The Tipping Point?
Seagate: Winning the Battle of the Boot Drives
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Why would someone still buy a conventional HDD rather than a hybrid? Some users deal with highly random workloads on a daily basis. The more random the files used, the fewer times the files needed will be present in flash memory, thus forcing the drive to locate the data from hard disk media. As hybrids transition to a 5400 RPM spindle, such users may prefer to stay with 7200 RPM conventional HDDs.
Additionally, there remains a price gap between hybrids and standard HDDs. This gap is shrinking as SSHD volumes increase, but it’s still there, and those with very tight budgets may have to scrimp wherever possible, including on storage. We feel that for the price of a few lattes, SSHDs offer some of the most effective performance gain possible, but that’s another topic for another day. If budget is a key issue and users don’t care about system performance (the thin client market might be a good example of this), then sticking with a low-end HDD may be preferable.
For everyone else, though, it seems that the time to give hybrids a try has come. The minutes saved on boot-up and app loading alone justify the extra dollars, never mind the performance gains during regular use. Outdated worries about compatibility have been rendered obsolete, and, as we’ve seen here, concerns over NAND endurance have been proven unfounded, at least for hybrid designs such as the Seagate Laptop SSHD.
Ask your computer provider if it offers hybrid drives. It’s time to demand that the better technology be placed in your next system.
For more information about solid state hybrid drive technology, check out FAST Storage Magazine. (link to http://www.epageflip.net/t/46279 )