eMMC vs SSD – DIY in 5 Ep 196

There are so many things to consider when buying a desktop or laptop. NAND Flash memory is very fast in terms of storage, but you may find yourself needing to choose between PCs with eMMC or SSD.

eMMC
eMMC stands for embedded MultiMedia Card, which is typically soldered onto the device’s motherboard. eMMC can be cheaper than SSDs, at the cost of speed. eMMC version 5.1A has transfer speeds comparable to SATA drives (400MB/s). Better than traditional hard drives, but definitely lacking compared to quality SSDs.

With these performance limitations, why choose eMMC other than price point? Think about it. If you are shopping for a cheap laptop or tablet, chances are companies are not putting in their super high-end SSDs. Therefore, you can pay less for the same performance by choosing eMMC. If you’re building a machine to surf the web, create documents, or stream media, you’d be unlikely to notice a difference between an eMMC or a super-fast SSD. Anyone using Chromebooks, budget laptops, or tablets has already learned this for themselves. With a lower cost per gigabyte and lower power consumption they are popular with PC builders on a budget. However, they max out at just 256GB of storage.

SSD
The alternative is SSD. It stands for solid-state drive, and is the most popular storage type for computers and laptops. Before SSDs, people used mechanical drives (HDDs, or hard drives) for storage needs. These still see some use for archives and places where an SSD’s speed is unnecessary. SSDs connect to motherboards via SATA 3 or PCI interface, and unlike eMMC can be easily removed and upgraded. SSDs can also be found in laptops, desktops, and tablets, albeit at a higher price point.

Users that edit videos or run advanced apps/games should choose SSDs. Gamers favor SSDs for the faster boot and load times, as well as the considerable storage options (up to 4TB). Video editors can fit a project onto the average SSD without issue, and gamers can keep a library of games on one, something difficult to do these days with the limitations of eMMC. However, the choice between the two will hinge on the requirements of the build.

eMMC is a good option for tasks like social media, email, and streaming. The cloud offers options for additional storage if needed. Music programmers, video editors, and gamers should choose SSD and not look back. Faster storage speeds, increased storage size, and the ability to upgrade (unlike with most eMMC) all make it the right option for these users.

Recap
In summary, eMMC is purpose-built storage designed to be reliable and inexpensive. It’s well-suited for low-intensity workloads and browser-based interactions. Other builds will require greater investment to achieve the necessary performance, storage and flexibility, and for these SSDs are vital. Think of it this way – can you fit your OS plus your favorite game or program in 256GB? Most likely, no. eMMC is not an option in these cases. The speed benefits that SSDs offer over eMMC are too significant to walk away from for high-end users.
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0:00 Intro
0:47 eMMC
2:11 SSD
3:45 Recap
4:25 Outro