This is the question we are asked most often by customers upgrading an older computer. Here is the plain-English answer.
The one-line answer
Buy an SSD for your operating system and daily work. Buy a hard disk (HDD) when you need lots of cheap storage. Many people use both.
Speed - this is the big one
An SSD has no moving parts, so it reads data many times faster than a spinning hard disk. In real use this means:
- Windows starts in around 15 seconds instead of 1-2 minutes
- Programs like Chrome, Excel and Tally open almost instantly
- The computer stops "hanging" when several apps are open
If your computer feels slow, an SSD upgrade usually makes a bigger difference than adding RAM or changing the processor.
Price and capacity
Hard disks are cheaper per GB. A 1TB hard disk costs far less than a 1TB SSD. So if you store thousands of photos, videos or backups, a hard disk still makes sense for that bulk data.
Durability
SSDs have no spinning parts, so they survive bumps and drops much better - important for laptops that travel. Hard disks can fail if knocked while running.
Which should you choose?
| Your need | Best choice |
|---|---|
| Slow laptop, want it fast | SSD (240GB-512GB) |
| Store lots of photos/videos | HDD (1TB-4TB) |
| Best of both | SSD for Windows + HDD for storage |
| Gaming / video editing | NVMe SSD |
What about NVMe?
NVMe is a faster type of SSD that plugs directly into the motherboard. If your laptop or motherboard has an M.2 NVMe slot, it is the fastest option available.
Not sure what fits your computer?
Bring your laptop or tell us the model - we will check which drive type it supports and fit it for you. We stock tested SSDs, NVMe drives and hard disks with warranty, and we can move your existing Windows and files across so nothing is lost.