solid state drive definition of solid state drive in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

solid state drive

An all-electronic storage device that is an alternative to a hard disk drive. Also called a "solid state disk" and "electronic disk." Employed in myriad products, such as smartphones, MP3 players, digital cameras and laptop computers, solid state drives (SSDs) are faster than hard disks because there is zero latency (no read/write head to move). They are also more rugged and offer greater protection in hostile environments.

Non-Volatile Flash and Volatile DRAM
The great majority of solid state drives use flash memory chips, and as flash memory becomes less costly, the storage capacity increases. Like a hard disk, flash memory is non-volatile and holds its content without power. In contrast, there are solid state drives that use volatile DRAM or SRAM chips, which are backed up by a built-in hard disk or UPS in case of power failure (see nvSRAM and BBSRAM).

It will take some time, but eventually, spinning disk platters will be as obsolete as the punch card (see future memory chips). There are also hybrid solid state drives that use both memory and magnetic disk platters (see hybrid drive). See disk on module and garbage collection.

Like a Hard Disk

An SSD emulates the sector format of a hard disk and is generally a plug-for-plug replacement for it, such as this BITMICRO drive. BITMICRO makes SSDs from 8GB to over a terabyte that can withstand up to 1,500 Gs of operating shock. (Image courtesy of BITMICRO Networks, Inc., www.bitmicro.com)

RAM and a Hard Disk

RAM chips provide the fastest access times. This earlier MegaRAM unit contained 4GB of dynamic RAM and a hard disk. In case of power failure, the battery enabled the RAM to be copied to the disk (see nvSRAM and BBSRAM). (Image courtesy of Imperial Technology, Inc.)

PC Card Drives

PC Cards were the first plug-in format for solid state drives. These 40 and 175MB FLASHDISKs, next to a CompactFlash card for size comparison, are minuscule today but provided much-needed, extra storage for early laptops. (Image courtesy of SanDisk Corporation, www.sandisk.com)

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No references found	Of course, if you''re into gaming laptops and want a state-of-the-art machine, then a Solid State Drive may be your best option, assuming money is no object. Gaming Laptops - Will Solid State Drives Replace Hard Drives? by Titus Hoskins / Computers and Internet community 8" Solid State Drive (SSD) is available fitted to the recently launched Lenovo ThinkPad X301 ultra-portable notebook computer. Samsung SSDs fitted to Lenovo ThinkPad X301 ultra-portables by Worldwide Computer Products News Strong customer interest in our technology is validating the imminent transitions in data recovery technology trends for peripheral storage devices, both hard disk drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD). Link_A_Media Secures $18 Million in Series C Funding by Business Wire	solid masonry unit solid masonry wall solid modeling solid molding solid moment of inertia solid mopping solid newel solid of revolution solid panel solid partition solid plasterwork solid propellant solid punch solid rib solid rocket solid rocket fuel solid rocket propellant solid roll solid Schmidt telescope solid shafting solid shank tool Solid Solution solid sphere Solid Spherical Harmonic solid state solid state drive solid state laser solid state memory solid state relay solid stop solid stowing solid strutting solid tantalum capacitor solid wall solid waste solid web Solid, Geometric solid-borne sound solid-core door solid-dielectric capacitor solid-electrolyte battery solid-electrolyte fuel cell solid-electrolyte gas transducer solid-liquid equilibrium solid-newel stair solid-phase welding solid-piled solid-propellant binder Solid-Propellant Rocket Engine solid-sawn lumber solid-state	solid solution solid solutions solid solutions Solid Sorbent Air Sampler Solid Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy Solid South Solid South Solid South Solid South Solid sphere Solid Spherical Harmonic Solid square Solid state Solid state Solid state Solid state (electronics) Solid State Advanced Controls Solid State Altimeter Solid State Amplifier Solid State and Diode Laser Technology Review Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit Solid State Automatic Bus Transfer Solid State Cockpit Voice Recorder Solid State Continuous Wave Illuminator Solid State Control Transformer Solid State Data Recorder Solid State Decoupler Solid State Devices, Inc. Solid state disk Solid state disk solid state drive Solid State Dye Laser Solid State Electronic Logic Solid state electronics Solid State Electronics Center Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance Solid State Equipment Corporation Solid State Flight Data Recorder Solid State Floppy Disk Card Solid State Floppy Disk Card Solid State Frequency Changer Solid State Hard Disk Drive Solid State Heat Capacity Laser Solid State High Power Amplifier Solid State Imager with Compact Electronics Solid State Imaging Solid State Inertial Measurement Unit Solid State Instrument Landing System solid state interdiffusion Solid State Interlocking Solid state laser Solid state laser Solid State Laser Laboratory Solid State Lighting Solid State Lighting and Display Center Solid State Lighting and Energy Center Solid State Lighting Suppliers

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Of course, if you''re into gaming laptops and want a state-of-the-art machine, then a Solid State Drive may be your best option, assuming money is no object.

Gaming Laptops - Will Solid State Drives Replace Hard Drives? by Titus Hoskins / Computers and Internet community

8" Solid State Drive (SSD) is available fitted to the recently launched Lenovo ThinkPad X301 ultra-portable notebook computer.

Samsung SSDs fitted to Lenovo ThinkPad X301 ultra-portables by Worldwide Computer Products News

Strong customer interest in our technology is validating the imminent transitions in data recovery technology trends for peripheral storage devices, both hard disk drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD).

Link_A_Media Secures $18 Million in Series C Funding by Business Wire

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