Improving SSD Performance

Storage technology is constantly evolving. One of the latest technologies is the Solid State Drive (SSD) - which replaces traditional electro-mechanical parts (i.e. rotating disk platters and read/write heads) with flash memory.

Benefits of SSD storage include:

• Very fast random access times due to elimination of slow electro-mechanical components
• Low read latency times due to elimination of disk seek times
• Consistent read performance because physical location of data doesn't matter (there is no "fastest" part of the drive as in traditional disk drives)
• File fragmentation has a negligible effect due to the elimination of electro-mechanical components (seeking)

Due to the nature of the flash memory and how data is currently written, SSD write performance degrades over time. Every write to a solid state drive results in the undesirable action known as “write amplification,” which shortens the life of the drive. But there is something you can do to slow down, if not reverse, the effects of write amplification.

To read more, download whitepaper: Improving SSD Performance: Combating Write Amplification to Extend SSD Lifespan