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We live in an increasingly complex and digitized world. Gone are the days of developing film for everyday photographic snapshots; hello, camera phone. As we develop more and more intricate digital technologies, we have to find ways to keep up with the changes in how we store this information.

Take, for example, the internal hard disk drives within computers. These devices feature spinning platters, a moveable arm and a drive head for reading data from the surfaces of the aforementioned platters. These elements and corresponding functions are akin to a phonographic record player; the arm reads data from the platters by way of a drive head and translates the information back to the user. Much like a record player, these drives are mechanical in nature and must physically spin the platters between 5,400 rpm (revolutions per minute) up to 15,000 rpm. (To continue our musical record analogy, the average record can be anything from 33 1/3 rpm, to 45 rpm or 78 rpm.) These drives, while utilizing older technology, are still prevalent today due to their relative longevity and storage capacities.

However, with longevity and storage for hard disk drives comes several trade-offs. Firstly, there is the issue of noise; a spinning mechanical drive produces a terrific quantity of noise that can be, frankly, deafening if combined with many other drives. The second trade-off with mechanical hard disks is the heat that is generated from the mechanical motion of the spinning platters. Without adequate cooling these drives can produce an inordinate amount of heat and, thus, potentially cause heating issues with your computer. The last major problem with mechanical drives comes from the fact that the drives are devices in motion. If you were to, say, continue to have the drive in operation while walking at a good pace between two buildings, you may find that the computer you are using no longer functions when accessed at your desired destination. This occurred to my friend while attending university. I had to explain to my heartbroken friend that the mechanical arm which reads the platters may have become dislodged during his walk. As such, he could no longer read the data on the disk; this was underscored by the horrific clicking noise his drive would make when attempting to use the machine. Thankfully, this scenario, and others like it, can be avoided by way of utilizing a different method of storage for computers. Namely, solid state drives or “SSDs.”

Solid state drives are the game-changing devices which allow lighter, faster machines to exist in our modern world. Since they have no moving parts, SSDs do not generate heat. If accidentally dropped, these same drives do not suffer from catastrophic failure the way mechanical drives tend to fare. While slightly more expensive in terms of price per gigabyte (which, for those unfamiliar, is a unit of measurement for determining how much data a drive can store) solid state drives are worth the investment. The most frustrating thing about these drives, however, is determining which version you need for a given task.

When it comes to SSDs, there are three main interfaces to connect between the drive and your computer: SATA, PCIe and NVMe. The most common method of data communication is the SATA connection which has been the standard for computer data transfer for at least the past twenty years. The “PCIe,” or, Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, data transfer standard is a relatively new way of utilizing a slot found on your computer’s motherboard for data purposes. Normally, PCIe slots allow you to utilize graphics cards or other add-in cards which add functionality to your machine. PCIe can be faster than SATA as it utilizes a different method of sending data to go from point “a” to point “z” and all points in-between. What is quite surprising is the speed achieved through “NVMe” or Non-volatile Memory Express solid state drives. At a size slightly larger than a pack of chewing gum, these drives plug into a special slot on some motherboards and allow you to have storage capabilities without external cables or other connections. The speeds are tremendous as well, allowing you to transfer files significantly faster via NVMe SSDs than via SATA models.

Whether working with mechanical hard disks or solid state, it is vital to understand the pros and cons of either storage solution. Knowing this information can help you make the right choice in planning your next upgrade or data migration for both personal and professional situations.