SSDs are fast, but not always the answer. Here’s why

SSDs offer noticeable speed advantages when booting, loading programs, and games. However, anyone storing or archiving large amounts of data will quickly hit their capacity and budget limits. Very inexpensive SSDs often only have 256 to 512GB, while HDDs in the same price range offer one or two TB of capacity. If you need more storage, you’ll pay significantly more for SSDs, or have to switch to external storage solutions.

An HDD can also be more attractive from a financial perspective. A 2TB internal SSD typically costs $130–$180, while an HDD of the same size can be found for just $60–$90. Users who focus on price-performance ratio or prefer to put their budget toward a graphics card or RAM may be better off with an HDD.

In terms of longevity, SSDs are considered reliable, but have a physically limited number of write cycles. You won’t notice this in everyday use, but for heavy write loads (such as frequent backups), an HDD may still be the more robust option. SSDs also store data reliably if they’re regularly supplied with power. For long-term archiving without permanent use, an HDD may be better.

HDDs also have an edge in data protection: they can be securely erased by overwriting with the right software. With SSDs, internal memory management (such as wear leveling) makes complete erasure more difficult — specialized tools must be used in a targeted manner here.

Finally, hardware compatibility plays a role: older computers may not support modern SSD standards like NVMe or M.2. In such cases, SATA HDD is a simple and cost-effective alternative, especially when paired with a lightweight Linux system.

Our conclusion: SSDs are the best choice for speed, energy efficiency, and mobile use. However, if you need lots of storage, have a tight budget, or want to continue using old hardware, an HDD is often the better choice. The clever solution? Use an SSD for your operating system and programs, and an HDD for large data and backups.