Laptops are in demand for the last few years, most of us do prefer laptops for their portability and ease of use, while searching for laptops you must have read the term SSD or solid-state drive.
This must-have interests you to think about what is an SSD on a laptop, especially if you are not technologically aware then it must be confusing yet, in this case, it’s essential to understand its importance.
In this comprehensive post, we are going to cover many things about SSD, from what is solid state drive in a laptop and how it works, and its benefit to different kinds of SSD.
And finally, we will give our conclusion on the topic of SSD drives, but before discussing what solid state drive is in the laptop you have to understand SSD vs HDD so let’s get started.
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What is an SSD on a laptop?
The SSD is nothing but a form of memory in your device, it transmits the data in your laptop in 2 devices or pc, this actually works efficiently and quickly without rolling like HDD.
In simple terms solid-state drive stays stable therefore your system works smoothly without slowing down as result your machine starts within seconds, and loads your file, images, and videos faster than HDD.
Another feature is, it helps to save all your data such as software, working docs, files, images, and videos, due to its ultra-quick readability on data, the performance of your machine increases immensely.
Another major factor that I have to mention for what is SSD on a laptop. It actually reduces the use of machines’ power more than its HDD counterparts, again is highly important to increase your laptop’s battery backup.
The use of SSD in your laptop brings lots of positives as HDD acts way slower which is really a headache sometimes, as SSD works 5-10 times faster so you can imagine the amount of efficiency it offers you, if you start working with SSD you never return to HDD for sure.
Wait as this is not it on what is a solid state drive in laptop, there is more to discuss, as SSD has different types and it’s important for you to understand each one of them before choosing an SSD device.
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SSD vs HDD which is better for your laptops?
By now you must have got an idea of what is solid state drive in the laptop, yet if you still need to understand which is better then let us discuss HDD.
This is invented before SSD and it’s used for saving your data in pc or laptop but acts differently than SSD, the hard disk drive is a spinning device that is a magnetic storage system that reads and writes data to save your working files, software, etc.
These are also called “fixed drives”, or sometimes “SATA hard disk drives” so primarily the common duty of both SSD and HDD is to store your files, and images in your system while the machine is not in use so you can access them later.
However, the behavior of both are different and SSD is faster but SSD drives are a little more expensive than HDD but worth every penny you spend on it.
Though SSD in laptops is available in different storage capacities such as 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB or even more.
But high storage capacity is a little pricey so in this case, too I suggest you to go with SSD, as you can manage with external storage as well but SSD is very very important in modern laptops.
Additionally, there are few laptops that come with dual storage and offer you both HDD and SSD which is a nice option as you get maximum storage but make sure the HDD has maximum RPM, the most popular nowadays is 7200rpm, this helps your machine to keep faster than 5400rpm.
What is SSD on a laptop- Buying guide
Before discussing the buying tips let me tell you that these Buying tips are only for solid-state drives and not for laptops so even if you considering pc built this is helpful for you, so you can consider this guide on SSD to build your PC or laptop.
Different Types of SSD in laptops:
Now after discussing SSD or HDD let us discuss different types of SSD available in the market and which one is best currently.
There are largely three types of SSD used in laptops below we have explained everything in detail.
SATA SSD
This is the standard type of SSD that is used in almost all pcs, this is one kind of interface in the machine that is associated with or attached to the motherboard.
Moreover, SATA supportive laptop definitely increases your machine’s speed the transition of the frequency in SATA III is nearly 6GB, however, this is ok but with a new invention, we have a few other best SSD that speeds up your system 5-10 times better.
The size of the SATA SSD is 2.5″ you can add this to your mechanical drive, but only if your computer has a hard drive that you can replace with SATA then I definitely recommend you add it to your system.
As the cheapest SATA SSD enhances your machine’s speed, the SATA is also known as serial advanced technology attachment which is better than HDD but we have a better option let us discuss.
Note: in SATA SSD you will see 2 options dram and dram less, now dram less is less efficient than dram so the wise decision is to pick dram SATA SSD yet they are a little more costly than dram less.
But again worth your money due to its speed, dram comes with a speed of around 450mbps, and dram SATA SSD mostly comes with above 500mbps speed.
M.2 NVMEe SSD
Most of the newly released laptops use this NVME SSD in their machine simply due to its ultra-fast performance then SATA, and this is the highly used SSD today in almost every laptop depending on budget.
The interface of this type of SSD is M.2 but it does not run on SATA Lan, it actually runs on PCIe express which ensures the fastest performance, speed is up to 4Gbps, and even budget NVMe SSD gives you around 2Gbps speed.
This increases working effectiveness as everything loads up faster, the good thing is it takes very little space in the motherboard, and transmission between 2 devices becomes fast.
This is also known as non-volatile memory express, overall its more advanced features than SATA, NVMe is highly beneficial for heavy work such as designing, video, photo editing, and gaming.
Note: before choosing NVMe SSD you must check whether your pc or laptop supports this SSD or not, as older generation machines mostly do not support this drive.
Probably if your laptop model is around 3-5 years old then it should support but always better to check before choosing.
