--- title: Are SSDs in the Same League with HDDs When it Comes to Data Recovery? description: Understand how your choice of storage can affect the recoverability of data if something happens to your storage and backups. We take a closer look at the features and benefits of HDDs vs SSDs. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/are-ssds-same-league-hdds-when-it-comes-data-recovery/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Are SSDs in the Same League with HDDs When it Comes to Data Recovery? Solid-state drives (SSDs) have solved many of the problems that have historically plagued hard-disk drives (HDDs), particularly when it comes to sudden mechanical failures and longevity. In fact according to tests of a Samsung 850 Evo, the official estimates show that if you write 20GB on it every day, this SSD will last for up to 187 years. Can SSDs really replace HDDs? Let’s not forget, HDDs are first introduced in 1956 by IBM, more than 60 years ago. So let’s look and see if SSDs are as reliable as they are advertised. [Try Now](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/true-image/trial/) [![Image 2: Guennadi Moukine](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/guennadi-moukine/ "Guennadi Moukine") [Guennadi Moukine](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/guennadi-moukine/) 3 min read Last updated 08 March 2018 Solid-state drives (SSDs) have solved many of the problems that have historically plagued hard-disk drives (HDDs), particularly when it comes to sudden mechanical failures and longevity. In fact according to tests of a Samsung 850 Evo, the official estimates show that if you write 20GB on it every day, this SSD will last for up to 187 years. Can SSDs really replace HDDs? Let’s not forget, HDDs are first introduced in 1956 by IBM, more than 60 years ago. So let’s look and see if SSDs are as reliable as they are advertised. ### HDD vs. SSD For a long time, HDDs were the only hard drive technology available on which to [store your data](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/cloud/backup/), although the capacity has increased tremendously. Now we have HDDs that can hold several TBs. Despite the increased capacity, the mechanical structure remains largely the same. Every HDD contains a magnetic disk (or stacked disks). A record-player-looking arm writes information to the disk by magnetizing different disk sections as the disks spin up to 15,000 revolutions per minute (RPM). I bet you can already see the problem here. Since HDDs are mechanical in nature, the wear-and-tear is a constant problem. Personal experience and various reports say that HDDs can usually last for about four to five years of regular use. If your computer is that old, now is the time to think about a new hard drive. Their mechanical nature shouldn’t completely deter you from HDDs, however. HDDs are inexpensive and will remain in use for many years to come. And while they might not last as long and are vulnerable to physical damage, recovering data from a failed HDD is reportedly easier than from SSDs. SSDs on the other hand use a different type of technology that doesn’t rely on the moving parts of an HDD. They use flash memory chips that allow them to hold information when the power is off. The lack of moving parts means SSDs can last for a lot longer than HDDs. Here is a formula how calculate SSD life expectancy – but remember, it doesn't take into account the fact that parts can simply fail and stop working. ![Image 3: Calculating the life expectancy of SSDs](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4339f347ae3ecf5bf50be5b7a5ff3b11.png) Calculating the life expectancy of SSDs Where: 1. **Write cycles**are specified by the manufacturer 2. **Capacity**is usually in GB 3. **SSD-factor** is the rate of real amount of data vs. actual written data 4. **Data per year**is the estimated data written on the SSD a year ### SSDs and the problem with cells and firmware The problem is that every SSD storage cell has a limited life expectancy and you can only write so much data on it until it fails. Each time you want to add new data, the old data needs to be [deleted](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/how-to-recover-files/). This repeated use wears down the cell, of course, in the same way using an eraser over and over on the same place wears out the paper. According to EE Times, all it takes for a computer to not properly boot is for a few cells on the SSD to fail. They quote DeepSpar Data Recovery Sales Director Serge Shirobokov as saying, “Both hard drives and SSDs can have bad sectors that lead to data loss, but for the latter, it takes only small percentage to make the drive inaccessible and since the translation tables are stored on flash, the controller can stop working too.” ### Backup is the only reliable data protection [SSDs](https://kb.acronis.com/content/2699) are fairly new and there is no conclusive data to determine their reliability. But it appears that SSDs fail just as often as their traditional counterparts. Whichever drive you use, backup remains the only sure way to guarantee the safety of your data. Making either a [full image backup](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/true-image-features/imaging/) or [cloning your disk](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/resource-center/resource/cloning-software/) with imaging software will ensure that all of the data you have will survive if the disk fails. If you’re not doing it already, [back up all your data](https://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/backup/) now! [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 4: Guennadi Moukine](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png) Guennadi Moukine [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/beauty-choice-building-hybrid-cloud-world/) [The Beauty of Choice: Building a Hybrid Cloud World](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/beauty-choice-building-hybrid-cloud-world/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/ready-go-survey-shows-businesses-paying-attention-data-protection/) [Ready to Go! Survey Shows Businesses Paying Attention to Data Protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/ready-go-survey-shows-businesses-paying-attention-data-protection/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 5: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 6: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 7: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read