How Long Do Solid State Drives Last?

What is a solid state Drive?

A solid state drive is a data storage device with no moving components.  Comparatively, a mechanical hard drive is a data storage device with moving components.  Although the purpose of this article is not comparing the two, it’s worthing noting that there are significant differences.  For example, solid state drives improve the performance of your computer, while mechanical hard drives make data recovery easier.  Furthermore, both SSD and mechanical drives can last 10 years, under the right circumstances.  At the present time, any shop that performs computer repair in Colorado Springs can replace both an SSD and an HDD.

Do solid state drives last for forever?

It is a common misconception that an SSD will last forever, this is simply not true.  In fact, solid state drives have a “shelf life”, just like any other technology.  It’s no surprise that these drives have a specific number of read/write cycles before they reach their “end of life”.  In addition, SSDs that experience higher usage tend to last less than those that are not used frequently.  For example, a computer with a solid state drive that is used daily will not last as long as one used weekly.

How long do solid state drives last?

PC technicians at DML Computer Repair in Colorado Springs have found that the life of a solid state drive is directly proportional to the warranty of the hard drive.  For example, an SSD with a 5 year warranty will likely last 5-10 years.  In fact, the lower number indicates the number years an SSD will last with heavy usage.  Comparatively, the larger number indicates how many years the SSD will last with minimal usage.  According to DML Computer Repair’s independent studies, the following graph holds true for 96% of solid state drives.

Solid State Drive Warranty (in years)	Approximate Years the Solid State Drive Will Last
1 year	1-2 years
2 years	2-3 years
3 years	3-5 years
5 years	5-10 years

How can I tell if my solid state drive is near the “end of life” stage?  

The “end of life” for a solid state drive simply means that the drive has little to no read/write cycles remaining.  In most cases, there are symptoms that you can look for to determine if your SSD is at the end of its life.  Some examples include, blue screen of death, error copying or deleting files, crashing during restarts and SSD becomes read only.  In some cases, there may be very little warning that your SSD is struggling.

When should I replace my solid state drive?

The PC technicians at DML Computer Repair in Colorado Springs, recommend that you replace your SSD before this occurs.  Below is a graph showing the optimal time to replace your SSD.  Furthermore, you will notice that these number allow for minimal probability that your SSD will die before the SSD is replaced.

Solid State Drive Warranty (in years)	When To Replace Your SSD (in years) High Usage	When To Replace Your SSD (in years) Low Usage
1 year	1 year	1 year
2 year	2 year	2 year
3 year	3 year	4 year
5 year	5 year	8 year

Where can you purchase solid state drives?

Solid state drives can be purchased at any shop that performs computer repair near me.  I would highly recommend purchasing a hard drive from a local computer repair shop.  But why?  Computer repair shops near me offer a warranty that is parallel to the warranty of the SSD they sell.  For example, DML Computer Repair sells SSDs with 5 year warranties and this company will warranty your hard drive for the same 5 years.  This means that if your SSD malfunctions within 5 years, they will return it to the manufacturer for you and replace it for free.  Unfortunately, if you purchase your hard drive online, you will need to contact the manufacturer for a replacement.  As a computer technician in Colorado Springs, I can tell you that this is not an easy process.  It really is best to allow a computer repair shop to do this for you.

Where do we get our data from?

DML Computer Repair in Colorado Springs has been gathering and analyzing data, from computer services performed in their  store since 2012.  Additionally, the data gathered does not contain client-specific data, it is stripped to basic facts.  This fact-finding method is designed to help us serve our clients better and respect client privacy.