SSD vs HDD Reliability?

[Pooherino ツ]

I feel like ssd would last long if I would just read from it and not write it and rewrite it constantly. On the other hand, HDD would be able to withstand more torture. So idk, what do you guys think? This always bothers me

[Godlygamer23]

SSDs can take more writes than the average user will ever give to it. Just as a point of reference, my SSD has taken 22TB of writes and CrystalDiskInfo still says my drive is at 100%. Bear in mind though, I am using an Intel 520 240GB SSD.

[STRMfrmXMN]

Don't defrag your SSDs and they should last pretty much forever

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/184619-how-long-do-modern-consumer-ssds-actually-last-longer-than-youd-expect

 

Should elaborate more: I have had a few HDDs die and one old Samsung SSD die on me. The Samsung had lived a pretty short life of 5 years and I don't think it was from excessive writes so I'm not sure what killed it but I've killed HDDs from static buildup, using them too much or dropping them.

[AresKrieger]

If your not constantly erasing large amounts of data a ssd holds up better due to the lack of mechanical parts

[manikyath]

you shouldnt pick between them for reliability, but more so for what you'll be using it for.

 

SSDs usually die from wear (the same as usb flash drives die from a number of writes)

HDDs usually die from a mechanical defect, which gives them a MASSIVE variation in usage before they kick the bucket. (some die within a year, some "identical" drives make it well beyond 10 years)

[gilm0re3]

SSD's are way more heat and shock resistant. Also, theoretically, any respectable SSD should in general last longer than a similar HDD. You really just can't write enough on it enough every day to make it fail faster than an HDD would. If you've seen the reports from Samsung, they had a consumer SSD that was operating just fine after 5+ petabytes of data written. So basically, they're in all ways better than HDD's besides cost.

[Enderman]

my SSD survived a PSU failure that killed almost every part in my PC, including both hard drives

[Pooherino ツ]

SSD's are way more heat and shock resistant. Also, theoretically, any respectable SSD should in general last longer than a similar HDD. You really just can't write enough on it enough every day to make it fail faster than an HDD would. If you've seen the reports from Samsung, they had a consumer SSD that was operating just fine after 5+ petabytes of data written. So basically, they're in all ways better than HDD's besides cost.

so if u would throw them both in the same apple to apple torture test. SSD would come out on top?

[Pooherino ツ]

my SSD survived a PSU failure that killed almost every part in my PC, including both hard drives

was there a fire? were the the letters C and X involved?

[gilm0re3]

so if u would throw them both in the same apple to apple torture test. SSD would come out on top?

99 times out of 100, yes. The fact that the storage is solid state and has no moving parts at all makes a huge difference.

[Andrew Storlie]

An ssd is always gonna be better than a hdd. Faster, last longer, able to take more torture, only water/static will kill it. As far as life span for reads and writes, your gonna end up getting a new ssd before the ssd you have (or are going to get) dies. Mtbf is 1.5million hours on most brands of ssds.

[Enderman]

was there a fire? were the the letters C and X involved?

no

no fire, just popped

it was an AXi not CX

really disappointing tbh

[Godlygamer23]

only water/static will kill[an SSD.]

I disagree with this. SSDs are not impervious to heat or shock from falling.

[Andrew Storlie]

I disagree with this. SSDs are not impervious to heat or shock from falling.

yea i shouldnt say only, but most failures are from water or static.

[rcarlos243]

yea i shouldnt say only, but most failures are from water or static.

ESD, buggy firmware, no power for extended periods of time, humidity, etc... can compromise an ssd

[xewp]

how do you (if there is a way) tell an ssd is dying?

 

are there stuff to look for like slowed transfer speeds such as in hdd?

[BirdyTheMighty]

I prefer traditional hdd, but as of now I written bout 21 teraflops on my Samsung 830 ssd

[Godlygamer23]

ESD, buggy firmware, no power for extended periods of time, humidity, etc... can compromise an ssd

ESD is also referred to as static or static discharge.

[Curufinwe_wins]

how do you (if there is a way) tell an ssd is dying?

are there stuff to look for like slowed transfer speeds such as in hdd?

There is "smart" software reporting but just like with hdds it is still possible to have failure without warning (with hdd this is generally related to the head fucking something up, with an ssd it's harder to diagnose.)

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Hey there Pooherino,

 

The main difference between SSDs and HDDs when it comes to data safety is that it is nearly impossible to get data off a failed SSD while retrieving lost files from a failed HDD is much more easier. Due to the nature of storing the data when a SSD fails the chances of getting your data back even with a data recovery company are close to 0% while getting data off from failed drive's platter is quite achievable for data recovery companies. 

It is true that SSDs are affected far less by temperature, vibrations and other external factors compared to HDDs, but they are also more susceptible to static electricity and, if left without power for a longer time period, they can get corrupted and even lost data, while it's harder for HDDs to have their data decay over time without power,

 

Captain_WD.

[Linus_torvalds]

I prefer traditional hdd, but as of now I written bout 21 teraflops on my Samsung 830 ssd

"terabytes" i guess

[watts300]

if left without power for a longer time period, they can get corrupted and even lost data

Huh.  Today I learned.  

 

What is considered a long period of time for that to occur?  I understand any figures would be an estimate with no guarantees. Nevertheless, I'm curious. Are we talking 1-2 years?  A couple months? 

[Captain_WD]

~snip~

 

Well, you should take this question the the manufacturers of the SSDs. Generally it would depend on the temperature at which the SSD is stored as well as the type of the SSD. The time can vary between a couple of years (or even more) to around 20 weeks. Note that the temperature range for proper storage of SSDs is far smaller than for hard drives. A hard drive can typically be stored from -40C – 70C. In order to maintain proper data longevity, SSDs, in contrast, may need to be stored in climate-controlled environments.

 

Captain_WD.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Huh.  Today I learned.  

 

What is considered a long period of time for that to occur?  I understand any figures would be an estimate with no guarantees. Nevertheless, I'm curious. Are we talking 1-2 years?  A couple months? 

 

Several years I guess.  I left my own 250GB 840EVO in a drawer for nearly a year and all the data was still on it.