Hybrid drive

A hybrid drive, also known as a hybrid hard drive (HHD) or solid-state hybrid drive (SSHD), is a type of large-capacity computer storage device that combines features of both hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs).^[1]

SSHD Seagate 1000Gb

The hybrid drive integrates these two technologies with the aim to offer a balance between speed, capacity, and cost. It uses the SSD component to store frequently accessed data and the operating system, providing faster boot times and quicker data access for those files. The HDD component, meanwhile, is used for storing less frequently accessed data.^[1]

By intelligently managing data between the SSD and HDD portions, a hybrid drive can offer much of the speed of an SSD while retaining the large storage capacity and cost-effectiveness of an HDD. However, it's important to note that the performance of a hybrid drive would still be less than that of a pure SSD.^[1]

Structure of a typical hybrid drive

SSD portion: This is typically a smaller portion of the drive and is used to store frequently accessed data (like operating system files and most-used applications), leveraging the high-speed nature of SSD technology.

HDD portion: This larger portion of the drive is used for general data storage, taking advantage of the high capacity and lower cost per gigabyte of traditional hard drives.

Hard drive with mSATA SSD on top of it. There is software that can cache files to the SSD to make performance of the HDD faster.

References

1. "SSHD (Solid State Hybrid Drive) - Definition & Detailed Explanation - Computer Storage Glossary Terms - PCPartsGeek". 2024-06-01. Retrieved 2024-07-28.