Hybrid SSD

I configured my m17X with the 1.5tb Raid 0 hdd config. For $25 more I can config it with the hybrid SSD option and lose 500gb. I could live with this but will the performance be a lot different then the 1.5tb raid option?

Iv never dealt with the hybrid drives so some of this hardware is new to me.

Thanks!

 

I'd drop it to a single hard drive (cheapest one) and buy an SSD elsewhere and install it. It will be much faster than both of those options.

Use the cheap hard drive that comes with the laptop as a storage drive.

 

Hrm interesting idea didn't even think of that.

 

Anyone know what kind of Hybrid SSD is going into this laptop? I might just go with the dual HDD option anyways since theirs a promotion for it right now, and it will save dealing with getting a second caddy later on.

 

500GB Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive

wich is from seagate i believe.
ordered an m17x with a single momentus XT as i already have an ssd to stick in the laptop

 

I wasn't aware of there being any other hybrid SSD's today. I think seagate is the only one. It definately helps but the NAND acts as a cache of sorts. Doesn't work as well as you'd expect. SSD's are dropping in price, M4 or Vertex 3 FTW!

 

i believe the idea of the hybrid hdd is the 4gb ssd memory basicly stores a copy of the most used files as such to speed those up.

i havnt realy got any experience with them so im taking a fair leap gettin this expensive laptop with tech ive never used before but in the end its still an hdd wich be running next to my ssd anyways

it will never have the same performance as an ssd, its more of a cheap solution. its suposed to be faster as a normal hdd but in the end its still an hdd. It only stores files u most use in the ssd chip on it so thats about it.

ideal for the laptop be a 120gb ssd or 60 if ur tight on a budget and a 750gb or 1tb 2nd drive ( aslong their 7200 as anything slower would be an insult ;p )

and afaik seagate is the only one but heh cant keep track of everything ;p

buy a ssd from another store and park that in the laptop as dellienware like to jew up on the hw prices on their stuff.

 

i have progressed from a 320gb 5400rpm to a 500gb 7200rpm..to a Seagate 500gb Hybrid...and yes there is a jump in performance at each step..im running a non raid config using my other 500gb 7200 rpm as storage ..not sure if you can run a raid 0 with a hybrid and non hybrid?? my next step is to go to a full SSD but i want a 256gb but not the price tag that goes along with it ...so ill wait....till the price goes down

 

buy the momentus xt at newegg, its cheaper

and yes, there is a performance boost from a standard 7200

 

Yes the momentus is the only hybrid i'm aware of. It's a nice alternative to a conventional drive but as mentioned it's not going to be as fast as a straight SSD. That said though it's much larger, faster than a normal hard drive and not that much more expensive. It's biggest disadvantages are it tops out at 500gb right now (although I've heard rumors of a 750 in the works) and they are not supposed to be used in RAID configurations. Apparently there's an issue with how the hybrid cache works that can actually cause a significant performance decrease if you try to RAID them.

I'm running one in my R2 as my primary and it's pretty zippy. If you want to go really fast but still want some storage space then go with an SSD primary and use the hybrid for data. Overall perf of that will be much better than a RAID 0 config.

-Byshop

 

Just get a cheap HDD from Dell. Buy a SSD from another source and use two hard drives. Its WELL worth it and there have been some deals on SSD's lately if you look around.

 

yeah do not spend money at dell on harddrive upgrades.
i got my r3 with stock hdd.
got myself an 256gb ssd and 500gb hdd for same price as dell offers upgrade to 2x 750 in europe.

 

SSD is pretty nice if you get a good one, but personally I'm a media/game hog. My Steam folder is 300GB split across two drives, not to mention all the TV shows, HD movies, etc that I travel with. Hybrids are a nice compromise for me in terms of perf/storage capacity.

-Byshop