Solid State Drives vs Traditional Hard Drives for Web Hosting
When shopping for web hosting you will undoubtedly read a lot of different terms when going over the list of features. One term that may cause some confusion is solid-state drive. This is used when describing how much disk space a specific web hosting package comes with. You may notice that the term is only used in certain situations, which is because not all hosting companies use solid-state drives. To understand what this means, and why it matters when choosing a hosting provider, please continue reading this important page.
What is a Solid-State Drive?
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a type of hard drive that is built using all semiconductors rather than a magnetic platter. This is a type of storage that is growing in popularity and is used in many different areas. They first became extremely popular in the form of small, portable, USB drives. These are often called thumb drives. As the technology advanced and it became possible to make solid-state drives with large amounts of capacity, they began being used in place of traditional hard disks in computers and servers.
Is a Solid-State Hard Drive Important for Hosting?
When looking at various hosting companies to use for your website, you will need to know if having a solid-state drive is important. The first step in making this decision is learning about the advantages of solid-state hard drives:
Faster– Solid-state drives can read and write data far more quickly than a traditional drive. This allows the drive to deliver the data that is needed almost instantly, which is ideal in all situations.
More Reliable– These drives are more reliable in that they don’t get damaged as easily and have no moving parts that can go bad. It is important to note, however, that their total lifespan is generally shorter in terms of the total number of read/write operations that can be performed. Fortunately, it is more predictable so IT professionals can safely replace a SSD before an outage occurs.
Less Power Usage– Solid-state drives use a fraction of the amount of electricity than a traditional hard disk. This has obvious benefits for the environment and lowers the operating costs slightly.
Cooler Operating Temperatures– An SSD won’t generate much heat while being used, in most situations. Keeping a computer of any type cool is important for operating efficiently
Smaller in Size– SSDs are physically smaller than a traditional magnetic disk drive. This is because there is no need for a motor to spin the drive, and no need for an arm to move when reading the data.
All of these benefits help to make SSDs ideal for use with web hosting. In the past, solid-state drives were quite a bit more expensive than traditional hard drives. This made the SSD hosting more expensive, which some people didn’t like. Today, the price difference has narrowed significantly. In most cases, the difference between hosting with a company like Verpex that uses solid-state drives and one that doesn’t is non-existent.
Hosting Drive Vs. Solid State External Hard Drive
Many people have heard of solid-state external hard drives, which are typically used on home computers. These are a great way to add additional disk space for convenient storage of images, videos, and other essential data. The technology behind solid-state hosting drives and solid-state external hard drives is the same, and in most ways they are identical. The only real differences are that the ones used in hosting servers are mounted within the hosting server. The ones used at home, however, can be used outside the computer so that the drive can be moved from place to place for added convenience.
Always opt for SSD Hosting
Solid-state drives are widely available today and priced very competitively. If you are looking for a new hosting package for your website, it makes sense to narrow down your options to only include those that offer solid-state drives, such as those we offer here at Verpex. You will enjoy all the great benefits of having an SSD and without any real downsides. This is why solid-state drives are quickly becoming the standard for use in virtually all servers, including web hosting servers.
