Storage technologies play a big role in determining performance, speed, and overall efficiency. There are three main types of storage devices – Hard Disk Drives (HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD), and NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express).
View WhitepaperIn Cloud infrastructure, storage technologies play a big role in determining performance, speed, and overall efficiency. There are three main types of storage devices – Hard Disk Drives (HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD), and NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) – each offers distinct features with unique benefits and drawbacks, influencing their suitability for various cloud infrastructure needs.
HDDs use spinning magnetic disks to store data. They are known for their large storage capacities and relatively low cost per gigabyte (GB). However, they typically have slower read/write speeds and a higher latency compared to SSDs and NVMe.
SSDs store data on flash memory, offering faster read/write speeds and lower latency than HDDs. They are more power-efficient and resistant to physical shock. SSDs generally offer better performance for random access operations and are ideal for applications requiring high I/O performance.
NVMe is an interface protocol designed for flash-based storage. It significantly boosts storage performance by reducing latency and improving I/O speeds compared to traditional SSDs. NVMe leverages the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface to deliver extremely high read/write speeds and low latency
typically have lower speeds, ranging from 80-160 MB/s for sequential read/write operations, and their Input/Output Operations per second (IOPS) range from 50 to 200.
Using SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), SSD have faster speeds than HDDs on average, often ranging from 200 MB/s to 550 MB/s for sequential read/write, with IOPS varying from thousands to tens of thousands.
Because NVMe uses PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect express) lanes and interfaces, they can deliver exceptional speeds, reaching sequential read/write speeds of 1,500 MB/s to 7,000 MB/s or higher, and IOPS ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions.
Benefits: Cost-effectiveness for large storage capacities.
HDDs are very cheap to buy, meaning you can get a lot more storage at a lower cost. If you’re looking to store a large quantity of data on a server and have a smaller budget, then HDD is a good storage option.
Downsides: Less reliable and resistant, slower speeds, higher latency, and less suitable for high-performance applications.
Although HDDs are good for having a lower cost per GB compared to other storage options, its speeds and latency aren’t good. They are significantly slower than SSDs and NVMe which use SATA or PCIe interfaces to give them faster speeds.
HDDs have a very low speed and IOPS and are also less reliable and more prone to drive failures because of their delicate spinning magnetic disks.
Benefits: Faster speeds, lower latency, and better performance for I/O-intensive tasks, also use up less energy than HDDs.
SSDs are a good balance between HDDs and NVMe for cost, they have much higher speeds and lower latency than HDDs and aren’t entirely unaffordable when opting for larger sized options, even for those on a budget. They’re also less prone to fail or corrupt as they do not have any moving parts or magnets inside of them, so you don’t need to worry as much about drive failures. If you want to have a better experience and satisfy your clients with faster speeds and better performance overall, then SSDs are a great choice for you.
Downsides: Higher cost per gigabyte compared to HDDs.
Whilst the prices for SSDs have been decreasing over the years, SSDs still cost more for the same storage capacity than traditional HDDs. This higher cost can be a limiting factor when considering large storage requirements, particularly if they’re in the terabytes.
Benefits: Exceptional read/write speeds, ultra-low latency, ideal for high-performance computing, data-intensive applications, and real-time analytics.
NVMe can deliver read and write speeds several times faster than SATA-based SSDs. This speed advantage translates into faster boot times, quicker application launches, and overall improved system responsiveness.
Downsides: Higher cost compared to SSDs, limited storage capacities in some cases.
For users who prioritise affordability, compatibility with older systems, or perform light computing tasks where speed isn't critical, a standard SATA SSD might be a more suitable and cost-effective storage solution compared to NVMe SSDs.
The choice of storage type for cloud infrastructure depends on the specific requirements of applications, balancing cost, capacity, and performance needs. Understanding the characteristics and trade-offs of HDD, SSD, and NVMe storage technologies is crucial for optimising cloud infrastructure for diverse computing needs.
For example:
HDDs are often preferred when prioritising cost-effective storage solutions for vast amounts of data, particularly in scenarios where the speed of accessing that data takes a back seat to affordability and where the primary concern lies in storing large volumes of information without the need for high-speed read and write operations.
SSDs are the preferred choice for applications that demand accelerated data access, enhanced overall system performance, and minimised latency due to their capability to deliver significantly faster read and write speeds compared to traditional HDDs.
NVMe stands out as the ideal storage solution for high-performance computing, data analytics, and applications that necessitate exceptional speed and minimal latency due to its ability to deliver unparalleled performance, ultra-fast data transfer rates, and significantly reduced latency compared to traditional storage interfaces like SATA or HDDs.
At Zeus Cloud, our ZC2 Cloud Infrastructure uses enterprise-grade NVMe for all our cloud services. Private Cloud, Public Cloud, and Hybrid Cloud use NVMe to store data on both our compute and storage nodes.
This means that users can get 16x faster speeds with Enterprise NVMe Storage directly attached to the node. However, our prices are still very affordable compared to other cloud providers.
