The Decline of HDDs in Laptops: A Comprehensive Guide
The largest laptop manufacturers no longer provide laptops with HDDs for sale in many countries today. This transition has been driven by a combination of factors including chassis rationalisation, a decline in the demand for laptops with hard drives, and lowering component prices. As a result, Harsh Disk Drives (HDDs) have been completely removed from product lines.
Why HDDs Are Fading in Laptop Storage
Due to their greater speed, fragility, size, and power consumption, laptop HDDs were outperformed by Solid State Drives (SSDs). The availability of cloud storage providers has made large capacity a non-issue for many users. Consequently, many laptops, especially at the cheaper end of the market, come with 64GB and 128GB SSDs. These SSDs offer a lower price and a huge capacity, making them an attractive choice for users.
However, it's worth noting that HDDs remain highly useful as external storage devices, where they continue to offer the best value, especially at very large capacities, such as 4TB to 20TB. Additionally, there is still a lot going on for them, particularly in data centers, with the upcoming 30TB hard disc drives.
Comparing HDDs and SSDs: A Smart Choice for New Laptops
For users opting for a new laptop, the smart choice is often to get an SSD if one is available, provided there is adequate storage space. After using an SSD, switching back to an HDD is a significant step due to the substantial performance gap. This is especially true when operating outside of SATA interfaces. However, it is important to note that not all SSDs are the same. Some SSDs cannot reach the same speeds as others, as some use the SATA bus interface while others use the PCIe interface.
When purchasing a new laptop, the best course of action is to read several reviews, find out who manufactures the drive in the laptop you are considering, and look up benchmarks to get an idea of how well the drive will perform.
Financial Considerations for Laptop Manufacturers
SSDs offer several advantages over HDDs from a manufacturer's perspective. SSDs have no moving parts, which reduces the number of possible points of failure and requires less power, thereby extending battery life. Every time a laptop manufacturer has to replace something under warranty, it incurs additional costs. Since SSDs are much less likely to need replacing, manufacturers can potentially save money in the long run.
Conclusion
The transition from HDDs to SSDs in laptops is part of an ongoing technological evolution driven by customer needs and technological advancements. While HDDs are still crucial for external storage and have a significant role in data centers, the trend towards SSDs in laptops is likely to continue. By understanding the benefits and limitations of both types of drives, users can make informed decisions when choosing a new laptop or upgrading their storage.