CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)InfrastructureMedium
A technician is comparing storage drives for a laptop upgrade. Which characteristic is a primary advantage of an SSD over a traditional HDD?
- AHigher storage capacity at the same price
- BLower cost per gigabyte
- CNo moving parts, resulting in faster access times
- DUses magnetic platters for greater durability
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. No moving parts, resulting in faster access times
SSDs use flash memory chips with no moving mechanical parts, allowing much faster data access and greater resistance to physical shock compared to HDDs, which rely on spinning magnetic platters. HDDs typically offer lower cost per gigabyte and higher capacity for the price.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. HDDs usually offer more capacity per dollar than SSDs.
- B. HDDs typically have a lower cost per gigabyte, not SSDs.
- D. Magnetic platters are an HDD feature, not an SSD advantage.
SSD vs HDD
SSDs use flash memory with no moving parts for faster speeds; HDDs use spinning magnetic platters offering more capacity per dollar.
- SSD: faster, no moving parts, more expensive per GB
- HDD: cheaper per GB, higher capacities, slower
- SSDs more shock-resistant
- HDDs use read/write heads over platters
Memory trick: SSD = Speedy Silent Drive; HDD = Heavy Disk Drive.