what is hybrid HDD?
Mobile applications require several features from hard disks, including low energy consumption and the ability to absorb external shock. These requirements are especially important in the case of notebook computers. Other features required by users of personal computers include fast boot times and data stability.
Hybrid hard disk drive refers to a leading product that incorporates the advantages of flash into the hard disk drive, satisfying the requirements like energy consumption and reduced boot time. Hybrid HDD adds NV Cache ( Non-Volatile Cache ) to the conventional hard
disk drive; significantly improving the read and write caching functions for the enhancement of data input/output as well as the computer's overall capacity. Indeed, this is the first type to combine a magnetic storage device with digital semiconductor.
Unlike the hard disk drive, which requires a certain rotational speed (5400 RPM) in order to boot, Hybrid HDD stores the boot-related data in a built-in flash cache memory. This enables an ultra fast boot time of less than five seconds: a remarkable achievement compared to the current standard of between 20 and 30 seconds. Additionally, battery life is expected to increase by approximately 20-50 minutes.
Let's take a closer look at some of the advantages of hybrid hard disk drives. Three of the main advantages of Hybrid HDD in the personal computer environment can be summarized as follows.
First, Hybrid HDD has flash memory playing a supplementary role to DRAM in order to dramatically reduce the boot time and improve system capacity. As the read-function of flash memory is much faster than that of a hard disk drive, it is possible to have the boot image file for a personal computer or other user files stored using the flash beforehand and read in order to achieve a faster system speed. This is particularly valuable for an OS that employs a 3D interface, such as Windows Vista.
Secondly, Hybrid HDD uses less electricity. Through the OS paging-out process (virtual memory manager stores unnecessary data onto the hard disk drive), personal computers regularly write data onto the hard disk drive. In other words, every time data is stored the hard disk drive, the hard drive needs to spin-up, consuming electricity: the more frequent the writing, the more electricity is consumed. Hybrid HDD, however, enables write-caching of regular data using flash memory in order to minimize the need for the hard disk drive to spin-up, thereby reducing the system's overall power consumption.
Thirdly, Hybrid HDD offers improved durability and reliability. Insofar as the need for the HDD to spin-up is minimized, this also serves to shorten the duty cycle of the HDD, lowering the probability of head-media collisions and errors (off-track write, etc). This can lead to increasing the MTBF.
The three advantages of Hybrid HDD described above result in considerable improvements to capacity, electrical consumption and product reliability, all important factors when considering notebook computers. For these reasons, Hybrid HDD is an attractive new development for notebook manufacturers.
