Solid State Drives

Dave had just begun to evaluate solid state drives for laptop computers when the space shuttle Discovery blasted off in March.

Dave and Nathan watched that launch from their kayaks.They had rowed out to an island in the Indian River, just 10 miles from the launch site, and had a great view. 

So how does the shuttle relate to the solid state drives for the computer?

The G-forces and particularly the vibration in a shuttle launch would destry all standard drives.  But solid state drives will withstand that, and even more.

Most locations where NTM missionaries work are environmentally challenged. Between the heat and rough conditions, computers are being operated outside the standard specifications. 

Standard drives have these specs:

• 30 – 35 degrees Celsius (85-95 Fahrenheit)
• 10,000 feet elevation
• Shock rating is 2G
• Vibration is minimal

The solid state drives have these specs:

• 70 degrees Celsius (160 Fahrenheit)
• 0 gravity environment
• 1,500 G’s shock
• 20 G’s vibration  (The shuttle experiences 10 to 15 G’s vibration.)

A four-inch drop will destroy an average laptop drive. Bumps in normal use can make a standard drive unusable, and cause serious data loss.

But a test of a solid state drive showed it dropping from a 3-story building onto concrete, with no damage to the drive. 

With a solid state drive, the missionary doesn’t have to worry about any of the environmental issues.  Data integrity is extremely good. 

Dave evalutated 7 brands of solid state drives.

• Pray as he makes recommendations for NTM missionaries about these drives.