500GB Solid State Drives

Solid state drives are fast storage devices with plenty of space for personal files, music and video. They come in several different physical formats designed for use in desktop and laptop computers, Ultrabooks and data center drive enclosures. Staples carries SSDs from Samsung, SanDisk and Crucial, including 500GB solid state drives.

A Drive for Any Device
These products come in many different form factors. The most common size is the 2.5-inch SATA drive, which fits in the standard drive bays found in most desktop or laptop computers. They also fit in drive enclosures used in data centers, making them an ideal solution for high-speed, rack-mounted computing needs. M.2 and mSATA drives are smaller and plug directly into a computer motherboard. They fit in devices with limited space such as Ultrabooks and tablets.

500GB SSDs Offer Fast Data Access
Unlike traditional hard drives, which store information on spinning platters, SSDs have no moving parts. They use memory chips for data storage, making them many times faster than hard disks. These products read information at up to 555 megabytes per second and write at up to 520 megabytes per second.

Space for All Your Stuff
Solid state drives come in a range of sizes, but the price per gigabyte increases as drives get bigger. An SSD with 500GB of space offers a good balance of storage versus price and can meet the needs of most business and home computer users. One of these devices can hold more than 8,000 hours of MP3 music, 480 hours of high-quality video, 15,000 digital photos or thousands of pages of word processing documents.

Efficient and Reliable Data Storage
These devices include features that improve drive performance and ensure data integrity. SSDs use S.M.A.R.T. technology, which monitors memory health and alerts users to potential problems before they occur. They also support Trim commands that let the drive's controller and garbage collection system manage internal storage efficiently, increasing the product's operating life. Most SSDs have a mean time between failures of 1.5 million hours. Because they have no moving parts, solid state drives are exceptionally durable. They can operate at temperatures between 32 and 158 degrees Fahrenheit and withstand impacts of up to 1,500Gs.

SSDs are also energy efficient. Most use between 2.5 and 3.6 watts when they're running, less than half the power used by a typical hard disk. Most of these devices also support DevSleep mode. Sleeping drives use almost no power, and, thanks to their memory-based design, wake up instantly when needed.

A Safe Storage Data Option
Solid state drives often have security features that protect the home and business data they contain. Devices that support AES data encryption protect stored information with a password, preventing hackers or thieves from reading their contents. Many products also support the Opal Storage Specification, which outlines standards for authentication, access control and cryptographic features.

SSDs are a fast and reliable storage option for computer systems. They are energy efficient and access data much more quickly than traditional hard disks. Shop the selection of 500GB solid state drives available at Staples and enjoy high-speed access to stored personal or business data.