Microsoft could kill off hard drives in favor of SSDs as early as 2023
Microsoft would seek to permanently kill the HDD format, pushing PC manufacturers to favor SSD drives, which are faster and more efficient. From 2023, all computers sold on Windows 11 would abandon the traditional hard drive.
Will the traditional hard drive, or HDD, finally finally disappear? In any case, this is what an analyst from Trendfocus says. The latter claims that Microsoft is pushing computer manufacturers (OEMs) to abandon this outdated format to favor the SSD, faster, more durable and more efficient.
According to the analyst, manufacturers will no longer be able to put HDDs in their PCs equipped with Windows 11 as early as 2023. Yet there is no indication that Microsoft is asking for such a thing.
The SSD could become mandatory on PCs as soon as 2023
Indeed, Microsoft’s hardware requirements for Windows 11 PCs absolutely do not require the use of SSD. OEMs must, at a minimum, include 64 GB of storage in their PC if they want to ship the OS, regardless of the format. The SSD is only necessary for the use of DirectStorage (feature dedicated to video games) as well as to install Android applications.
The Redmond firm did not comment. For the moment, the HDD is therefore still officially tolerated, but we must not kid ourselves: it is an outdated format that is doomed to disappear.
Read also – Windows 11 test: Microsoft is making its revolution smoothly
In 2022, almost all PCs on the market (desktops or laptops) are equipped with an SSD, at least in main disc. It is unthinkable today to have an HDD as the first disk. Slow, noisy and inefficient in terms of data transfer, this format has been gradually replaced by the SSD, which also has the advantage of being more compact.
However, some manufacturers, especially in gaming, continue to use HDDs as secondary drives for a very simple reason: it is less expensive ! When looking to offer a computer with 1 TB storage at a low price, this is the format to rely on. Switching to all-SSD would mean lowering the storage capacity of products, or increasing their price. According to Tom’s Hardware, the price of a GB on an SSD is three times more expensive than on an HDD (0.14 dollars against 0.05 dollars).
It remains to be seen whether prices will change with the total replacement of the HDD by the SSD format. Logically, yes.
Source : Tom’s Hardware
