Quote:
Originally Posted by creb
While I haven't used a "hybrid" drive, it's largely due to not seeing any logical point to doing so. I have a very difficult time believing you really get similar performance between one and an SSD. /shrug
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The results vary depending on which benchmark you read, with some showing that it's very close and others showing that there's a big difference. A lot of users talk about a hybrid being only halfway to a SSD, implying that the SSD should still blow away the hybrid drives. That's why I was so surprised when I swapped out my 500 GB Momentus XT with a 500 GB Samsung 840 (which should be faster than the 250 GB and 128 GB versions of the 840) and didn't feel that there was a huge difference.
Make no mistake, there
is a difference. And in the cases that
random32 is talking about (games and level load times) I'd imagine that there's a big difference to be had. Being an OS X user, you can probably tell that gaming isn't a huge thing for me (although I played
The Witcher with the Momentus XT and noted that level load times would receive some acceleration as I played, although I have not played the game on the 840 to see how much of a difference there is).
My interest is more in terms of raw productivity, though, opening and closing programs and doing fairly basic tasks. Using a certain set of programs repeatedly is an area where the hybrid drives excel. Based on this experience, I can say with certainty (and some disappointment) that the hybrid drives do indeed approach the performance of a SSD.
I will note that OS X does seem to have a bad habit of accessing external drives even if seemingly nothing about the task at hand requires them. While that handicap would apply to both the Momentus XT and the 840, it may be holding the 840 back even further. When I have a chance I'll disconnect all externals and see if the 840 feels any faster, unhindered by the external HDDs.