How Solid State Drives Have Become So Popular
Traditional platter hard drive speed has been the limiting factor when trying to read and write data fast since the development of digital storage. While still much faster than tape or disc-based media, hard drives can’t even compare to the fast access that flash memory enables. In the past, flash memory was prohibitively expensive as a solution for long-term data storage – not mention the extremely high volatility rates and the need for a constant supply of power. The technology was just not mature enough and well understood at the time. How were the issues with flash memory solved, and how was this tech made available to the masses? Let’s look at the evolution of this critical storage solution. Some History Memory-based long-term storage devices have existed for almost as long as computers. Early iterations of solid-state drives were extremely bulky and expensive, costing millions or even billions if inflation is considered. By the time the 1980s rolled around, manufacturers and engineers had a better grasp of flash memory systems and started using them to better effect. RAM disks were a relatively uncommon alternative to hard disk drives. They are much smaller and faster than previous SSD offerings, but they…
