Pros and Cons of Bitcoin Node types (Full node and Prune node)

[tranthidung]

Time flies so fast and after about 3 years, Bitcoin blockchain size increases from less than 300 GB to 440.43 GB at 29 November 2022 according to ycharts.com

If you want to run a full node, a hard disk (should be HDD, not SSD) with free space about 500 GB or more is recommended.

[LoyceV]

a hard disk (should be HDD, not SSD)

For the record: there's no reason not to use SSD (unless your budget doesn't allow it). Since I'm still low on SSD-storage, I have chainstate on SSD and the rest of the data on HDD. That's the best compromise for performance.

[DaveF]

a hard disk (should be HDD, not SSD)

For the record: there's no reason not to use SSD (unless your budget doesn't allow it). Since I'm still low on SSD-storage, I have chainstate on SSD and the rest of the data on HDD. That's the best compromise for performance.

The issue is, at least in IMO SSD vs HDD is **WAY** too generic.
It's like saying car. Did you get the cheapest thing that anybody puts out, a Honda Accord or a Mercedes S580?

There are SSDs out there that are utter crap and quality performance HDD that cost more then SSD and are faster.

I have been saying in other posts about blockchain storage that I am sitting on a pile of fairly low hour, name brand HDD that I give away to people who need them since they are just not worth selling. I since they pass crystal disk info with no problems I would have no issues having someone store stuff on the,

OTOH on some sites like Amazon and NewEgg you see SSD from brands that I have never heard of that are 1/3 the price of a name brand drive.
Raise your hand if you want to help people diagnose issues with their node if they are running one of those.
Makes you wonder how much time this forum has spent helping people with an SSD that was made so poorly with such low grade chips that it's amazing it works never-mind if it can keep up with IBD

-Dave

[LoyceV]

The issue is, at least in IMO SSD vs HDD is **WAY** too generic.
It's like saying car. Did you get the cheapest thing that anybody puts out, a Honda Accord or a Mercedes S580?

I think you're missing the point Saying an SSD is faster than HDD is like saying a car is faster than a bicycle. There are exceptions, but in general, it's correct. Saying you need HDD and not SSD is not correct.
I had no problems doing IBD on a server with HDD and enough RAM, but I once tested and noticed a significant different in startup time between having chainstate on HDD vs having it on SSD. Hence my recommendation to, if at all possible, at least put chainstate on SSD. The rest doesn't matter much (unless you frequently load very old wallets).

[DaveF]

The issue is, at least in IMO SSD vs HDD is **WAY** too generic.
It's like saying car. Did you get the cheapest thing that anybody puts out, a Honda Accord or a Mercedes S580?

I think you're missing the point Saying an SSD is faster than HDD is like saying a car is faster than a bicycle. There are exceptions, but in general, it's correct. Saying you need HDD and not SSD is not correct.
I had no problems doing IBD on a server with HDD and enough RAM, but I once tested and noticed a significant different in startup time between having chainstate on HDD vs having it on SSD. Hence my recommendation to, if at all possible, at least put chainstate on SSD. The rest doesn't matter much (unless you frequently load very old wallets).

Spend more time in the field working on cheap systems and you will change your mind.
In the general position that a real name brand SSD will always be faster then a real name brand HDD you are 100% correct.

But, and this is probably more for the build a node for under $50 thread, since there is where people are trying to do something on the cheap, you would be amazed the number of off brand SSDs out there that are selling for 1/2 or less of what a real name one is selling for. They have NO CACHE, an outdated controller chip and the storage is a couple of generations out of date (and may have been used and repurposed from other drives).

But its cheap, so people but it, and then wonder why the SSD they got did not improve system performance.

I have a pile of almost new 2TB HDD I just pulled out of storage for recycling, BUT they are all dated 2010. Back then they were the fastest drives you could get in that size. Today the low end consumer ones are faster. Do you want an SSD with a controller from 7 years ago? They are out there being sold now for cheap.

Much like we have been saying about the investment scams (FTX and such) in terms of money, hardware is the same way. If it's too good to be true it probably is.

If you don't deal with a lot of end users trying to save money you may not see this, but I do on a somewhat regular basis. Even in higher end environments that should know better.

-Dave