9 Compelling Reasons to Buy an SSD (and Which Models Are Best)

If you‘re still relying on old-school hard disk drives (HDDs), it‘s time to upgrade. Ditching mechanical storage for a speedy new solid state drive (SSD) delivers the single most impactful performance improvement you can make.

After we demystify exactly what SSDs are and how they work, I‘ll share 9 key reasons why you should buy one along with my top recommendations to consider…

What Are SSDs and How Do They Work?

SSDs look similar to HDDs on the outside, but the underlying technology is radically different. Instead of metal platters and read/write heads, SSDs utilize flash memory – the same stuff found in USB thumb drives.

This flash memory is made up of a grid of tiny transistors that act as electronic memory "cells". Data gets written by trapping electrons inside these cells – no moving parts required! The cells remain powered off yet retain data due to this captured charge.

A controller chip handles all the work of reading and writing data to these cells intelligently to extend longevity. But the computer interface plays a big role too…

SATA vs. NVMe SSD Interfaces

• SATA: Long used for connecting HDDs and early SSDs
• NVMe: New optimized protocol designed for SSD speeds

Check out the difference in maximum speeds:

As you can see, NVMe blows the doors off SATA limits! While you‘ll still notice big gains from SATA SSDs, power users need NVMe SSDs to push data transfer capabilities to the bleeding edge.

Now let‘s get into the pivotal reasons I always recommend customers upgrade to solid state drives when building new PCs…

Reason #1: Lightning Quick Boot Up

If you‘re stuck waiting minutes for your computer to start, it‘s agonizing. With an SSD, going from off to desktop is nearly instant – we‘re talking single digit seconds in many cases!

To give you an idea, my own Windows 10 boot sequence took 112 seconds with a hard drive installed. After swapping to an affordable SATA SSD? Mere 14 seconds!

I timed countless client builds over the years and saw similar massive improvements first-hand. Slow HDD boot sequences become a distant nightmare thanks to SSD responsiveness.

Reason #2: Everything Feels More Responsive

Faster boot times are excellent, but improved system responsiveness extends far beyond that too.

Opening files, launching apps, transferring data – virtually every disk access related activity speeds up. Here‘s one striking before/after example…

I tested loading a huge 70GB music project file in my digital audio workstation.

• HDD – 102 seconds
• SATA SSD – 9 seconds

Over 11x quicker app launch times make a productivity difference you can feel daily. Everything from games to Office documents to photo exports happen snappier. It really livens up an old computer!

Now let‘s explore a hidden benefit beyond raw speed…

Reason #3: Incredible Durability With No Moving Parts

Physical shock and vibration pose zero issue for SSDs thanks to a complete lack of moving parts. No platter, no read arm – just silent flash memory.

By contrast, most catastrophic HDD failures result from unavoidable everyday bumps and shakes. Knock a hard drive the wrong way while seeking and you can easily corrupt data or scratch platters beyond repair.

Proof is in the pudding when we compare published annualized failure rates:

Cutting the yearly chance of failure in half (or more) is a practical reliability boon. Data centers gladly pay the premium for SSDs thanks to their improved resilience.

For desktop usage, SSDs comfortably withstand typical mobile abuse inside laptops. And their tolerance for shock, vibration, and extreme temperatures open up more industrial operating environments. Ditching old platter storage unlocks this ruggedness.

Reason #4: Lower Power Draw and Heat

Spinning physical disks demands noticeable power – more than you might expect. Dropping HDDs for low consumption flash memory consequently reduces electricity bills.

Less active cooling also keeps machines quieter with SSDs onboard. Their skimpy heat output enables cramped enclosures lacking airflow. Again, no spinning motors removing waste heat is key.

Notebooks reap outsized battery life benefits thanks to SSD power thriftiness. As components balloon power draw in the chase for more performance, every watt saved counts. Solid state fits the bill.

With SSD power draw just a fraction of HDDs, we save meaningful energy in aggregate across countless desktops and laptops.

Onwards to arguably the #1 reason I install SSDs in all of my personal computers…

Reason #5: Serenity From Silent Operation

Ever get driven mad by the whirring and clicking of HDD activities? With SSDs, no mechanical or moving parts exist to make noise. Blissful silence reins!

