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    mSata SSD + Hybrid drive, a waste of money ?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Maikky, Jul 2, 2013.

  1. Maikky

    Maikky Notebook Consultant

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    I know a Hybrid drive uses the cache for frequently used data but would it be a waste if I was just going to get a mSata for my boot drive anyway ?
     
    Maikky, Jul 2, 2013
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  2. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    Using the mSATA as a cache would be disastrous.

    If you are installing Windows on the mSATA however, the cache on the hybrid drive will simply cache the files you use the most that are on that drive. It will only speed up your most used programs installed on the HDD and most used files that are on the HDD. Whether the speed up for the stuff that you won't put on the SSD is worth it is for you to decide. If you have a choice between a hybrid drive and a 5400 RPM drive, get the Hybrid simply because it's 7200 RPM. If you have the option for a large capacity 7200 RPM drive, you could go for that instead.
     
    tijo, Jul 2, 2013
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  3. Maikky

    Maikky Notebook Consultant

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    Right yeah, I was going to use an mSata as my boot drive / other important programs and use either an HDD or Hybrid for all my media stuff when I use the Adobe suites / Ableton . I think I may go with a hybrid if the cache on the hybrid only uses from the hybrid not the mSata .
     
    Maikky, Jul 2, 2013
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  4. Shotshot

    Shotshot Notebook Enthusiast

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    That's my current setup: µSata SSD (OS) + hybrid 500GB (most frequently used data) + HDD 1.5TB (archival). It works fairly decently.
     
    Shotshot, Jul 3, 2013
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  5. Marksman30k

    Marksman30k Notebook Deity

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    Generally, hybrid HDDs are terribly wasteful for pure storage alongside a pure SSD. This is because the primary access pattern is low queue depth Sequential Read and occasionally Write which any modern 2.5inch HDD with high density platters can perform admirably (Sequential read/write speed is king here). The expensive SSD portion of the hybrid SSD only really speeds up access latency and Random Operations which storage HDDs very seldom do (unless this is where you are running a specific program from). Hence, I don't think you'll be gaining very much using a Hybrid SSD over a pure HDD considering the significant price and energy consumption difference.
     
    Marksman30k, Jul 3, 2013
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  6. Maikky

    Maikky Notebook Consultant

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    How long does it take for a hybrid drive to know files on it drives are being used a lot and put those on it's SSD portion ? Do I have to use it X portion of times . Maybe it would speed up my editing if I keep all my film files on my hybrid is what I'm thinking .
     
    Maikky, Jul 3, 2013
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