When you’re searching for a dedicated hosting plan, the type of storage will make a difference in the performance. While the classic hard disk drives(HDD) have been around for decades, solid-state drives(SSD) have increased in popularity in the last years more than ever. Here’s what you should know about both alternatives!
How do HDDs Store Data?
The HDD technology is based on non-volatile memory and includes mechanical parts that read or store data, even if no power is supplying the system. The disks are covered by a thin magnetic film and have an axis in the center. The metal platters rotate at a certain speed, so performance is influenced by the configuration.
Since there are multiple moving parts, the hardware can experience mechanical failures at some point. Heat is also another factor that affects longevity. Fortunately, most providers ensure the conditions of the data center won’t cause any issues.
How do SSDs Store Data?
Solid-state drives are formed by integrated circuits. There are no physical parts, so they’re extremely fast and quiet. You will see SSD hosting plans everywhere, thanks to the flash memory that provides speed.
They last longer than typical HDDs, being a better solution for most websites. Besides that, the risk of damaged components is lower — and the consumption is also efficient under hot temperatures.
Performance
Speed is an important element in any online business because it affects credibility among visitors and the SEO strategy. If your website is slow, people won’t have the patience to access the content. Instead, they will go to competitors and forget about your company.
On the other hand, it’s more likely they will come back to pages that load in 3 seconds or less. That’s hard when you deal with large amounts of traffic. Fortunately, the response time is at least 20x better on SSDs than on HDD hosting. That happens because there’s no disk rotation that might affect the performance.
Storage amount
When you want to save a big amount of content on your dedicated server, HDD hardware will be considered a better option than SSD. You might have large files, archives or folders with important data that will not be accessed by everyone. If that’s the case, storage is a priority over speed. Consequently, it’s much better to invest in a host that responds to your business needs.
Pricing
The extra cost for SSD space can be easily justified when it comes down to the benefits. However, you can also rent a dedicated server with HDD from BlueServers in the beginning and upgrade your hosting plan later. You get a CPU Intel Xeon E3-1230v2 with 32GB RAM starting at just 59$/month.