Flash vs. Ram vs. Hard Disk: Flash memory offers lower power and some extra stability over a hard disk, but costs much more.
Enterprises already use SSDs; such drives cost thousands of dollars per gigabyte. But flash has grown more affordable, making mainstream use viable. "More affordable" is relative, of course: Flash's cost per gigabyte is still over 50 times that of a hard disk.
This premium buys a drive that doesn't rely on power-hungry spinning platters with mobile read/write heads perched near data surfaces. The end result is longer laptop battery life--over 30 minutes longer, vendors estimate--and lower energy bills when you're plugged in, plus more protection for your data when your system endures rough handling. Another perk: If you now wait seemingly endless seconds for your PC to reboot, an SSD may save several seconds each time.
Samsung's drives, which should be shipping before you read this, will include 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch versions in capacities ranging from 2GB to 16GB, with an additional 2.5-inch 32GB model (their prices are not yet set). The SSDs will replace traditional drives first in subnotebooks and tablets.
Answered by
savesh singh
, an ibibo Citizen,
at
11:46 AM on April 23, 2008