Introduction

I recently took the MTRON MOBI 3.5 inch desktop SSD for a test drive and found the performance of the latest SSDs to be breathtaking, but costly. At this time, SSD for the desktop feels like a long way away due to high costs, but there is one market that is adopting the technology at a rapid rate.

The notebook market has been begging for low cost SSD technology for many years, and for the last three they have started to implement the drives into their flagship products. Mid-priced models are starting to see SSD technology in the upgradable options list and the price is coming down.

For mobile users, SSD technology offers more benefits over its desktop brethren. When was the last time you were worried about how much power your desktop was using or found yourself rushing to get a document finished before your power shut off? For most business travelers, battery life is vital to closing a big deal or making that cross country flight halfway enjoyable. Standard hard drives draw a lot of power since they need to spin a platter and move the read/write heads across the internal disks, a mechanical action that requires a large amount of power.

Solid State Drives lose all mechanical movements and the result is lower power consumption. Additionally, the loss of mechanical actions makes SSDs able to withstand large impact loads, such as a notebook drop. The US military has been using SSD technology for years in their systems that are required in the field where harsh conditions and frequent impacts are common.