SSD vs Hybrid for laptop with only one HDD bay

vipulrm on 23/03/2014 - 00:28

I have been wanting to swap my 5400 RPM HDD for an SDD/Hybrid to boost its performance. I saw this Crucial M500 480GB SDD deal and thought this was a good buy. However, I also looked at Hybrid HDDs and realised that they are available in 1TB capacity for less than half the price of the M500.

Now, given that I have only one HDD bay on my laptop and that I use the laptop only for generic use, what do you, ozbargainers recommend? My current HDD is a 512GB and I haven't filled it yet. So HDD space, actually, is not that critical. I am thinking more from a bang-for-buck and future-proofing point of view.

If you do recommend Hybrids, would any of you be kind enough to point me to a few specific models?

Thanks in advance!

Computing

Comments

  • poporange630 on 23/03/2014 - 00:55
    +1

    The hybrid drive can somehow match the 4K thread speed with low to mid tier SSD, however it performs just like a normal HDD when doing continuous file read-write, or doing random access job that fails to be predicted by the Hybrid disk controller. Anyway as you say, you don't need that much space. So now it's just the matter of price and performance. For better capacity / price, go Hybrid. If you want everything fast enough, go for the SSD.

  • msmhw on 23/03/2014 - 01:08
    +2

    Use the ssd as a main hard drive for your laptop and if your laptop has a cd/dvd reader and you dont use it. Take it off and insert your old hhd on it

    • scrimshaw on 23/03/2014 - 01:29
      +3

      If OP's laptop supports an MSATA drive, you can purchase an MSATA form-factor SSD and be able to use your HDD at the same time.

  • Aarent on 23/03/2014 - 01:17
    +2

    Hi there,

    There's many way to go about this, most logical experienced people would ask you first,what do you mainly do on your computer? is speed/space or reliability important to you?

    If you don't store much data and want speed, an SSD would be the way to go, if you prefer large storage but want a bit more speed, then a 1tb hybrid drive from seagate would definitely fit the bill better.

    There is also this expensive but maybe logical choice for you:

    http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&p…

    (FYI, read reviews on this if your interested, i hear the SSD portion isnt that great)

    Personally in your situation, i would get at least a 256gb ssd and just have a slim portable passport drive.

    The suggestion of finding a hdd dock for your optical drive by poster 'msmhw' if your computer allows it is a great idea.

  • WalterPPK on 23/03/2014 - 08:52
    +1

    Since space isn't your primary concern I'd say forget the hybrid, just grab an SSD. You can pop your old drive into a slim USB3/eSATA case so you can plug it in when you want that little bit of room.

  • uraha on 23/03/2014 - 09:58
    +1

    Depends on your laptop maybe you can remove the DVD drive and replace it with a hard drive bracket so you can have 2 hard drives

  • vipulrm on 25/03/2014 - 00:28
    +1

    Thanks for all the inputs. I have decided to buy a 240-256GB SSD and get a caddy to replace the DVD drive with my current hard drive.

    I am now split between the Crucial M500 240GB and the Samsung 840 EVO 250GB.

    All the reviews and performance benchmarks I have read conclude that the Samsung is a better drive. However, I have noticed that the M500 deals consistently get more upvotes by ozbargainers than the 840 EVO deals. So, I was just wondering if I was missing something.

    Can someone please enlighten me and curb my conundrum?

    Just in case people were curious, below is the list of review I have read:

    1. StorageReview
    2. TechSpot
    3. CNET
    • uraha on 07/04/2014 - 07:15
      +1

      M500 is cheaper but the EVO is better

      • vipulrm on 07/04/2014 - 10:13
        +1

        Thanks, uraha. Ordered the EVO last week. Will now order the caddy and DVD enclosure.

        Thanks everybody for the inputs.

    • [Deactivated] on 20/04/2014 - 07:44

      I think you've picked the right choice. Optical drives are basically relics these days, give it 5 years and it will have the same meaning as floppy drive.

  • tessel on 16/04/2014 - 23:03

    I was lucky enough to grab a Sandisk ReadyCache for $25 from MSY when they were on special. I pulled out my DVD drive and put the Sandisk SSD in. It's only 32Gig but it has significantly improved the speed of things. Anyway, I also have an EVO on my main PC, so I would recommend you get one.

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