Search results matching tags 'hybrid-memory systems' and 'Momentus XT'

RE: Analysts Predict Skyrocketing SSD, Cache Drive Sales, But What Happened To Hybrid Hard Drives?

mhenriday — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 13:43:43 GMT

Thanks for clarifying that point, realneil ! That means, if I intrepret you correctly, I could partition the 750GB HDD on the hybrid drive, install each OS on a dedicated partition, and then sit back and let the cache do its job. Sweet ! I'm definitely going to have to give this a whirl !...

Henri

RE: Analysts Predict Skyrocketing SSD, Cache Drive Sales, But What Happened To Hybrid Hard Drives?

mhenriday — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 10:37:44 GMT

As my questions above probably reveal, realneil, my practical experience with hybrid drives is limited to none at all. My understanding, gained from sources like Anand Tech (http://www.anandtech.com/show/5160/seagate-2nd-generation-momentus-xt-750gb-hybrid-hdd-review), is that frequently accessed programmes, data, etc are automatically stored in the cache - the conclusion I've drawn from this is that in a dual-boot system, both OSs would be stored on the cache. But perhaps I've misunderstood....

As I understand it, hybrid drives are designed to be used mainly in portable machines, laptops, notebooks, etc. I'd very much like to hear if any HH reader has experience of running two such drives on one machine....

Joel, you don't mention just why you «despise» dual-booting ; myself I find it useful as I far prefer Ubuntu to Windows, but the retirees from our club who ring me when they encounter computer problems universally use Windows, as, for some strange reason, that OS is always pre-installed on the computers they purchase. Thus, to help them, I need to access Windows. I've found that by keeping Ubuntu on one HDD and Windows on another on my main machine, I've managed to avoid all the inconveniences that could be coupled to dual-booting, with one exception : it takes me a few extra seconds to boot up, as I have to use GRUB to choose which OS to boot. That is a price I'm more than happy to pay....

Henri

RE: Analysts Predict Skyrocketing SSD, Cache Drive Sales, But What Happened To Hybrid Hard Drives?

mhenriday — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 22:25:25 GMT

If I read you aright, Joel, the best solution in the case of an Ubuntu/Windows dual boot would seem to be two hybrid drives, each dedicated to a single OS. As a matter of fact, when dual-booting, I have always tried to have dedicated HDDs for each operating system and the accompanying files, just to keep things simpler. Not, perhaps, the most efficient use of resources, as it means that, for example, I duplicate photos on two disks, instead of dedicating a disk to storing a single copy which could then be accessed by both OS. But that would mean learning how to successfully manipulate a rather more complicated setup, given the differences in files systems (ext4 and ntfs, respectively)....

Henri

RE: Analysts Predict Skyrocketing SSD, Cache Drive Sales, But What Happened To Hybrid Hard Drives?

mhenriday — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 15:13:06 GMT

Thanks, Dave, for your reply ! My question was related to the fact that, AFAIK, the hybrid drive with the greatest capacity currently being offered is the Seagate Momentus X with a 750GB HHD and an 8GB Nand flash cache. To me, that cache size seems a tad on the small side if one is going to run, say, an Ubuntu/Windows dualboot. For that reason, I wondered if any HH readers have experience of actually running such a setup. I'm looking forward to seeing hybrid drives with, say, a 1TB HHD spinning at 10000 RPM and a 64GB Nand flash cache - although I'm not so sure that I'd be pleased by the price in a market with, effectively, only two HHD manufacturers and only one making a hybrid drive....

Henri

RE: Analysts Predict Skyrocketing SSD, Cache Drive Sales, But What Happened To Hybrid Hard Drives?

mhenriday — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:47:52 GMT

Anybody with experience of running a multi-boot system on a hybrid ?...

Henri