eMMC and SSD are two types of storage that you’d usually find on budget laptops and tablets. A casual user would hardly understand how these two stand in front of each other. However, it is important to know in order to get the full value of your money. That’s why I’m sharing this very simple eMMC vs SSD guide.
In this post, we are going to take a look at a brief comparison between Embedded MultiMediaCard and Solid-State Drive. We will compare them on different bases like performance, speed, affordability, etc to find out which one is better than the other. Most importantly, which one should you choose? Find out below.
What is an eMMC (Embedded MultiMediaCard)?
eMMC is an abbreviation for embedded MultiMediaCard, and it is a common variant of MMC. An MMC is a memory card standard that is used for solid-state storage. Some other variants of MMC include RS-MMC, MMCplus, DV-MMC, etc. eMMC is an internal storage card that is generally used in portable devices as it is pretty affordable and compact.
You can find it in smartphones, budget laptops, tablets, and even digital cameras. You can also use eMMCs on a computer or high-end laptop to store data. An eMMC equipped device’s internal storage can be increased simply by inserting a memory card in its memory card slot.
An eMMC offers both flash memory and a flash memory controller integrated on the same silicon plate. It is a great option for a low-cost flash memory system in consumer electronics. However, since the introduction of SD cards, their usage has declined.
What is an SSD (Solid-State Drive)?
SSD is an acronym for Solid-State Drive, also known as Solid-State Device or Solid-State Disk. It is solid-state storage that uses an integrated circuit as storage to store data permanently. It offers faster performance, better data transfer speeds, and more resistance to physical impacts. SSDs also consume lower power and give silent operating processes. Due to all of this, they are comparatively expensive.
You can find SSDs on computers, laptops, and other high-performance electronic devices. They are considered the perfect replacement for HDD on any PC to make it faster. That’s why new machines are offering SSD as the main storage source.
The price is the only limitation when it comes to using SSD on your system. However, it is expected that may go down with time.
eMMC vs SSD: Complete Comparison
Now that you have got the basic idea of what an eMMC and an SSD are, you can easily understand their differences. The comparison will help you to decide which one is better according to your preference and which one should you use.
Both eMMC and SSD operate on the NAND principles and are used in laptops and other electronics, but they have their fair share of differences. The most prominent difference is that the eMMC is a type of flash storage based on the MMC standard but SSD is a type of solid-state storage. Thus, eMMC is used for the temporary storage of data on portable devices, but SSD is used for permanent data storage.
eMMC vs SSD: 5 Major Differences
Here are the 5 major differences that will help you understand eMMC vs SDD in a briefer manner.
Point-1: An eMMC usually has only one NAND gate while SSDs have more than one NAND gate. They both use the same principle for fast data transfer but have a different number of NAND gates.
Point-2: eMMC offers a maximum data transfer rate of about 400MB/s while SSD can offer much more than that. Therefore, eMMC only runs faster for small file storage but SSD provides better performance in large file storage.
Point-3: They both are composed of different components. eMMCs have similar components to an SD card or USB stick but SSDs have powerful controller chips and fast NAND Flash memory.
Point-4: Due to their structure, their connection is also different. eMMC is usually directly soldered onto the motherboard but the SSD drives are connected via the SATA cable.
Point-5: eMMCs are available in 32GB and 64GB sizes, and in 128GB, at most. On the other hand, SSD has much larger sizes with 128GB, 256GB, 320GB, and 512GB. Due to this, they are used in different sorts of electronics. eMMCs are more common to budget-friendly devices, while SSDs are found in high-end systems.
These are the main differences between an eMMC and an SSD.
Is eMMC Faster than SSD?
eMMC is a type of Flash Memory storage, so one would wonder it can outclass a solid-state drive easily. However, eMMC is not actually faster than a sophisticated SSD. A Solid-State Drive consists of multiple Flash memory chips, high-quality hardware, robust firmware, and a fast interface. Along with this, they use multiple NAND gates.
On the other hand, an eMMC uses only one NAND gate and lacks the components to deliver speed as fast as an SSD. It can only read and write files at 400MB/s speed. Therefore, an eMMC is NOT faster than an SSD.
Is eMMC Better than SSD?
Both eMMC and SSD are storage devices used in electronics. To decide which one is better than the other, you’d have to figure out your preferences first. If you are looking for an economical, fast, and lightweight storage solution to temporarily store small files in a portable device, then eMMC would be a better option for you.
However, if you want better performance, faster speed, lower power consumption, and budget is not your concern, then SSD will be the best option for you. If you need quality, you should go with SSD on your laptop or any other device.
Can you replace eMMC with SSD?
If you have the budget, then why not. SSD will be better than the old eMMC storage on your laptop or computer in every aspect. It will offer more storage, better performance, and a faster way of transferring data. You can upgrade your laptop to an SSD to get an enhanced overall performance out of it.
However, SSDs are costly. You will have to spend a handsome amount of money on buying one and then installing it in your system.
Final Verdict: eMMC vs SSD
eMMC vs SSD is a debate that constantly keeps buzzing on the web. Now you know both the participants and their specialties. For a quick overview, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of both.
Pros of eMMC:
- Very economical.
- Fast transfer speed.
- Suitable for budget devices.
Cons of eMMC:
- Not available in big sizes.
- Slower than SSD.
- Can’t process heavier tasks.
Pros of SSD:
- Bigger storage is available.
- Very fast transfer speeds up to 3,000MB/s/
- Able to perform any computing task.
Cons of SSD:
- Pretty costly.
- Not able to recover lost data.
Now you know which one is better, faster, and more suitable for your device. I’d recommend you upgrade to an SSD if your PC is slowing down, and you prefer to use it for your work.
That’s all for this guide. I hope it helps you enough. Feel free to share your experiences with eMMC and SSD in the comments section.
