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As the name suggests, hybrid drives, or also known as Solid State Hybrid Drive, are a combination of its two parent models: the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and the Solid State Drive (SSD). This powerful fusion of its two predecessors made it an instant on-demand product for computer users like me.
Hybrid Drives are proven to be a lot better than the old HDD because of several factors which include loading speed. The fact that a hybrid drive has the same advantages as an HDD made it a powerful device.
In this article, I will show you all of the factors that made the hybrid drive a much-recommended choice than the classic HDD.
Factors such as loading speed, durability, its mechanism, and how good it is for gaming, will be discussed as we progress. There is so much to learn as to why you should have this installed on your PC!
Table of Contents
How Long Do Hybrid Hard Drives Last?
HDDs are known to be extremely durable, whereas proper maintenance can make them last as long as 7 to 10 years. This is a huge benefit from the HDD when I considered properly maintaining it (with a cooling system to ensure longevity).
Take note that computer stores often advise that it can only take up to 5 years. But imagine its durability that made it a powerful storage device for years, and even until now.
But ever since technology decided to fuse the HDD and the SSD to create a better variant, a lot of people are wondering if this can last as long as its ancestor.
To understand further how it can potentially last long, you need to understand the mechanism behind it, and how the hybrid drive can reduce overheating.
How Do Hybrid Drives Work?
As for the mechanism of the hybrid drives, take note that it is a literal combination of the HDD and the SSD. To provide the high storage capacity of the HDD, hybrid drives have the classic rotating platters found in HDDs, which are known to have very high memory.
To provide the fast-speed process of the SSD to these rotating platters, a high-speed component of the SSD’s flash memory is also installed in the hybrid drive.
For the SSD’s flash memory to be mimicked by the hybrid drives, it caches the frequently accessed bits of data within the rotating platters.
The NAND flash memory will change the frequently accessed bits of data over time, depending on the user’s preferences or usage of the PC.
As long as the frequently accessed data are used over and over, it will always be saved in the flash memory.
As a result of this awesome fusion of the predecessor storage devices, the hybrid drive guarantees that a large amount of memory will work without the risk of overheating too much.
This is also thanks to the flash memory which ensures that less work will be initiated by the large storage device. This effectively results in less overheating, prolonging the life of the hybrid drives longer than the lifespan of the HDD and SSD.
Take note that the durability of the hybrid drive’s material also counts in providing extra protection, particularly from physical damage.
The durability and lifespan of the hybrid drive is not the only factor that made it superior to its parents. As we discuss hybrid drives, you will learn more redeeming qualities out of this nifty storage device.
Are Hybrid Drives Better Than HDD?
In all aspects, the hybrid drives are far superior to the HDD. Of course, its capability of working as an SSD is already one of the key factors in making it perform at a better rate than the classic hard disk drive.
To answer this in clearer detail, here are the factors which made hybrid drives better than the HDD:
Longevity
HDDs overheat quicker than hybrid drives not just because of the HDD’s rotating platter mechanism, but because of the lack of flash memory in it.
Hybrid drives were developed with an SSD’s flash memory, making it work more efficiently as it causes frequently used data to load faster.
The HDD compensates with the lack of flash memory by pushing itself to work, which results in a loud noise and eventual overheating., which potentially causes permanent damage, which then reduces the lifespan of the HDD.
The hybrid drive may have the same platters, but they now work with much ease than before.
Cost-Efficient
This is efficient for spending money because there is no need to buy an SSD anymore if you have two classic storage devices in one hybrid drive.
Nowadays, laptops and PCs should have an SSD installed for efficient loading speeds if they do not want to remove their old HDDs.
What made this a better money-saving tactic is that instead of replacing the HDD, you can add the hybrid drive for even more storage space.
This is an advantage that you cannot get with an SSD. HDDs might be way cheaper than hybrid drives, but they come along greatly. In the case of having only one SSD in your unit, this tip applies greatly as well.
Speed
The HDD simply relies on the RAM for it to work at desirable speeds. If it overworks due to multiple apps, it is prone to overheat which slows its performance down.
The SSD was a successful solution for this known issue but lacked the memory stored in an HDD. This is why hybrid drives are finally discovered.
