Advice Request SSD vs HDD reliability

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Are SSDs more reliable than HDDs?

  • Yes, significantly more reliable than HDDs

    Votes: 45 71.4%
  • Yes, but only marginally more reliable than HDDs

    Votes: 3 4.8%
  • Very little difference in reliability between SSDs and HDDs

    Votes: 3 4.8%
  • No, SSDs are less reliable than HDDs

    Votes: 12 19.0%

  • Total voters
    63

shmu26

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Yeah. I observed it on NVMe M.2. I didn't test 2.5" SSDs. M.2 SATA did work 1 in 3 times.
I have 2.5'' SSD, and I don't heat a lot at home. I never had a problem booting. The only influence of cold that I noticed is that my BIOS menu sometimes responds faster when it is a little bit cold.
 
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Vasudev

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I have 2.5'' SSD, and I don't heat a lot at home. I never had a problem booting. The only influence of cold that I noticed is that my BIOS menu sometimes responds faster when it is a little bit cold.
What's your ambient temps?
 

SHvFl

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I doubt it. Maybe the high ambient temps and humidity gave a wrong info to sensor(s).
EDIT: I have a PM951 and 850 evo m.2 ssds.
Just check any specification page of an ssd and you will see they give 0 as the minimum but regardless i have seen multiple pcs boot at way below 20C. It's just not something accepted or normal that ssd have issues with low temperature.
 
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Digerati

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Longevity does NOT equal reliability.
No. But if reliability is poor, it is not likely to have a long life span.

Only point where HDD wins is under extreme cold conditions SSD controller might fail to operate unlike HDD.
:( Bullfeathers! Where's your supporting documentation?

Sorry, but that comment about HDs vs SSD in cold environments is total nonsense! Automobile manufacturers have been using flash memory in cars for decades - cars that sit overnight in sub-zero temps (or all day long in the hot Phoenix sun). How do you suppose computer systems boot in cars in Alaska, Canada, Sweeden and other places up north when you turn the key in the morning?

Why don't car makers use hard drives instead of flash memory if hard drives are so much more "reliable" in those harsh environments? Car makers are always looking for ways to cut costs. Don't say it is because cars are mobile - they can "ruggedize" hard drives pretty easily. Besides, cars typically are sitting motionless when starting.
I had a strange occurrence once when my ambient temps dropped from usual 30C to 17-20C and PCIe SSD won't boot up.
:( Come on! Let's be a little realistic here. 17°C = 62.6°F. Are you really going to claim your SSD failed because it was too cold in your 62.6°F room? :rolleyes: I've worked in environmentally controlled, mission critical computer rooms that are maintained at a constant 60°F and 50% humidity.

And gee whiz! One "occurrence" with one SSD failure does not set the rule for all SSDs either! :( This is especially true when there is absolutely no evidence failure to boot was even caused by the drive. It could have easily been the motherboard's drive interface, or any other number of things.

If one does their homework and researches the facts, operating environment specifications for both hard drives and SSDs can easily be found.

Note WDC "enterprise-class" hard disk drive spec sheets state the operating temperature range is 0 - 65°C. But as seen here,
Industrial grade SSDs are designed to operate at temperatures ranging from -40 degrees Celsius to 85 degrees Celsius. During storage, these SSDs can withstand even greater temperature extremes.

Even a basic Crucial SSD will operate in a range of 0 - 70°C (32°F - 158°F).

I find it interesting that Western Digital owns a whole separate brand created in 2010 called Tegile that develops all-flash (as well as hybrid) storage for the enterprise and date center environments. There is a lot of good reading there for those also interested.

Don't know. I don't watch them.
:confused: I am guessing there is some confusion here. "Ambient temp" is the temperature of the room the computer sits in. If the room is air conditioned or heated, the temperature is likely close to what the thermostat is set at. If the room is not environmentally controlled, the room temperature will vary, depending on the outside temps. So while you may not keep a close eye on your ambient temp, I would guess you have a pretty good idea what they are. If not, put a thermometer on your desk and see. In any case, I would assume if your ambient temperature dropped to near freezing, you would put the heat on.

And computers do not have ambient temperature sensors.
 

shmu26

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No. But if reliability is poor, it is not likely to have a long life span.

:( Bullfeathers! Where's your supporting documentation?

Sorry, but that comment about HDs vs SSD in cold environments is total nonsense! Automobile manufacturers have been using flash memory in cars for decades - cars that sit overnight in sub-zero temps (or all day long in the hot Phoenix sun). How do you suppose computer systems boot in cars in Alaska, Canada, Sweeden and other places up north when you turn the key in the morning?

Why don't car makers use hard drives instead of flash memory if hard drives are so much more "reliable" in those harsh environments? Car makers are always looking for ways to cut costs. Don't say it is because cars are mobile - they can "ruggedize" hard drives pretty easily. Besides, cars typically are sitting motionless when starting.
:( Come on! Let's be a little realistic here. 17°C = 62.6°F. Are you really going to claim your SSD failed because it was too cold in your 62.6°F room? :rolleyes: I've worked in environmentally controlled, mission critical computer rooms that are maintained at a constant 60°F and 50% humidity.

