Question:


??????

??Want to improve this question? Update the question so it can be answered with facts and citations by editing this post. ?

??

Closed 6 years ago.

???? ??Improve this question ?? ?

I am in need of backing up some photos from all the phones in the family to a safe location.

I am considering buying just a normal HDD, but I think that an SSD is also an option here?

I know that SSD’s don’t have any moving parts and can survive any falls while HDD’s tend to be very sensetive to shocks etc..

I tried to lookup some information on what is safer to use for a backup: HDD or SSD?

But all the information found is old (2011/2012) and most of them talk only about data-recovery from a failed drive, not actual backup purposes. SSD’s have advanced pretty much in meantime so I think this is a question worth re-asking on the internet:

Is it safer to use an SSD for backup purposes or use an HDD instead?

i.e.:

I have to admit that the idea of an SSD surviving a rough “ride” is very convincing but I have heard SSD’s last only 5 years whilst HDD’s last much longer (10+ years before the data starts to degrade)?

Non-opinion update:

Question: What is the difference between HDD and SSD data retention rates when the drive sits unused/unread for 5, 10, 20, 50 years? Does the charge “evaporate” leaving the data unreadable?

Question can now be answered without opinions.

Answer: Yes, SSDs are safe to use for backup purposes. ?(Although, I can’t imagine why you would want to, but that’s a different subject.)

enter image description here

A few lessons we should learn from this:

  • SSDs are not less reliable than HDDs
  • Modern SSDs are still unproven technology
  • Multi-layer cell memory is more reliable (but costs more)
  • Most importantly, any kind of drive can fail. ?If the data matters, plan accordingly.