Tramscom (formerly Cancom) — The Apple Mac Specialists

SSD (or Solid State Drives) really are the future of Hard Drives. They are lightning fast, extremely reliable, have a longer shelf life than regular hard drives & are becoming more & more affordable. So Tramscom has put together a full guide to get you up-to-speed on everything SSD.

What is SSD?

A Solid State Drive is essentially a hard drive, just like you have in your Mac right now. However, it differs dramatically in the way it works. Think of your current hard drive as a spining disk, each piece of data is stored in a particular location on that disk & each time you need that data, your hard drive must start spinning the entire disk to locate it. This takes time, produces heat & noise, as well as spinning a very fragile disk at a high speed.

With an SSD, there are no moving parts. It uses Flash Memory, just like you'll find in the memory card inside your digital camera. It contains one central control chip that can find the stored data almost instantly, without any need to "start up", as long as there is electricity running through the drive, it is fired up & ready to go.

Why do I need one?

The question here is Why Wouldn't You Need One? Within the next few years, as memory prices reduce, you will find that all computers, PC & Mac, will start shipping with SSD. So by upgrading you will be getting in early with a new technology.

You will find that your new SSD will be lightning fast, completely silent, product far less heat than your stanrd HD & should last for the lifetime of your machine.

What's with the price tag?

Solid State Drives are currently priced at a much high level than the comparible Standard Hard Disks, this is due to the technology being far more advanced & the price of flash memory still being very high.

At this moment in time, SSD is being used cleverly, so that only the files that require immediate access are stored on the drives.

Professional users.

If you are a designer, film maker, photographer, or any kind of media professional. You will know by now that moving large media files can take a lifetime! No more worries with an SSD. With speeds of upto 230MB a second, you will find that your HD movie, Hi-Res images or lastest masterpiece, will be moved in a flash.

Home users.

For the regular home user, SSD can revolutionise the way you use your Mac. Since computers were first introduced, there has always been a "Start Up Time" between you hitting the power button & your machine being ready for action. This has been because of the time it takes for the required files to be found on your hard disk & processed by your Mac.

But introduce SSD into the equation & things change. If you install your Operating System onto your SSD, then those files become instantly accessible & your Mac will boot in a matter of seconds! The same rule applies for your favourite programs, if they are also stored on your SSD, they will be opened as soon as you click your mouse.

Installation.

If you're tech savvy, you can install a Solid State Drive in any iMac or Macbook Pro with a spare SATA connector. Apple offer guides for installing these on their website & you can buy your SSD online at Tramscom. Please check our selection of SSD drives below. Some drives come with installation kits & some do not, but this will be clear in the product title or description.

If you have no idea what a SATA connector is, then you are probably best having Tramscom install your SSD for you at one of our stores. We will also be able to advise which sized drive is best for you. To get started, you can call our technical team on 01483 500 505.