As we progress through this article, you will also realize that it is not just as fast as an SSD, but also superior too!
SSD and hybrid drives are both superior when it comes to speed as they have the same parts for their flash memory. But there are several factors that I would love to explain as we move forward.
Are Hybrid Drives As Fast As SSD?
Because of the SSD’s flash memory installed in the hybrid drives, faster speeds are guaranteed.
This can make the hybrid drive work faster without the need to overwork, compared to the HDD which is the reason why it is prone to overheating.
The flash memory can store frequently accessed data so then it can quickly load the apps that you use daily if not only often.
Newer models of hybrid drives are being developed to work faster than an SSD, making hybrid drives a unique storage device, but with a better reputation in the future.
The hybrid drives are also proven to be far superior to an SSD even if there are no upgrades done to its flash memory as of yet.
Thanks to the rotating platter mechanism added to the hybrid drives, which the SSD lack, hybrid drives have higher storage space than all SSDs in the market.
If there is any superior factor found in both HDDs and SSDs, it is only the price. However, as mentioned earlier, it is better to buy a hybrid drive as an addition to your HDD or SSD.
This helps boost loading speed for your old HDD, or compensates for the lack of space that the SSD offers. It is a win-win situation indeed!
Hybrid drives are excellent for anyone who is working in the office as it helps them load apps at a faster pace. It also provides the ability to install any apps the company uses thanks to its high memory.
Whatever your profession in the office may be, using a hybrid drive will be good for delivering work efficiently. Of course, aside from work, it also gives you an advantage over another use for a computer that we all know and love.
Are Hybrid Drives Good For Gaming?
Hybrid drives are excellent for gaming! Most only think about the RAM and the GPU of the PC when it comes to games.
But little do others know that there is a huge difference between using an SSD and an HDD when it comes to gaming as well. Thanks to the SSD capabilities found in the hybrid drives, playing games will be a smoother experience than before.
One of the biggest drawbacks of HDDs when playing games with high graphics, or those with tons of content that uses high amounts of data, is slow loading speed.
The RAM makes the overall gameplay smooth with less to no lag, the GPU handles the graphics, while the speed of the game app’s loading sequences is up to the storage device.
Hardcore gamers, who often play at least one to three games on their computer at the same time, will benefit greatly from the fast loading speed of the flash memory.
The games you often play will be registered as frequently used bits of data, which will be saved in the flash memory for fast loading speeds. Your games will be played smoothly, even for areas or updates in games that you’ve seen for the first time.
HDDs are known to double the loading time that an SSD or a hybrid drive can do.
As the game app loads its resources to initiate a new scene for the player to view, the app communicates with the storage to process the game’s data saved in it when the game was installed.
Old HDDs running games with high requirements can easily overheat due to a lack of flash memory.
Are Hybrid Drives Worth It?
You can consider hybrid drives as a long-term investment in this modern age where they are starting to become recognized in the market.
Based on all of the factors and scenarios involving the use of a storage device, you can see that the hybrid drives are far superior to the HDD and SSD.
I am also a gamer, and I prefer my game apps to load faster and not only give me a smooth gaming experience.
But I found my HDD incapable of loading my games faster, especially that I maximized everything in the settings thanks to my new RAM and GPU setup.
I realized quite late loading speeds of an SSD are required for the very good amount of storage space that my HDD can offer.
That was the moment where I found hybrid drives because it was suggested to me by a friend since SSDs have low storage space.
I did not hesitate when he taught me about hybrid drives and started to search for a good brand online.
And instead of replacing my old HDD, I decided to covert the old storage space as my storage for dumping most of my files, with the hybrid drive holding all my programs.
As discussed earlier, it gave the cost-efficient benefit instead of adding an older unit than the hybrid drive as an add-on. It also upgraded what my current storage device lack from the hybrid drive.
This did not just reduce game loading speeds in half, it also let me download and install more games as part of my collection.
Conclusion
Hybrid drives are considered a huge upgrade, whether you add it with, or completely replace your old storage device. As the name suggests, all advantages you can get from an HDD or SSD are present in this new-gen drive!