And gee whiz! One "occurrence" with one SSD failure does not set the rule for all SSDs either! :( This is especially true when there is absolutely no evidence failure to boot was even caused by the drive. It could have easily been the motherboard's drive interface, or any other number of things.

If one does their homework and researches the facts, operating environment specifications for both hard drives and SSDs can easily be found.

Note WDC "enterprise-class" hard disk drive spec sheets state the operating temperature range is 0 - 65°C. But as seen here,

Even a basic Crucial SSD will operate in a range of 0 - 70°C (32°F - 158°F).

I find it interesting that Western Digital owns a whole separate brand created in 2010 called Tegile that develops all-flash (as well as hybrid) storage for the enterprise and date center environments. There is a lot of good reading there for those also interested.

:confused: I am guessing there is some confusion here. "Ambient temp" is the temperature of the room the computer sits in. If the room is air conditioned or heated, the temperature is likely close to what the thermostat is set at. If the room is not environmentally controlled, the room temperature will vary, depending on the outside temps. So while you may not keep a close eye on your ambient temp, I would guess you have a pretty good idea what they are. If not, put a thermometer on your desk and see. In any case, I would assume if your ambient temperature dropped to near freezing, you would put the heat on.

And computers do not have ambient temperature sensors.
You are right that I was confused. Thanks for clearing things up. In the cold months it can get down to like 17-18 degrees Celsius at home, at which point I will turn on the heat when I venture out of my bedroom.
 
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LDogg

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I'm still using the same SSD since day 1 of having this laptop. It's definitely more better in terms of loading programs ad booting up the system compared to a HDD. I'd prefer SSD over HDD currently. But remember never defrag one ;)

~LDogg
 

Digerati

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But remember never defrag one
Fortunately, most defrag programs know not to - even if you tell them too. That's why in later versions of Windows, the feature was renamed to "Disk Optimize" from "Disk Defragmenter" in W7.
 

LDogg

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Fortunately, most defrag programs know not to - even if you tell them too. That's why in later versions of Windows, the feature was renamed to "Disk Optimize" from "Disk Defragmenter" in W7.
Which is a massive help for lazy users :p

~LDogg
 

LDogg

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Well, I guess. But it is also a big help for new and/or confused users because there is a lot of misinformation out there.
There's quite a lot of fake news out there now which is unfortunate. A user him/herself must now look to find information on subject matters which isn't unreliable or from dodgy news sources.

~LDogg
 
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Vasudev

Level 33
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Nov 8, 2014
2,224
No. But if reliability is poor, it is not likely to have a long life span.

:( Bullfeathers! Where's your supporting documentation?

Sorry, but that comment about HDs vs SSD in cold environments is total nonsense! Automobile manufacturers have been using flash memory in cars for decades - cars that sit overnight in sub-zero temps (or all day long in the hot Phoenix sun). How do you suppose computer systems boot in cars in Alaska, Canada, Sweeden and other places up north when you turn the key in the morning?

Why don't car makers use hard drives instead of flash memory if hard drives are so much more "reliable" in those harsh environments? Car makers are always looking for ways to cut costs. Don't say it is because cars are mobile - they can "ruggedize" hard drives pretty easily. Besides, cars typically are sitting motionless when starting.
:( Come on! Let's be a little realistic here. 17°C = 62.6°F. Are you really going to claim your SSD failed because it was too cold in your 62.6°F room? :rolleyes: I've worked in environmentally controlled, mission critical computer rooms that are maintained at a constant 60°F and 50% humidity.

And gee whiz! One "occurrence" with one SSD failure does not set the rule for all SSDs either! :( This is especially true when there is absolutely no evidence failure to boot was even caused by the drive. It could have easily been the motherboard's drive interface, or any other number of things.

If one does their homework and researches the facts, operating environment specifications for both hard drives and SSDs can easily be found.

Note WDC "enterprise-class" hard disk drive spec sheets state the operating temperature range is 0 - 65°C. But as seen here,

Even a basic Crucial SSD will operate in a range of 0 - 70°C (32°F - 158°F).

And computers do not have ambient temperature sensors.
I don't have a car which you mentioned above using latest tech.
I didn't say my SSD failed completely, but it failed to boot up out of the blue. 17C is really odd here, usual temps are near 30C's or nearing 42C outside so naturally the inside's of the house will be hotter. Maybe 84% humidity did something, I'm unsure.

Most laptop manufacturers use EC with sensor info which are labelled as Ambient temps(Really, they aren't!). You can see XPS 15 or any Dell inspiron sensor info through HWINFO by enabling EC support. Some EC doesn't work well with HWINFO.
 
L

Local Host

I don't have a car which you mentioned above using latest tech.
I didn't say my SSD failed completely, but it failed to boot up out of the blue. 17C is really odd here, usual temps are near 30C's or nearing 42C outside so naturally the inside's of the house will be hotter. Maybe 84% humidity did something, I'm unsure.

