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    Question on X70 configuration

    Discussion in 'Toshiba' started by eekamouse, Sep 22, 2013.

  1. eekamouse

    eekamouse Notebook Enthusiast

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    I've been pricing out various laptops and seen the following on the X70 as well as some others:

    1.0TB|256GB Solid State Drive (mSATA, SSD)

    So basically I can order a 1TB (or 500GB etc...) regular HDD at 5400 or 7200 RPM and then also have a SSD at 256GB? How does this actually work? I haven't needed a new laptop for some time and have been super happy with my currenty Qosmio. I've got a SSD at work... and it's amazing. I'd really like to have one at home for some video post production work.

    Will this combo be that much better than a traditional 7200RPM? Does the OS basically use SSD for caching? I'm confused as to how this actually works? Part of me wants to just get a cheapie configuration with a HDD, and then buy an aftermarket SSD to swap in. But, if the configuration with (mSATA, SSD) drive is all that and a ball of wax, I may just save myself the headache and pick it up. The price is definitely right.

    Thanks for any advice here!
     
    eekamouse, Sep 22, 2013
    #1
  2. ChiroVette

    ChiroVette Notebook Evangelist

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    I would like to know this myself. I have noticed that every single aspect of computer tech has increased in leaps and bounds over the past ten years or so, but the budget hard drives are still spinning at 5400 RPM even after all this time? I could be wrong, but I remember getting computers with 5400 RPM HD's like ten years ago? Yeah, maybe I am wrong, but it feels that way. Anyway, I'm not sure I get it, because I am looking into a gaming laptop as well, leaning toward the Qosmio (though I am waiting for their typical Fall season refresh).

    But before I pull the trigger I would really love to know what the deal is with a 5400 HD combined with an SSD. I think that if you have an SSD that is 256 GB, that you can run both Windows and your important games and programs off that drive, and use the 1GB 5400 as raw storage? I think that's what the expectation is with these budget PC's. But my opinion is this:

    I have a 3TB external HD that works just fine! I would personally rather get the 500 GB 7200 RPM drive over the one twice as large but that spins at 5400. I am not even looking seriously at the SSD, because the 256GB SSD is $300.00 as an option.
     
    ChiroVette, Sep 22, 2013
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