SSD
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer Hardware
| Stands for | Solid-state drive |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
SSD stands for Solid-state drive, a computer hardware abbreviation.
Storage device that keeps data in NAND flash memory chips with no moving parts, making it far faster, quieter and more shock-resistant than a hard drive. A SATA SSD reads at about 550 MB/s, while NVMe models on PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 reach 7,000 to over 14,000 MB/s.
Example: Swapping the old hard drive for an SSD made the laptop boot in ten seconds instead of two minutes.
Usage notes
Common forms are the 2.5-inch SATA drive and the M.2 stick. A controller chip spreads writes evenly across the flash to limit wear, and the TRIM command tells it which blocks are free. SSDs are rated for endurance in terabytes written, and unpowered drives can lose data after long storage, so they are not ideal for cold archives. Prices per terabyte fell steeply through the 2010s.
Related abbreviations
More computer hardware abbreviations
- SMR – Shingled magnetic recording
- SMT – Simultaneous multithreading
- SO-DIMM – Small outline dual inline memory module
- SoC – System on a chip
- SPD – Serial presence detect
- SRAM – Static random-access memory
- SSHD – Solid-state hybrid drive
- TBW – Terabytes written
- TDP – Thermal design power
- TFLOPS – Teraflops
- TIM – Thermal interface material
- TLC – Triple-level cell