Most laptop manufacturers use EC with sensor info which are labelled as Ambient temps(Really, they aren't!). You can see XPS 15 or any Dell inspiron sensor info through HWINFO by enabling EC support. Some EC doesn't work well with HWINFO.
Most motherboards come with sensors to monitor temperature of the components inside the case like you stated, cause it would make no sense to monitor the ambient temp.
SSDs are more vulnerable to temperature changes than HDDs, but I never seen an SSD having troubles because of the temp.
 

Digerati

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Mar 2, 2017
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I don't have a car which you mentioned above using latest tech.
Most likely you do - unless your car is from the 60s or something earlier. Computers have been in cars all around the world since the early 1980s for emissions control. Many automatic transmissions and anti-lock breaks used them too. And then more and more computing power was added for all sorts of things. Of course today, even basic entry level cars (and smart phones) have more computing power than went to the moon.
I didn't say my SSD failed completely, but it failed to boot up out of the blue.
And I am saying with it happening just once, it would be nearly impossible to conclusively say it was the SSD's fault. It could have easily been the motherboard, power supply, cable, gremlins or something else. And for sure, one failure with one drive in no way suggests a pattern with all SSDs.

Most laptop manufacturers use EC with sensor info which are labelled as Ambient temps(Really, they aren't!).
I have no clue what you mean by "EC" but sorry, most are not labeled "Ambient". If you mean Error Correction, that has nothing to do with temperatures. Again, the ambient temperature is the air temperature of the computer's surrounding environment. As Local Host correctly stated, it would make no sense to monitor that and in fact, it would be impossible to measure it accurately because the computer itself generates heat. So any sensor would be thrown off by the notebook's own heat.

This is exactly why most cell phones no longer have ambient heat sensors. Some did years ago but users were complaining they were woefully inaccurate. And they were - especially after the phone was used for just a few minutes. While there are ambient apps, they are not worth your time.

And while 84% humidity is high, that is nothing compared to what is normally found in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisanna, and East Texas throughout much of the summer. I live 1/2 mile from the Missouri River in Nebraska and humidity in 90s is not unusual at all. Totally miserable, but not unusual.
SSDs are more vulnerable to temperature changes than HDDs
:( That's just nonsense! Again, homework! Got a link to such wild claims? Because again, no they aren't. Why would they be? If this were true, they would be using hard drives in cars. The engine compartment of a car can go from sub-zero over 100°F in just a few minutes. Even inside the passenger compartment, the temperatures could go from sub-zero to 70 or so in just a few minutes. That's a huge swing.

The materials in the SSD memory modules is nearly identical to those used in a CPU. They are just transistor gates. And look how fast and how extreme the changes in temperature a CPU can be subjected to. And it was already shown above where the operating range of a SSD is wider than that of a hard drive!

Plus, contrary to what some folks believe, hard drives are NOT hermetically sealed. In fact, there is a tiny hole in every hard drive that is specifically designed to let air in and out to ensure pressure is properly equalized as the elevation changes (critical in airplanes!). This tiny hole is filtered to block dust, but it can let humidity in. And when there is an extreme temperature change with humid air, condensation can actually form on the platters. Not good.

The REAL facts are, hard drives are more more susceptible to problems due to changes in temperatures!
 
L

Local Host

@Digerati Stop derailing the topic and flaming, as well as wasting my time. You probably don't even know what MLC and SLC is, I won't be replying further to you.
 

Digerati

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It is you derailing by continually posting inaccurate information! Stop posting inaccurate information and I will gladly stay away.
 

Vasudev

Level 33
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Nov 8, 2014
2,224
Most likely you do - unless your car is from the 60s or something earlier. Computers have been in cars all around the world since the early 1980s for emissions control. Many automatic transmissions and anti-lock breaks used them too. And then more and more computing power was added for all sorts of things. Of course today, even basic entry level cars (and smart phones) have more computing power than went to the moon.
And I am saying with it happening just once, it would be nearly impossible to conclusively say it was the SSD's fault. It could have easily been the motherboard, power supply, cable, gremlins or something else. And for sure, one failure with one drive in no way suggests a pattern with all SSDs.

I have no clue what you mean by "EC" but sorry, most are not labeled "Ambient". If you mean Error Correction, that has nothing to do with temperatures. Again, the ambient temperature is the air temperature of the computer's surrounding environment. As Local Host correctly stated, it would make no sense to monitor that and in fact, it would be impossible to measure it accurately because the computer itself generates heat. So any sensor would be thrown off by the notebook's own heat.

This is exactly why most cell phones no longer have ambient heat sensors. Some did years ago but users were complaining they were woefully inaccurate. And they were - especially after the phone was used for just a few minutes. While there are ambient apps, they are not worth your time.

And while 84% humidity is high, that is nothing compared to what is normally found in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisanna, and East Texas throughout much of the summer. I live 1/2 mile from the Missouri River in Nebraska and humidity in 90s is not unusual at all. Totally miserable, but not unusual.
Well you're comparing how life's in North America while India has different rules and guidelines and most of them target budget and mid-range segments. Most features you have in your car will not here in India and if you're lucky you might see in expensive cars.
EC-> Embedded Controller.
As always you use Desktops as a base whereas I use Laptops. Some laptops manufacturers does label some sensor readings as Ambient Temps. but the offset is +/- 5-6C.
 

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