What's your opinion on hybrid drives?

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Juan Amado

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I was looking at some pc building tutorials and a few channels were recommending hybrid drives to give me quick boot times. I know an ssd is an available option and those 2 in one drives are on option as well but they're quite a bit more expensive than a single 1 tb hybrid drive so would it be a good idea if all I want is fast start up times and quick load up times on my OS, browsers and maybe a few games?
 
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manofchalk
My opinion of Hybrid Drives, their good if you want a drive thats a jack of all trades, master of none. Its bigger than an SSD, faster than a conventional HDD, cheap and fits into one bay. However its not as big nor is it as fast as each respectively.
I would get a hybrid drive if I had only one slot to use (so a laptop) and needed a decent amount of storage, or if I was building for someone else who I thought wouldn't be able to or wouldnt want to maintain a proper SSD+HDD setup but still wanted a "fast" machine.

Basically, if you can be bothered, get a proper SSD + HDD setup. If not, Hybrid drive.

An SSD isnt strictly necessary on a gaming machine, but then they are never truly needed anyway. Its much more of a feel kind of thing. I...
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I'm not a fan of SSDs, period. Way too expensive just for quicker boot times and a few load screens. My favorite games stream load very efficiently anyway, so I wouldn't even get the benefit of quicker load times.

I've heard some people saying hybrid drives break more, but I have no idea if that's true.
 
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Juan Amado

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But for my purposes do you think a hybrid drive would be reasonable if I only want quick boot times on my OS and maybe my browsers and a few small applications and what are the benefits of having a dedicated drive (ssd) just for fast load up times if i can save some money going with a hybrid drives because i know some ssds are only a few seconds faster than a hybrid although the manufacturer did the tests I know they may not be accurate. So let's say i buy a 1 tb hard drive and ssd for $120-130 or a hybrid for $90-100 ish is it really worth spending the extra couple dollars if I can put it towards something else?
 
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JohnnyLucky

JohnnyLucky

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If a consumer is on a limited budget, then a hybrid drive is an option worth considering. If a consumer already has a large capacity hard disk drive and can afford to pay $60.00 to $70.00 for a 120GB ssd, then an ssd is an option worth considering. With a 120GB ssd a consumer can install the operating system, software applications, and utilities on the ssd. There might even be some room for a favorite game or two.

Some individuals will claim that an ssd is faster than a hybrid drive. Other individuals will claim that a hybrid drive is just as fast as an ssd. Both groups are partially correct and partially incorrect. There is a problem with hybrid drives. According to technical reviews published by review sites their performance and speed is not consistent. Typically there is an initial burst in performance that can equal an ssd which gives rise to the claim that hybrid drives are just as fast as ssd's. Unfortunately the performance drops off rather quickly so actual performance is somewhere between a hard drive and an ssd. In addition the hybrid drives are programmed not to load certain types of data in the cache which results in performance that is closer to hard drive levels which gives rise to the claim that ssd's are faster than hybrid drives.

Seagate totally dominates the consumer hybrid drive market with Toshiba a distant second. There aren't very many choices or any serious competition because the hybrid drives never really caught consumers attention like ssd's.



 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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That might have been true 3 - 4 years ago but now they've come way down in price. I got a 120GB Samsung 840 Evo for $80, you can get a 500GB model for $250. That's way less than they were several years ago.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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If all you do is game, then maybe not worth it.
But I find the whole system is snappier. Opening docs that live on the SSD is near instantaneous. Much, much faster than that same doc on a HDD.

And they are proving to be more reliable than spinning drives.
 
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JohnnyLucky

JohnnyLucky

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I think we just hit a new low price for an ssd. About an hour ago I was checking the special promotions over at Newegg. They are selling the PNY XLR8 240GB ssd for $99.99 after mail-in rebate and the 480GB model for $224.99 after mail-in rebate. Shipping is free for both models. That works out to approximately $0.41/GB.

I need to point out that it is a basic entry level ssd. Unfortunately I don't have any technical reviews listed in the ssd database I maintain. In addition specifications for the ssd are rather limited.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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'Worth' is completely dependent on you.

Me? I would find it very hard to build a new PC without an SSD. Only if it was supposed too be a very, very inexpensive machine.
But then....I do other things besides gaming. If this was only a game machine (console replacement), maybe not.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Look at the difference in cost per GB then factor in the speed increase of the SSD.

