://market.yandex.ru/product/1973235126/reviews?track=tabs

If compactness and space saving are in the first place, then you can consider an SSD with M.2. Within 5000 rubles, you can buy Intel SSDPEKKW128G8XT.

This is a disk with an M.2 connector and a size of 2280. Please note that free space from the connector to the nearest component must be more than 80 mm. Memory type - TLC. The total disk size is 120 GB. This drive is interesting in that it is connected using a PCI-E interface with 4 channels via an M.2 connector. And this means that the bus does not limit the capabilities of the SSD and fully allows you to give out excellent write and read speeds - which, by the way, are declared by the manufacturer at 650 MB / s for writing and 1640 MB / s for reading. The total resource is 72 TB of data. The device costs 4290 rubles.

Read more on Yandex.Market: https://market.yandex.ru/product/1974689676/reviews?track=tabs

Intel SSDPEKKW128G8XT

In general, prices over $5,000 don't inherently imply big jumps in performance. Only the total volume of the disk changes. By the way, for an SSD, the volume indicator also affects durability. For example, a 120 GB drive with 30 GB daily writes will last approximately 7.5 years. At the same write rate, a 500 GB device should last 4 times longer.

You can give this: you need a disk only for the system and programs - you can choose a smaller one, 60 or 120 GB, and store all data, movies, pictures, and so on on another HDD. If you plan to store everything on one SSD, it is better to immediately choose a larger one. PCI-E interfaces while they cost more than SATA, but they do not limit in speed, therefore, if the budget allows, it is better to choose the PCI-E interface.

Frequently Asked Questions About SSD Drive

During its existence, SSD managed to acquire myths and legends, as well as constant questions. We will consider a few of them.

Special operating rules

Many believe that with proper use of the disk, you can increase its service life. This includes various optimizations - disabling caches, indexing, paging file, defragmenting. In fact, to a large extent, these actions will not affect the SSD resource. Rather, a decrease in overall performance due to disabling functionality will be less justified than a shared resource increased by a couple of tens of gigabytes.

The only thing that can be advised is to make backups: save your important data on alternative media - the cloud or another disk. Although this advice applies to all carriers in principle.

How SSD differs from HDD

Read and write speed, shock and vibration resistance, noise level, power consumption and weight. These are the main advantages of SSD over HDD.

What is TRIM in SSD

TRIM is an instruction for ATA interfaces that allows operating system tell the disk which blocks of memory can be left unused and considered empty. Why is it needed for SSD drives? It was introduced in connection with the specifics of the work. solid state drives. When writing new data to a cell, the SSD cannot simply take and replace the old data with the new one. He has to first read the data into the cache, clear the cell, and then write it down - in this case, the access speed decreases significantly. TRIM solved this problem. The system and the drive constantly exchange information about which cells are no longer needed, and on a TRIM signal, resets these cells to zero. The next time the SSD writes, it just calmly writes data to it right away.

Do I need an SSD for gaming?

Here, too, not everything is so simple. Firstly, a significant increase in FPS in games from using an SSD can not be expected. The current solid-state drive will be at the start of loading worlds and levels - locations will load faster. There is a possibility that SSD drive can help in cases where performance is limited by the amount of RAM, when this data is dumped into the page file. But in such a situation, changing the HDD to an SSD instead of increasing the “RAM” is a dubious pleasure.

By the way, there is an interesting video of testing popular games on different discs: