SSHD paired with SSD

[seaniez]

Hello! I have an upcoming build for a quite expensive gaming computer ($2500). For storage, I am planning on getting a 1TB Samsung 850 PRO SSD, and paired with it, I am planning on getting a 4TB Seagate SSHD. But I was wondering if I would use the SSHD as if it were a normal mechanical drive for mass storage and the SSD as a boot drive and for games. And what would I put on the SSHD? Thanks alot!

 

[JohnnyLucky]

In a typical configuration the operating system, drivers, utilities, apps, software programs, and games can be installed on a 1TB ssd. A second drive which is usually a mechanical hard disk drive is used for storing data files such as photos, videos, music, movies, additional games, and Windows backups.

Solid State Hybrid Drives are related to the early days of ssd's. The original idea developed by Intel was that for about $100.00 a user could purchase a small capacity ssd of about 10GB and use it as a cache for a hard disk drive. The operating system and all other files and data were installed on the hard drive. Nothing was installed on the ssd. Intel was thinking that if customers saw the potential benefits of using an ssd, then customers might be willing to purchase large capacity ssd's. Think of it as an advertising gimmick. Intel also determined that 60GB was the largest practical ssd cache. Anything larger than that worked better with the OS and applications installed on the ssd.

Things have changed quite a bit since the early days. Today, $100.00 is more than enough to purchase an excellent 256GB ssd and for about $150.00 one could purchase a 512GB ssd.

Seagate still manufactures SSHD's which are hard disk drives with an embedded small capacity ssd used as a cache. They work reasonably well but they are not very popular. The reason for the lack of popularity is the evolution of modern ssd's. We've come a long way during the last 10 years.

Since consumers can install the OS, applications, and games on larger capacity ssd's, there is no longer any reason to use an SSHD as a secondary drive. A hard disk drive will do just fine.