I often work on client recordings and mixes late into the wee hours. Hearing drives aggressively seeking mid-take is no fun. My entire studio now runs quiet M.2 NVMe SSDs – problem solved.

Likewise, if you‘re easily distracted by noises while coding or writing, an SSD upgrade eliminates turbulence. No more bumps in the night from your computer!

Reason #6: Snappy Multi-Tasking

Modern operating systems rapidly shuffle many small files around in the background. Anti-virus scanning, indexing, update installations – you name it. With SSDs, these tasks happen instantly rather than queueing up and lagging out older HDDs.

Thanks to advanced SSD controller parallelism, you can queue heavy background workload without a hitch while continuing working up front. Web browsing somehow feels even smoother and more responsive, even under load.

Today‘s reality of 5+ apps and 100+ browser tabs demands this responsiveness. HDDs choke too easily, but SSDs multiplayer like champs.

Reason #7: Game Loading That Doesn‘t Suck

Installing the latest 200GB AAA blockbuster game is painful enough on HDDs. But waiting minutes for textures to slowly stream in whenever you load a save game? No thanks.

SSDs make quick work of huge modern game file sizes. I tested load times on Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR2) from launch comparing my HDD and SSD:

Nearly 5x faster load times let me get playing quicker with just an affordable SATA SSD – huge quality of life upgrade! NVMe drives drop loading even further.

Goodbye to getting up for a drink, checking phones, etc. between deaths/levels. Instant action bolsters next-gen gaming thanks to SSD speeds.

Reason #8: Portable External SSDs

While internal SSD upgrades see the biggest usable gains day to day, external options enable effortless transport and storage expansion.

Leveraging speedy interfaces like USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 or Thunderbolt 3, these portable SSDs retain internal drive performance in slick rugged enclosures. Some models even include handy features like built-in fingerprints readers for security.

Content creators and professionals shuttling around video projects or large files need the superb mix of speed, size, and resilience unique to external SSDs. Leaving mechanical HDDs far behind.

Reason #9: More Affordable Than Ever

As manufacturing has polished yields, SSD pricing continues pleasingly downward year after year. Today a 1TB SSD dips under $100 – very palatable compared to HDD builds.

For data hoarders and high capacity use cases, HDDs still beat SSDs in sheer cost-per-gigabyte. But for most general consumer workloads, SSDs deliver that sought-after snappiness at reasonable prices now.

If you‘re still clinging to an old HDD, performance limitations likely frustrate you daily. But the bright side is migrating to solid state speeds costs less than ever before. Check out my latest recommendations below…

SSD Buying Recommendations

Top SATA SSD: Samsung 870 EVO 1TB

Reliable workhorse 2.5" SSD with Samsung pedigree. Handles over 150TB writes over its lifespan – plenty for most.

Seq. Reads: Up to 560MB/s
Warranty: 5 years

Best NVMe SSD: WD Black SN770 1TB

Blistering cost-effective M.2 NVMe speeds meet famously reliable Western Digital quality. Fantastic for gaming and production.

Seq. Reads: Up to 5150MB/s
Warranty: 5 years

Favorite External SSD: Samsung T7 Touch 1TB

Secure fingerprint unlocking meets portable SSD versatility. Rugged enough for fieldwork while retaining performance and style.

Seq. Reads: Up to 1050MB/s
Warranty: 3 years

Bottom Line

Ditching HDDs for a fast SSD ranks among the best PC upgrades you can make when it comes to real world usage. Across boot times, game loads, app responsiveness and multi-tasking, solid state delivers a perceivable experience uplift supplementary speed alone fails to capture.

With drive failure resilience, heat, noise, and power improvements stacked atop blistering transfer rates, SSDs outclass aging HDDs on all fronts when chosen appropriately for the use case and budget at hand. As prices continue democratizing lightning quick NAND flash memory technology for the masses, the question increasingly becomes:

Why haven‘t you started enjoying the SSD revolution yet?

Let me know if this SSD buyer‘s guide gave you the right nudge toward your next PC upgrade! I‘m happy to offer personal recommendation assistance in the comments below too.