Solid-state drives for Mac

They are faster and more reliable but think carefully before splashing the cash

- David Crookes

YOU WILL LEARN  
How solid-state drives store data, and the things to look out for when buying and using one

SSDs offer a quieter, more reliable and faster way to read and write your data

When you buy a new Mac, you can choose how much storage you want.

Our advice? Don’t rush your decision. While opting for a higher capacity drive is going to cost you hundreds or, in some cases, thousands, making the correct, upfront choice will determine how useful your Mac will be in the future. One thing’s for sure, don’t bank on going larger later down the line!

Not too long ago, the situation weighed less heavily on your wallet. The choice of high-capacity internal computer storage was generally limited to hard drives (highly-mechanised devices which use a head to read and write data on rapidly spinning discs (aka magnetic coated platters) and they were easier to access and relatively inexpensive compared to the solid-state drives (SSDs) that Apple now places in its modern machines.

Yet there are myriad reasons for why you shouldn’t grumble too much about the move towards SSDs. Ever since Apple made them a factory option for internal storage for the MacBook Air in January 2008 – and ditched hard drives for good three years ago – they’ve offered a quieter, more reliable and faster way to read and write your data. They also generate less heat, draw less juice and offer shorter startup times. But how do they work?

Life ahead