When it comes to comparing mechanical hard drives (HDD) to modern solid state drives (SSD), the outcome is a foregone conclusion. The latter is vastly superior to its older counterpart in almost every way. And so, upgrading your storage with a new SSD is a smart move, as it will not only future-proof your PC, but also make your system run much faster.

If you’re considering purchasing a new SSD (or already have one), here’s how to use it as your primary drive after installing or cloning Windows 11 to get the most out of your SSD.

The difference between HDD and SSD is not a matter of degree, but of type. HDDs have a lot of moving parts – spindles, spinning platters, read/write arms, etc. – damage to any of these parts can result in a failed drive. As a result, durability is not the strongest suit of HDDs. They also cannot match the speeds that SSDs offer.

Where HDDs use mechanical components, SSDs use flash memory to hold and access data. The lack of moving parts makes them sturdy and less susceptible to damage from drops, while also making them faster and more power-efficient.