Homebrew HDD vs. SSD?

[tendomonkey]

I've tried searching for an good treatment of this topic but haven't seen anything that seemed definitive. I see lots of recommendations to use an HDD (and not a USB thumb drive for lack of write durability), but I don't see much discussion about SSDs. It seems like the reliability and low power requirement coupled along with good performance and durability would make SSDs an ideal choice for this application, but for some reason I don't see much discussion around that. Should I take it that HDDs and SSDs are interchangeable, or am I missing some technical detail making HDDs the clear winner for a Wii U external drive?

Thanks!

 

[Hayato213]

Would be a waste to use a SSD, regular HDD can do the job fine.

 

[Windi]

First off: I do not have a WiiU, only a wii, but probably the same applies:
Age: A lot of threads and recommendations that are around were created when SSDs were not as widespread as they are now.
Price: The Price per Gygabyte is much higher when buying SSDs. Considering that there is virtually no performance benefit when paired with the WiiU there is no reason to spend more
Performance: Same as before, you wont see any real benefits on a system like the WiiU
Durability: Yes, SSDs are much more durable when falling down and stuff, but they generally have a lower amount of TBW then HDDs on general, although these days most people never reach that point
Space: HDDs generally have a lot more space than SSDs

So in conclusion, yes, they should be interchangeable, but using a SSD simpy does not offer any real benefits, considering that HDDs are so much more cheaper and have space to store all your Gamecube/Wii/WiiU games on them

 

[Lacius]

Pros of HDD:

1. A lot more storage space for your money

Pros of SSD:

1. Will probably last longer, since you won't be writing things to it often
2. Probably won't require a Y-cable

You will get no performance improvements from an SSD because you're limited by the Wii U's USB speeds.

 

[Skelletonike]

For what it is, just get an HDD.

While SSD's are awesome, it really depends on what you want it for.

 

[ber71]

Any consumer grade ssd won't last longer but less because of discharging. Unless it's an ultra expensive SLC device, which retains information for much longer so no bitrot happens.

 

[adenos]

Honestly, going for a cheap SSD will be worse in the long run as it would run similar or worse to an HDD. You're better off getting an HDD, or if you could at least an SSD with a cache. The only reason you might steer away from an SSD is that data recovery is an issue and that it is mighty more difficult than with an HDD.
My recommendation at least depends on your wants and needs. If you want reliable storage at a good price, go with an HDD. If you're not worried about spending money and want speed, get a good size SSD with a cache.