500GB Samsung 840 EVO = $259 / 500GB = $1.04 / GB
256GB Crucial M550 = $159 / 256GB = $0.62 / GB
256GB Crucial M550 + 1TB Seagate Barracuda = $159 + $59 / 256 + 1000 = $0.17 / GB
1TB Seagate Hybrid Drive = $163 / 1008 GB = $0.16
1TB Seagate 7200 RPM Drive = $59 / 1000 = $0.06 / GB
It's about even but you do come out ahead buying the SSD + the 1TB hard drive.
 
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Sherwin Ianne Caliva

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May 12, 2014
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sorry im a bit confused on the computations. kindly separate them distinctly. thanks :)
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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OK:

1. High capacity solid state drive
2. Medium capacity solid state drive
3. Medium capacity solid state drive + 1TB mechanical hard drive
4. 1TB hybrid SSD / mechanical HD
5. Standard mechanical HD

The Crucial M550, Samsung 840 Evo, and OCZ Vertex 460 are currently the best SSDs you can buy right now in terms of cost per GB, performance, and specifications.
 
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JPNpower

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I'd like to add the Toshiba Q series pro to the best cost/performance SSD list. Mindblowing performance at very small cost, and Toshiba... big trusted brand. But anyway... Only problem is the lack of reviews.

Hybrids are good for lazy, technically inept, budget watching, yet speed seeking people. (so... any computer user who isn't a tech-head)

I would recommend the Toshiba Q series pro, Crucial M550/500, and OCZ Vertex 460 (not 450) for price/performance SSD. I don't like the Samsung because of TLC. Many say that TLC is 'good enough', but if you can get MLC for the same price as TLC, why would you go with TLC? It all depends on your needs but the Tom's best SSDs for the money is a decent guide.

Oh, and always keep a backup. Even the most bulletproof WD hard drives and the super endurance tested Plextor SSDs can and do fail.
 
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Sherwin Ianne Caliva

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3. Medium capacity solid state drive + 1TB mechanical hard drive == $0.17 / GB
4. 1TB hybrid SSD / mechanical HD = $0.16 / GB

so based on the computations, it's just merely $ 0.01 difference between items 3 and 4. which makes it a wise choice to grab item 3?
 
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Juan Amado

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So an hdd+ssd for aprox. $159 according to him and a hybrid which is now aprox. $79 factoring in the convenience, speed and lower price do you still think the extra money for the dedicated ssd is a good idea if I can put it towards something else in the build? this seagate hybrid is actually much cheaper than an ssd+hdd an $80 difference, so honestly, there needs to be a really good reason for people spending that extra money on a few second difference and reliability.
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Desktop-Solid-Hybrid-ST1000DX001/dp/B00EIQTOFY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1400134267&sr=8-2&keywords=hybrid+drive
 
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JPNpower

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A few seconds indeed, but a few seconds on EVERYTHING. Also, games will load up to a minute faster, media programs that access data will move MUCH faster etc. These benefits add up for a massive massive thing.

In short, ONLY SELECT people would like the benefit of pure SSD + HDD performance. Hybrids provide very decent speed boosts. Nowhere near SSD boosts in reality, but a noticeable boost nonetheless.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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My opinion of Hybrid Drives, their good if you want a drive thats a jack of all trades, master of none. Its bigger than an SSD, faster than a conventional HDD, cheap and fits into one bay. However its not as big nor is it as fast as each respectively.
I would get a hybrid drive if I had only one slot to use (so a laptop) and needed a decent amount of storage, or if I was building for someone else who I thought wouldn't be able to or wouldnt want to maintain a proper SSD+HDD setup but still wanted a "fast" machine.

Basically, if you can be bothered, get a proper SSD + HDD setup. If not, Hybrid drive.

An SSD isnt strictly necessary on a gaming machine, but then they are never truly needed anyway. Its much more of a feel kind of thing. I recently had to go back to a HDD based Windows install until I got a new SSD after my Vertex 4 failed. Going from from SSD to HDD and then back to SSD, it really does make a difference. Just basic things like programs opening faster, Chrome doesnt hang when opening like it did on the (admittedly very old) HDD. Small things that just make the computer subjectively feel faster.
Its one of those things where you get used to it, think its not much, and then will miss badly if you ever lose it.
 
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