SSD and SSD Hybrid

hi,

i currently have a 750GB HDD on my laptop. i still have another HDD caddy free. so im planning to get an SSD.

i have some excess money(but not enough to get another SSD). Is getting an SSD and a hybrid SSD a good idea? or is a is my current HDD paired with an SSD already good enough?


another thing. i only need at least 500GB as my secondary HDD. i try to transfer all my files on an external HDD as much as i can.

 

SSD for boot and programs, coupled with a normal spinner HDD for data storage is a great combo and is by far the most common. I doubt you will see much gain from a hybrid HDD for just data since R/W off a data drive is mostly larger sequential files in which physical drives still perform fine.

TL;DR: Just get the SSD and pair with the existing HDD, use the HDD for data, put all programs (or at least the most commonly-used if you can't get a large enough SSD for all programs) and the OS on the SSD. Move your Users folder to the HDD, or at least the Doucments/Pictures/Music/Videos libraries.

 

Depends. What do you use your system for?

 

games and work.

but i usually use my 2nd hdd for file storage, movies, music, pics. etc..

 

using hybrid as secondary storage is a waste. In general, you want throughput but not fast random access for that kind of device.

 

You'll be better off getting the best SSD you can afford and pairing that with your current HDD than you would be if you had to split the budget between a small, mediocre SSD and a hybrid drive.

 

It can be a waste but it doesn't have to. Depends on the usage.

For example someone that plays the same game over and over might have benefit from a hybrid drive.

 

But if the game is on the SSD, that's a moot point. For most cases a hybrid data drive isn't that useful if there is an SSD in the system. Now if the SSD couldn't hold all the programs, that is another story, but in my experience, having programs installed in directories other than the Program Files directory, or in particular the C drive doesn't always work out. Maybe this has changed with 7, but I had soo many issues under XP...

 

Of course, my example refers to when the game is installed on the secondary (hybrid) hard drive.

 

Indeed. I think the question then is how large an SSD is the OP looking for?

 

so if im not installing any programs on the 2nd HDD, generally it is better if i just use the stock HDD it came with rather than installing a hybrid?

i plan to buy a 256GB ssd. hoping that would fit everything. if not then i will probably use the 2nd HDD for some programs.

 

Do you understand the logic behing the Seagate hybrid drive? That makes it much easier to know if it will benefit your usage.

The cache is 4GB and it stores the most read blocks. So if you happen to use the same files often the hybrid drive will perform much better than a HDD.

Generally speaking the hybrid drive doesn't make much sense as a data drive.

 

well i know a little, close to nothing about it. i just expect it to be faster than a 7200RPM drive. but had my reservations using it especially if im using it primarily as a storage drive.

hmm.. so i guess that answers my question then.

i will be using the the stock hdd! thanks!

 

Yea, just use the stock HDD. You can fit a LOT of programs on a 256/240GB SSD.