Storage Technology Explained: HDD, SSD & NVMe
Spinning platters vs chips
Every console stores games, saves and system files on one of two fundamental technologies: a hard disk drive (HDD) with spinning magnetic platters, or a solid state drive (SSD) built from flash memory. Understanding the difference explains nearly every storage decision you will ever make.
Hard disk drives (HDD)
- How it works - spinning platters, a moving read/write head
- Strengths - cheap per gigabyte, great for bulk storage
- Weaknesses - slow, fragile to shocks, heavy, mechanical wear
- Where it fits - external archives, older consoles, bulk media
Solid state drives (SSD)
- How it works - NAND flash chips, no moving parts
- Strengths - fast, silent, robust, low power
- Weaknesses - costs more per gigabyte; write endurance is finite
- Where it fits - system drives, current and next-gen consoles
NVMe and SATA
SSDs connect two main ways: SATA (the same interface old HDDs use, around 550 MB/s) and NVMe over PCIe (much faster, 3000-7000 MB/s). The PS5 uses an NVMe M.2 drive; the PS4 and older consoles use SATA 2.5-inch drives. Know which interface a console expects before buying a drive.
Tip: Rule of thumb: speed goes NVMe > SATA SSD > HDD, and price per gigabyte goes the other way. For a system drive, buy the fastest interface the console supports.
Check your understanding
What is the main weakness of an HDD? It is slow, fragile to shocks and has moving parts that wear.Why does an SSD make a console feel faster? No seek time - reads are near-instant compared to a moving head.Which interface is fastest? NVMe over PCIe.
Answer the questions out loud or on paper. If any are hard, re-read this lesson before moving on.
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