[SOLVED] Question about SSHDs functionality, 2 partitions on it.

[goguvarra]

Hello,

I planning to buy a new laptop for a relative and I've read that SSHD are the middle ground between HDD and SSDs for speeding up stuff. But I'm new to them as I've never used one so I don't know exactly what to expect.
I'm interested in speeding up the boot time but I'm not sure how the drive would react if I split it in 2 partitions.
One 300GB for Windows and the remaining space for Photos, music etc.
Will the SSD portion be also split up or it doesn't matter and in time the drive will learn to put the boot parts in there anyway?

Also when using such a drive does it show up as a full 1 TB drive or the SSD part is not accesible as in you only have access to 872GB (well less because 1 TB of storage never shows up as such, i know )

Thank you.

 

[jojesa]

If you are buying a new laptop, get one with a SSD.
Some laptops have to be fully disassembled to reach the disk, so make sure you know what you getting into.
If the laptop comes with a HDD, then install a SSD.
I wouldn't buy a laptop with a SSHD or install one, there isn't that much difference in performance compared with a HDD.

 

[Starcruiser]

The way the hybrid drives work is the solid state part is used essentially as a large cache. It will store the most commonly used files (like the OS and browser) automatically, and with no user interaction to do so. You cannot see the cache in Windows, it simply stores copies of the same data as the disk. If it's advertised as a 1 TB drive with 64 GB cache, you'll only see the 1 TB (minus the standard amount for partitioning).

Having 2 partitions (or more) will have little effect on the drive's operation. It will continue to operate and cache data normally.

Adding a SSHD will decrease your boot times after a short learning period where it figures out what you use the most, usually 3-5 reboots will do it. It won't be nearly as efficient as a true SSD, though.

With the falling prices of SSD drives, it makes very little sense to buy a SSHD unless you need huge amounts of storage space on a budget, like 1 TB+. A true SSD will be far faster in all tasks instead of just the ones you do most often.


Here are my personal boot time tests on my older laptop, your mileage will vary:
5400 RPM HDD - 37 Seconds
7200 RPM HDD - 28 Seconds
7200 RPM SSHD - 16 Seconds
Low end SSD - 12 Seconds

 

[USAFRet]

Skip the SSHD concept.
Just go straight to a regular SSD.

 

[goguvarra]

THank you guys!
I'll check out the price differences between these options and make a choice.
I'm buying this laptop for my auntie, and she really doesn't need top notch performance and speed, just some space to store all those family photos and videos that keep pilling up

 

[Endre]

Just get a good SSD, don’t mess with this SSHD hybrid!