I just bought a used laptop with a Seagate 500GB SSHD (model ST500LM000).
a) Does "MLC" (which is 8GB) refer to the capacity of the SSD section of the drive?
The reason I'm asking is, I was thinking of selling the 500GB and buying a 1TB SSHD. However it also has an MLC of 8GB - and - a quick search reveals Windows 10 requires 20GB!
b) Is there any point in getting the 1TB SSHD?
Ah, oh - thanks, that makes sense now. The way it was described to me before, the OS is stored in solid-state memory, and data written to the 'mechanical' section. And that had me wondering how to install an OS only on the SSD section.
So you're saying the most-frequently accessed programs are loaded similar to how RAM works - and are probably only discarded from that cache if that 8GB fills up? Is that right?
So there's no need to be concerned in what manner/location I install programs when I receive it - the SSD section just loads exe's/data from anywhere on the platters?
So you're saying the most-frequently accessed programs are loaded similar to how RAM works - and are probably only discarded from that cache if that 8GB fills up? Is that right?
Yes. The algorithms can get more complex, but they tend to be variations on (or combinations of) most-recently-used and most-frequently-used.
So there's no need to be concerned in what manner/location I install programs when I receive it - the SSD section just loads exe's/data from anywhere on the platters?
The drive has no concept of files. Instead, it sees (and caches) on a lower level, which can be in chunks of 512B, 4kB, etc.. This is good for, say, large files where only a small portion is accessed. And, no, the (logical) location on the HDD doesn't really affect cache efficiency. Basically: don't worry about it overly much, just use it.
You mention that you have a mSATA slot. From there, you have a few options:
But you also need to keep in mind that some laptops (especially older ones from OEMs like HP and Dell) only accept drives up to a certain size (e.g. 32GB/64GB) in the mSATA slot, and won't allow booting directly from that drive - intended for use as a cache drive.
The only benefit you'll get buying the 1TB SSHD is the increased storage capacity.
As realfamilyman explained, SSHD drives appear to the OS as a single drive. The SSD portion works as cache, for faster read or write access to commonly used data. The drive has algorithms that keep the most commonly used data in the SSD cache, making it faster to access.
They have traditionally been a way of providing larger amounts of data storage of a HDD with faster access times of an SSD. But they are still a compromise. Not as fast as an SSD, but normally faster than a HDD.
There is an SSHD though that allows you to install the OS on the SSD portion (128GB) of the drive and use the remaining on the SSD and the HDD plater space (1TB) for whatever purpose.
It's the WD Black2 Dual Drive. Again though, it's very much a compromise and not cheap.
You might be better off replacing the drive with a 1TB (960GB) SanDisk Ultra SSD. They've been listed on OzB at very low prices, mostly from Amazon. It will give your laptop a massive performance boost and will extend battery life. They're not the fastest SSD, but you'll unlikely notice any difference in day to day use between SSDs. The differences are minimal for the most part.
Thanks.
The laptop has an mSATA slot and a HDD slot. Because of what you said above, would I be better with:
A smaller SSD for programs (instead of the SSHD), plus a 1TB HDD for files? Or the 1TB SSHD alone is fine?
What I mean is, I'm unclear if you meant the SSD will be a huge increase over just the HDD, or, a big difference over the SSHD too. (Would there be a big difference between SSHD and SSD?)
Where I'm getting stuck is, I want to give someone else a HDD, after loading it up with files. So I'm trying to decide if I should:
a. Keep the 500GB SSHD and buy them a HDD.
b. Buy myself a 1TB SSHD and give them the 500GB SSHD.
c. Buy a smaller SSHD + a 1TB HDD for me, and give them the 500GB SSHD.
d. Keep the 500GB SSHD, buy myself a second 500GB SSHD (so I now have 1TB of SSHD), and buy them a HDD.
I know you can't make that decision for me. But an answer to the above question will help me decide that.
It depends on your budget and how much storage your actually need on your laptop.
You mentioned your laptop has both an MSATA let and a SATA port. You could probably utilise both ports but you might want to check with the manufacturer that they will both work at the same time. It might be the case that only one port or the other works, but not both. You might also be able to determine this from the BIOS.
Yes, an SSD will be much faster than an SSHD.
Given the cost of the SanDisk Ultra SSD 960GB (or another 500GB SSD), if it fits in your budget I'd personally just buy a single SATA SSD drive and connect it to the HDD (SATA) port on your laptop.
You could consider buying a smaller 128GB MSATA SSD and using that with your existing SSHD. Then buy a cheap HDD for your friend.
But given the costs of the two drives, you're probably getting close to spending the same amount as the SanDisk SSD. So, I'd probably come back to that as the easiest and best bang for buck recommendation. It also gives you fast access to ALL your data.
Here are two examples of great SSD deals:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/227558
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/228251
Thanks to you both.
As to how much storage… I'd like 4TB (or more), but… :-)
I currently have a desktop, with 3x HDDs connected for a total of 5TB. I download torrents, and seem to use about 3.7 TB in total across all 3 HDDs.
This is what concerns me actually. Because I read torrents cause constant head rewrites, which is hard on the heads of a HDD. But I've also read an SSD isn't meant for constant rewrites either.
Q: Does that change what type of drive I should be getting?
Hm… Unless… Can I make bittorent do all it's downloading on a cheap USB flashdrive (because they're cheaper to replace)?
