this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
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Explain Like I'm Five

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Why do SSDs have a more limited number of times data can be written to them, but RAM memory can handle loads of re-writes? (self.explainlikeimfive)
submitted 1 year ago by lemmington_steele to c/explainlikeimfive
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In a similar vein, why can we not use the technology of RAM to prolong the life-cycle of an SSD?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The reason SSDs have limited rewrites is because there's a physical membrane that electrons tunnel through to store bits. This membrane will break down over time as writes are made.

For a more visual representation: Imagine you have a bowl covered with plastic wrap that's upside-down, and you push some BBs through the saran wrap from underneath. At first the BBs will stay in the bowl pretty well, but the more holes you poke in the plastic wrap the more likely they are to fall out. Eventually there's so many holes it can't hold anything.