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Hi Al,<br />
I see that you've already closed the question, but still wanted to pass along this EE thread that had a good discussion about SSD vs. hybrid:<br />
<a href="https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28158230/Compare-Seagate-750GB-Solid-State-Hybrid-Drive-SSHD-with-SSD.html" rel="ugc">https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28158230/Compare-Seagate-750GB-Solid-State-Hybrid-Drive-SSHD-with-SSD.html</a><br />
<br />
Although it's from almost two years ago, the general points in there are still valid and I think it will be a worthwhile read for you. Regards, Joe
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Hi Al,
I see that you've already closed the question, but still wanted to pass along this EE thread that had a good discussion about SSD vs. hybrid:
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28158230/Compare-Seagate-750GB-Solid-State-Hybrid-Drive-SSHD-with-SSD.html [https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/28158230/Compare-Seagate-750GB-Solid-State-Hybrid-Drive-SSHD-with-SSD.html]

Although it's from almost two years ago, the general points in there are still valid and I think it will be a worthwhile read for you. Regards, Joe

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I'm looking at Dell Optiplex desktops running Windows 7 Pro, advertised as having a 500 GB Solid State Hybrid Drive with 8GB Flash. &nbsp;I'm putting standard SSDs in computers I work on. &nbsp;What exactly is a hybrid drive and how does it compare with a straight SSD in terms of speed, how long they last and any other important factors?<br />
Thanks,<br />
Al
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I'm looking at Dell Optiplex desktops running Windows 7 Pro, advertised as having a 500 GB Solid State Hybrid Drive with 8GB Flash.  I'm putting standard SSDs in computers I work on.  What exactly is a hybrid drive and how does it compare with a straight SSD in terms of speed, how long they last and any other important factors?
Thanks,
Al

What is a 500GB solid state hybrid drive with 8GB of flash

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, is a technology consisting of computer components and recording media used to retain digital data. In addition to local storage devices like CD and DVD readers, hard drives and flash drives, solid state drives can hold enormous amounts of data in a very small device. Cloud services and other new forms of remote storage also add to the capacity of devices and their ability to access more data without building additional data storage into a device.

Storage

Storage devices include any device used for storing and retrieving digital information. Hard disk drives (HDDs) use one or more rigid ("hard") rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. Data is accessed in a random-access manner, meaning that individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order and not only sequentially. The primary competing technology for secondary storage is flash memory in the form of solid-state drives (SSDs), but HDDs remain the dominant medium for secondary storage due to advantages in price per bit and per-device recording capacity. CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable) is a digital optical disc storage format that allows information to be stored outside the mechanical HDD.

Storage Hardware

A personal computer is a general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities and price make it useful for individuals, and is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer time-sharing models that allowed systems to be used by many people, usually at the same time. Personal computers may be connected to a local area network (LAN), either by a cable or a wireless connection, and through that to the Internet. A personal computer may be a laptop computer or a desktop computer running an operating system such as Windows, Linux or Macintosh OS.

Since 1984, Dell has been delivering technology to fit your life.
Dell is in Enterprise, Home Office and Consumer sectors of the market, supplying a broad range of customizable desktops, laptops, notebooks, servers, storage, and network devices.