I wouldn't worry about torrents and HDD head wear. The longevity of a HDD should but be severely influenced by reading data for torrents. HDD are cheaper per GB than any other type of disk, so I'd stick with them if you've already got them. They're cheaper to replace.
Oh no, they're all 3.5" drives, connected to the P4 desktop.
I just bought the laptop with the 500GB SSHD. It hasn't arrived yet. Then I saw this posted:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/227766
So yeah, I'd like everything to be contained in the laptop and mostly use it instead of the slow XP desktop. (The laptop has a docking station.) But maybe I'll just have to compromise and carry some portable HDDs around (most of that 3.7 TB is movies), or the storage would cost more than the laptop.
@realfamilyman: well if you want to move all your data to the laptop and need around 4TB of storage, then you'll need to go external. You could buy an MSATA SSD for your OS and a 2TB 2.5" HDD for your torrents and install them both in your laptop (as long as it supports two drives in use and booting from MSATA).
That would be the closest compromise I can see to getting that much data on your laptop without an external drive.
And an SSHD won't make any difference for torrents, so just a standard HDD is fine.
@thedriver: Thank you for all this help. Do you happen to know how I can tell what options I can insert in the MSATA slot? It's a:
Dell Latitude E5440
Intel i5-4310U CPU 2/3Ghz
8GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M graphic card
Windows 7 Pro 64-Bit
Also, if I do get an MSATA SSD - and it supports both and can boot, LOL… How do I install/get it to boot W7Pro64 on the MSATA instead of the SSHD? (It's a clean install, and the SSHD comes with a restore partition.)
@realfamilyman:
You might be able to tell from the BIOS, see if you can enable multiple SATA ports (inc MSATA) AND configure the MSATA port for boot priority.
Try upgrading to latest BIOS too. Maybe look through BIOS revisions on the Dell downloads page and see what changes have been made.
But the best bet is to probably call Dell tech support and ask them.
There should be an option in the BIOS to specify the MSATA port as the first (primary) boot device.
I've got a Latitude e7440 and I know I can run a SATA and MSATA drive at the same time.
On a side note - you might also be able to use this HDD caddy to add a third (2TB even) HDD
@realfamilyman:
This thread seems to suggest you can use MSATA to boot from and still use second drive.
You could clone (image) your existing HDD to the new MSATA SSD, then remove the HDD, set BIOS to boot from MSATA and test. Then when you know it works, install old HDD and format HDD. That should keep the Dell recovery partition (if you want it). You may need to use a cloning tool that is SSD aware though, as disk alignment makes a big difference to SSD speed.
Great stuff - thank you.
Hm…
That link you posted says the Dell user manual states models with both discrete graphics and ExpressCard don't support mSATA.
The laptop does have discrete graphics. And I believe from the photos it does not have an ExpressCard, but a Smartcard reader instead (or maybe it's just an empty slot with "SC" printed on it).
But maybe what Dell really means is - with discrete graphics and an ExpressCard fitted, it can't physically fit an SSD.
If so, is that easily solved by removing the ExpressCard?
As I said, I don't think it has one. But the reason I ask is, if there is a Smartcard reader behind that "SC" slot, wouldn't that also take up that same space the SSD needs? And if so, can that again be solved by removing the Smartcard reader?
Also, they're saying the ExpressCard is the one to get. Because you can always get a USB smart card reader if you need one (not sure why anyone would!?). But an ExpressCard can be used for upgrades: Wi-Fi N (which I think is just for a wireless network?); eSATA port (high-speed file transfer to external HDD); additional USB2 ports…
LOL - have I purchased the wrong laptop?
What I'm thinking is, can't all of that stuff be done via the Wi-Fi/bluetooth for the network - and the 1x USB 2.0 and 2x USB 3.0 ports? Not to mention the Dell PR03X docking station I also bought, which has 1x eSATA/USB, and 5x USB Type A 4-pin (oops - no 9-pin USB 3.0 - so that's what it was cheaper!).
That e7440 sure looks nice and thin. I'd not seen that model before because I limited my search to laptops with DVD burners (in addition to the mSATA slot). I was originally looking at E6440 and E6450. (Or maybe it was E6540. Unsure now. The same as the E6440 but with the additional numeric keys.) But the 6440 overheats when they have the discrete graphics card - and the one with the extra keys was getting too expensive to justify over the 5440.
Thanks for the reminder about the caddy too. I've had one in my ebay watchlist for months, but wanted to be sure the laptop arrived (and was working) first.
LOL. Just noticed - why are they saying to use the faceplate from an optical drive on the caddy!?
MLC - and TLC, and SLC - refer to the specific NAND flash technology. Specifically, they refer to the number of bits of data per cell. SLC is 1 bit per cell, MLC is "multi" but usually 2, and TLC is 3. Generally, the higher you go the cheaper the flash but also the slower the flash and the faster it wears out. Consumer drives are usually MLC and TLC these days.
What you're trying to do is not how an SSHD works. The SSD "part" of the drive is not accessible. It serves as automatic cache so the frequently-accessed parts of the backing HDD are served faster. As far as you - and the OS - will see, it's the same as a standard HDD of the same size, just faster (for cached data). This usually works out well because only a small amount of most people's stored data is accessed frequently - the majority is almost never touched.
If you actually want to store some data on an SSD and others on a HDD you will need two drives.