microsoft has given, according to Tech Radar, instructions to PC manufacturers to stop installing conventional hard drivesknown as HDD, and that instead mount SSD storage drives on all devices and computers intended to install and run Windows 11.
This rule, yes, is applied exclusively to the drives that the system uses to boot, which are those on which the operating system works. However, these disks are in many cases the only file storage system of a computer, which means that a large majority of computers will mount SSD drives, since they are also the majority of computers on which Windows is installed. And although Windows 11 is not yet universally extended, this movement indicates that from now on all computers sold will carry SSDs to the detriment of HDDs. If not, they will not be able to install Windows 11, or the following versions.
The step has probably been taken to increase the performance of Windows 11 systems, although the ultimate goal is unknown, since Microsoft has not publicly stated what reasons have led it to make this decision. But according to several analysts, Microsoft has given equipment builders until the end of 2023 to make the change in storage units.
This, although it is not the definitive death sentence for HDD hard drives, it can be a good stick for them. For now, SSDs are priced higher and somewhat higher in price, but their cost is steadily falling due to advances in manufacturing as well as flash storage technology.
The cost per GB is already starting to balance out, at least, in the case of the lower performance units. But everything indicates that it will be more equal, and also in the rest of the units. However, prices for larger drives remain very high, which may lead to reduced storage space on Windows PCs in the future, given the still high price of, say, 1TB SSDs. capacity. or to the fact that, finally, the price of SSD drives falls because their demand and therefore their manufacture increase significantly.
That is why it is a matter of time before they are comparable in price to HDDs. And given that its performance is greater, and that with few exceptions we no longer need such large units because we have more and more information in the cloud, everything points to the fact that the future of the HDD has its days numbered. At most, they will be mounted as secondary drives in some models of PCs focused on mass data storage.
Currently, among the hardware requirements of Windows 11 there is no mention of the type of storage device. Only the minimum capacity you must have to be able to install and run the operating system. But it is likely that Microsoft will not take long to update them when this standard, which they do not confirm for now, is effective.
