Is it stressful when your computer initializes slowly? Do you feel like you are wasting essential time waiting for your computer to be ready for you? Are you asking yourself, Why does it take so long to start my computer?

The Boot Time

When you turn on the power switch of your computer, the internal computer program (boot loader) of your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) runs self-tests, locates devices, finds, loads and starts your operating system. This all needs to be completed before you can begin accessing your programs, devices and applications.

The average boot time of a fast Hard Disk Drive (HDD) of 7200rpm is about 45 seconds to one minute. But most computers don't come with 7200rpm HDDs unless requested. Enter the Solid State Drives (SSD). These have revolutionized how quickly our computers read and write.

The average boot time of a Solid State Drive (SDD) is about 8 seconds to 20 seconds. That's a whole lot faster! These drives have been out for years, so why do we choose to talk about it now? In the past, the cost efficiency for what you were getting was not good. During 2005-2007 the prices would average about $3/GB; a decent SSD of 250 GB was over $750. Why get a 250GB SDD for $750 when one could get a 3TB HDD, at that time, for about the same price? Today, SSDs are about $0.47-$0.50 per GB, so they are moderately cost-efficient for the performance you are gaining.

A Note About The Processor

A computer has many other components aside from the HDD or SSD, some of which also contribute to the speed performance. One such component is the computer processor unit (the chip that handles receiving the input and providing the output of your mouse, keyboard and applications). The speed at which the processor reads commands also contributes to how quickly your computer is able to respond. If your computer has a DUO core processor with 2.4ghz or better, there will be a noticeable difference in performance when the SSD is installed. Anything below that type of processor would not notice performance improvement because their processor is too slow to support the read/write speeds of an SSD.

How Do You Make The Switch?

Do your research on Solid State Drives (SSD). Make sure you understand what will be required of the installation and think through whether it is something you are comfortable doing yourself or if you'll need the service of a computer repair service. Once you decide on what's best for you, purchase it and follow the installation procedures.

Finally, these drives are revolutionizing the speed computers have to offer, and you will see a noticeable performance gain. It's worth considering.

To view the original article, visit the Tech Helpline blog.