What is a major advantage of SSDs over magnetic hard drives?

A major advantage of solid-state drives (SSDs) over magnetic hard drives (HDDs) is their higher speed and durability. SSDs utilize flash memory, which allows for significantly faster data access and transfer speeds compared to the mechanical components of HDDs. This results in shorter boot times, quicker file transfers, and improved overall system performance.

Moreover, SSDs are more durable because they have no moving parts; this makes them less susceptible to physical shock, vibration, and wear and tear over time. In contrast, HDDs can be damaged if dropped or handled roughly, as they rely on spinning disks and read/write heads to function.

While SSDs can indeed be physically smaller and offer varying capacities, these factors do not directly contribute to their main advantage over HDDs. Additionally, SSDs typically have a higher cost per gigabyte compared to traditional magnetic drives. Therefore, their combination of increased speed and improved durability are the standout benefits that set them apart.