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M.2 SATA SSD
This is somewhere mixture of both NVMe and SATA, but not as powerful as NVMe overall its interface is similar to SATA.
It is smaller in size and quite resembles NVMe, does not occupy large space like SATA but the frequency is lower than NVMe, yet better than HDD but similar to SATA.
The M.2 SSD gives a frequency of approximately around 600mbps, if you are looking to build pc then this is not for you as it is made for laptops.
As a laptop has less space where all the hardware needs to fit in, however, if you want to add SSD then you may have to remove the hard drive or DVD.
But on your laptop, If you have an m.2 slot then you can add this m.2 SSD to your laptop without removing the existing hard drive.
Another thing is m.2 SATA SSD is a little more expensive than the standard SATA SSD due to its thin and less space-consuming feature yet best for laptops as you do not have to sacrifice another hard drive.
These are to come with dram and dram less, I have explained earlier that dram is faster than dram less but a little expensive which is understandable.
What are dram and dram less in SSD?
Above I have given a short brief while discussing dram and dramless SSD, yet you must be curious about why dram is better and how it works, so let’s dive into this, and later we will cover replacing factors in your existing laptop.
I have tested both and sharing my overall experience and conclusion on this, basically SSD stores your data in one place but it moves data around a lot.
So if you give the command to your system, Let’s say you want to open any software, file, or images, to search this dram comes into play and do it quickly, as dram works faster than net flash memory.
If your SSD has a dram system then your all data is stored in net flash memory which takes time to search your files and software.
Therefore, a dram SSD is always a good prospect to have in your machine but in case you do not have a budget you should go with a dram less SSD as it is at least faster than a traditional hard drive.
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Can I replace HDD with SSD on my laptop?
Yes, in fact, it is something you must do it right way in order to get a fast experience on your system and once you install it you will feel a big difference while working.
However installing the SSD in your existing old machine can be tricky at times, if you are not aware of how to assemble a Solid-state drive, you can always take the help of a technician or person who has hands-on tackling the internals of laptops.
Moreover, if you are confident enough that you can do it by yourself then you can always try it there are many videos available on Youtube you can watch step-by-step guides or read the details on how to add SSD to your laptop.
Another thing I must recommend you to choose M.2 SSD for your laptop as these are specially made for laptops only, whereas for PC SATA SSD will do the job.
If you have a budget to spend just go for NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD which is 10 times faster than its other counterpart however always check if your device supports NVMe SSD as a few older versions do not support NVMe.
How much SSD do I need on a laptop?
There are many SSD available in the market you get from 64GB to 2TB SSD laptops, however for basic work such as working on words and internet surfing you can manage with a 128GB SSD yet only if you have a very low budget.
However I recommend 256GB SSD NVMe SSD as many latest budget laptops offer you 256GB, if you have a budget let us say somewhere above 500 then you may have the option of 512GB SSD which is highly recommended as it allows you to store heavy applications, images, and videos.
The 1TB SSD is only required if you are a professional who is into designing, video or photo editing, or heavy gaming where you have to play multiple games on a laptop where have to store multiple software, and applications in your system.
Now though there are very few 2TB SSD laptops available in the market yet it is slightly over-skill, also note that if you are limited with the budget then go with 256-512GB SSD but make sure your laptop has an upgradeable slot for future.
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Which is the best SSD brand?
There are many excellent SSD brands in the market right now that are making highly efficient yet durable SSD some of them are as below listed.
- Samsung.
- SanDisk.
- Kingston.
- ADATA.
- Crucial.
- Intel.
- Plextor.
- Corsair.
- Western Digital.
What is a Solid state Drive in a laptop– Advantages of SSD in a laptop
There are many advantages of SSD in your laptop and honestly, there is no single disadvantage we have for SSD storage the only negative I would say is quite expensive than HDD yet worth spending on it, now let us discuss the benefits of SSD.
Speed:
The first and most important factor is frequency or speed of your machine increases immensely, even a budget-friendly Solid-state drive boosts the machines speed.
Consumes less power
The SSD chips in your laptop do not consume much power which enhances your system’s battery life that keeps you going with your work for long hours especially making it perfect for outdoor use.
Long-lasting:
The SSD drives are stable or let’s say do not move like HDD so it keeps your chip durable, you can rely on the SSD more than HDD.
Quick Data Transfer:
Now, this is also a kind of speed only yet a little different, SSD also has the role of transferring your data between 2 devices, so in case you have to transmit your data to another device, it will do it in less time due to its quick read and write system.
Weight:
The SSD is quite light in weight than the HDD especially M.2 SSD and NVMe SSD which makes sure your machine has a lighter weight which is again good for portability.
Conclusion on What is an SSD on a laptop
In this post, we have discussed in the detail What is the use of SSD? And What is the Solid state Drive in a laptop? Hope this comprehensive list helps you to know about SSD.
The summary is, SATA SSD is good for desktop users, M.2 is good for laptop users and if you have a budget to spend around 50 to above 100 then NVMe SSD is best as it is value for money and skyrockets your desk performance.
Overall we have covered each pointer yet if you have any doubts or queries post your comments our team will be happy to guide you.
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