SSHDS compared to SSDS and HDDs

Inexpensive HDD storage capacity paired with the speed of an SSD: hybrid hard drives (or SSHDS, «Solid-State Hybrid Drives») combine the advantages of both drive types in a storage medium. In this article we explain the functionality of a hybrid hard drive and show what advantages and disadvantages you have compared to conventional hard drives.

1. What is a hybrid hard drive?

In information technology, the term «hybrid hard drive» describes a physical or logical Storage device that combines a fast medium (e.g. a Solid State Drive, SSD) with a drive with high capacity (e.g. a hard disk drive, HDD).

A basic distinction is made between two types of hard disk hybrid systems:

• At the Dual-Drive-Hybridsystem Two physically separate hard drives (one HDD and an SSD) are combined, which are installed on the same computer. The SSD serves as a cache for the data stored on the HDD And keeps copies of the most used content, which automatically improves the overall performance of the system. A great advantage of this technology is that the operating system can address both drives independently if necessary.
• In Solid-State-Hybridsystemen (SSHD) However, the functions are integrated in common hardware. To this end, the manufacturers implement an NAND flash memory in the hard drive drivethat is recognized by the operating system as a separate partition and on which the data is stored with most access.

Good to know: A hybrid hard drive writes the data in the flash memory until the capacity of which is exhausted. Only then is the content of the flash memory transferred to the hard drive.

2. The advantages and disadvantages of hybrid hard drives at an overview

The combination of the two storage solutions was actually created for purely pragmatic reasons. With desktop PCs it was possible to accommodate several hard drives in one case, but current ones can also Notebooks often only a hard drive to record. In addition, pure SSD plates are still relatively expensive.

2.1. Faster than an ordinary hard drive, but cheaper than an SSD

Hybrid hard drives are somewhat more expensive than conventional HDDs but are still significantly cheaper than SSDs with a comparable capacity. First and foremost, they score with their speed. With a hybrid data memory, your operating system rises about four times as quickly as with an ordinary hard drive and also runs much more smoothly.

The reboot is also much faster and the applications are loaded faster. However, when it comes to storing and retrieving files, you should hardly notice a difference.

Nevertheless, the speed of an SSHD cannot be compared to that of an SSD. While a pure Solid State Drive comes to data rates of more than 500 MB/second in the test, the values ​​at SSHDS must be viewed in a differentiated manner:

• At the Systemstart and when working with certain programs SSHD's transmission rates can reach SSD level.
• At the Writing and saving data However, move at a maximum of 200 MB/second as part of the usual HDD speed.

Conversely, this means that the higher speed of SSHDS only refers to certain system processes. As a rule, hybrid hard drives work around 20% faster as conventional hard drives, whereby the system performance effectively only increases by about 10%. Since the user notices speed increases below 20% but hardly not at all, the use of an SSHD is not worth it in most cases.

2.2. Less operating noise and lower power consumption

The additional flash memory relieves the magnetic storage, which means that its slices rotate less. On the one hand, this leads to fewer operating noises, produced Less waste heat and ensure that the hard drive is cooled fasterwhich also reduces wear in the long run. The average lifespan of an SSHD is around 10 years.

In addition, due to flash storage technology, SSHD also consumes less electricity than conventional hard drives.

Good to know: HDDs consume the most electricity in both idle and ongoing operation, followed by the SSHDs. Pure SSDs are most economical and therefore ensure the longest battery term in the laptop.

2.3. Capacity of the flash memory is not always sufficient

The SSHD acts intelligently and does its work without doing it. The Algorithm of the hard disk controller detects frequently used files and decides which are permanently transferred to the flash memory.

However, the physical size of the flash memory also determines the maximum number of transfective content. Expensive SSHDs are now equipped with flash storage of 64 GB or more. In the case of cheaper models, however, bottlenecks can occur in capacitybecause with 8 or 16 GB they may not offer enough space for all relevant system files.

In addition, through the internal distribution, the user has no way of influencing the data that is to be stored in the flash (e.g. the personal files). Another disadvantage: the distribution algorithm does not always work reliably. For example, it can happen that it simply passes updated (system -relevant) files.

2.4. Difficult data rescue in the event of a failure

An additional difficulty is usually only revealed when the hybrid data carrier refuses to serve. The restoration of an SSHD is an extremely complex and, above all, time -consuming process, which rarely leads to the desired success.

Ultimately, it always depends on which part of the SSHD is defective. If, for example, the SSD has failed, you can deactivate it in the BIOS and still use the magnetic memory. In the opposite case, it becomes more difficult: If the HDD gives up the mind, you almost always need a corresponding recovery toolto get your information back.

Basically you need both parts of the SSHD for successful restorationsince these form a functional unit and are continuously written between the two parts during operation.

You can also find a explanation of SSHDS in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5-kZzQ4Whc

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