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

[GameInterest]

This channel is like Linux Tech Tips but made with aspartame. I like it.

[MajorstiQ]

No one chooses eMMC, you get eMMC when you buy ultra cheap laptops and tablets

[hassangammudi]

I reconnected the front panel but the reset switch not working on top of the case

[terstick]

SSD for the win. Thank you and Always enjoyable listening to you explain tech

[yov]

de vida util cuanto seria un promedio en horas equivalentes de una eMMC?

[adrienneparks]

Can you recover data from an eMMC card on a toasted tablet?

[hassangammudi]

I have Antec NX200M with Antec VP550P PSU

[loucipher]

eMMC is great if every device that come with eMMC also come with an extra SATA/ M.2 slot
you just need it for the OS and put the games in the SSD

[jackkraken]

I wouldn't touch eMMC with a 10 foot pole. And it's not just the lower performance, its also how often manufacturers like to use the smallest capacity eMMC chips which they then solder onto the motherboard eg 64GB, which means you don't even have the option to upgrade in the future. Its better to look for a used higher quality laptop that can be upgraded rather than a new basically non-upgradeable laptop.

[hotflashfoto]

Never really knew what eMMC was, and now I do. Cool stuff.

[shadesofbeige]

With how cheap flash currently is, eMMC doesn't really make sense anymore.

[mccrh]

I'de take a Kinston a400 SSD Before I would suffering the pain of eMMC 😉😅

[NedskiYT]

I would recommend that no one should buy a Windows 10 or 11 laptop with eMMC capacity less than 64GB. I've tested several laptops with only 32GB and they are effectively useless with Windows 10 or 11, yes even Windows 10 "S."
Why? Because Windows 10 takes 20-30 GB and any updates will exceed that. I have tried a few work arounds but they took a lot of effort. If you're stuck with one of these you might as well (try) to put some version of Linux or Chrome OS on them. This also takes time and specific knowledge.

[ConFamGaming]

Wait trisha still makes youtube stuff? She was so funny on sourcefed I miss seeing her in that environment.

[OfficialGH]

eMMC's may be faster than HDD's. However, there are problems with eMMC's, and that mainly has something to do with the storage. Be careful of which PC you buy at a decent price. SSD's are a must when you buy a new PC

[palashchoudhury]

My Dream Laptop
Display: 12" (Aspect Ratio 5:4)
Processor: Pentium
ROM: 64Gb (eMMC for Application)
Storage: 64Gb (microSD for Data)
RAM: 3Gb (DDR5)

[syarifairlangga]

Manufacture can put A2 Class eMMc but they wont because of greed.
They put like the cheapest Netac emmc on the Chromebook.
Very terrible.

[stevengonzales]

There was, in fact, no DIY to be found, but I watched anyway...purely for the info - of course. *.^

[st.john_one]

sweet black haired nerd :* thanks Kingston :*

[RomanoPRODUCTION]

For women, storage size matters :) So no eMMC for me.