Old VelociRaptor vs (new) FireCuda for video work

The FireCUDA SSHD is an excellent choice for a data for gaming drive. In "normal use" in a workstation environment, we tend to work on a project or two at a time, and the SSHDs algorhythms will put "frequently used files" on the SSD portion of the drive where it can be accessed and written to extremely fast. Then as you move onto your next project, the old files for the last project get moved off and the new ones take its place. However, if you are randomly using different files every few minutes and no files fall into the "frequently used" category, then the performance is the same as a speedy 7200 rpm HD.

Here's the results of some in house testing (SSD / SSHD / 7200 rpm HD):

Boot Windows: 15.6 sec / 16.5 sec / 21.2 sec
Open 8GB AutoCAD file: 39 sec / 39 sec / 39 sec
Open MMO to point where character can move: 46 sec / 46 sec / 46 sec

All tests were don on same workstation 4770k / 16GB / Samsng Pro 256 / SLI'd 780s / 2 TB 7200 rpm SSHD / 2 TB HD.

The disconnect when selecting storage devices is that with most other components, the benchmarks are reflective of our every day experiences. Purchase decisions are made using benchmarks which really do not reflect every day usage. I saw one you tube video where a dude "made his case" by opening Chrome with 50 tabs. I would guess that the amount if peeps who do that in the normal course of their day is very small. The simple fact is, while SSDs are much faster than HDs, there's very few things that folks do every day that affects their life in a meaningful way, it's not as if if an attorney's office put SSDs in all their secretary's PCs, that they would bet more briefs typed each day ... the user is the bottleneck here.

With video editing, rendering and such, in a production environment is where we do see speed being a factor. If I was building a PC by a video editing hobbyist, I'd likely choose a 6700k ... if it was a production environment, 5960X... depending on what software being used (i.e, Davinci Resolve), I'd go all out on the GFX cards. For a rendering hobbyist, a GTX GFX Card (w/ CUDA) would go in... but in a production environment, we'd want a Quadro.

Your situation is no different ... what you would pick would much depend upon the size of the files and how often you are doing it. In a production environment, you'd want a SSD, adequately sized to handle your largest files for rendering/. For long term storage, a slow "green Drive" is just fine. For the occasional usage, it's balance of time saved versus money. If it doesn't save money (billable time), then it becomes a matter of what your
free time" is worth.

When we look at benchmarks ...

Video Editing - fastest is new raptor by a hair
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/hdd-charts-2013/-13-PCMark-7-Video-editing-using-Windows-Movie-Maker,2911.html


Now let look at SSDs

Video Editing - We see that an SSD is about 10% faster than the above....

The question only you can answer is:

Do I spend $104 for a FireCuda that scores 21.56 ? ... or do i spend $184 for 1/8th of that storage capacity to score 23.93 ?

The other part of that question that is harder to answer is how much of what you actually do is reflective of what that benchmark does.

We have two laptops used for field work using AutoCAD 2017. One had a SSD + 7200 rpm HD, one had a 2 TB SSHD. They were randomly used by field personnel and no one was ever able to tell which was which... of course they were used to do actual workstation work .. and even play games ... but not for benchmarks.

But again, it all comes down to how much is it worth to spend to get various levels of performance; only you can make that decision. If money is no object, then get a 1 TB SSD ... if it is, then look for the best bang for the buck within your budget.