Seagate Hybrid Drives STBD1000400 1TB MLC/8GB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s NCQ 2.5" Laptop SSHD -Retail Kit

Pros: It's about as fast as a 7200RPM drive (maybe a little faster) after it has intelligently analyzed the programs you use the most and put them into its NAND flash. Cold-booting the system with this drive was fast. Other regular operations like opening my regular web-browser and other often use programs (iTunes, Photoshop, Visual Studio) were much faster as well. The drive is thin (physically the size of a standard laptop hard drive) and runs cooler and more quietly than a standard desktop hard drive. The price is good for what you're getting.

Cons: It's still not as fast as a pure SSD. Also, the caching only happens for frequently used *.exe files. If you write files to the drive frequently, you will notice the 5400RPM spindle speed. The caching feature works well, but with only 8GB of NAND flash, it really won't cache that much all at once.

Overall Review: This drive is great for the average user. The average user is someone that uses the same programs daily. In this usage scenario, their daily used programs would be cached in the drive's 8GB of NAND flash and so launching them and running them is much faster than it would be on a standard platter only hard drive. If you're someone that often writes alot of data to your drive, you will feel that this drive is slow, you will notice the 5400RPM spindle speed since the date you're writing is probably something you don't frequently access / use on the drive (this data won't be cached on the NAND flash). It's a nice upgrade though from the often slow (5400RPM drives) you would find on most laptops sold these days.

Pros: This is my first time experimenting with the new "SSHD" model from Seagate and I'm pleasantly surprised overall. I have a few HDD's as well as an SSD primary drive to compare it to. First, sequential read results. Minimum: 48 MB/s Average: 89 MB/s Maximum: 118 MB/s Access: 18.7 ms Good results for a 5400 RPM drive of this size. I would have liked to see the Minimum speeds higher, but overall these are positive results. I'm sad to say I don't see the SSD kicking in here. To be fair, it's working with large sequential files so I doubt the SSD can even work on this data. Sequential Writes show very similar data, so nothing special to mention there. The real surprise is on Random Access tests. Random Read: 512 B: 2.3 MB/s (.2 ms) 4 KB: 15.1 MB/s (.2 ms) 64 KB: 119 MB/s (.5 ms) 1 MB: 142 MB/s (7 ms) Random: 30 MB/s (16 ms) Now you can really see the SSD kicking in. This is with a fresh drive out of the box, so the 8 GB SSD has plenty of space to work with, presumably, as there's nothing else competing for data. These speeds are very close to my Samsung 840 SSD, despite being inconsistent (See 'Cons' section). You can see under my Random Data results (as low as 30 MB/s) that the SSD begins to faulter here. Every time I run the test, these speeds vary, up to 130 MB/s generally. Ignoring the SSD entirely, the drive performs superbly. If nothing else, the small 8 GB SSD is an added bonus presumably for Windows system files to make your day-to-day operations more snappy. It's clear from my tests that the SSD prefers random reads/writes which will definitely boost performance on typical operations. When dealing with large pieces of data; compressed archives, HD movies, etc, don't expect to see much improvement over other traditional 5400 RPM HDD drives. The drive is whisper quiet, despite sitting directly next to me on my desk during the tests, it's totally silent. No clicking, buzzing, etc.

Cons: Personally, I think the drive needs a larger SSD than 8 GB to make a useful difference. Running my tests, I can clearly see when the drive is switching between the hard disk and the solid-state disk at certain times. Sometimes my tests would yield results up to 5 times faster than other tests, just depending on where the data was being stored. Even within one test of random data, I can physically see the speeds adjusting on-the-fly as the test runs.

Overall Review: Box includes only the drive, and the manual. Drive is enclosed within two plastic casings and an anti-static bag for protection. It uses a standard SATA Power and SATA connector, despite being a Laptop HDD it worked perfectly fine in my desktop environment. It's a bit pricey, so it's just a question of how useful you think the SSD will be for you. Speeding up random accesses is definitely beneficial, but if you're going to be working with large amounts of data, then you won't see much benefit. Considering the drive is 1 TB, most of that data won't actually see any improvements from the SSD. Worst case scenario, it runs like a fast 5400 RPM drive. Best case scenario, it runs like a decent SSD. Either way, you don't end up losing performance, so it's a win-win. I've always been a fan of Seagate and they have a pretty solid history, for the most part. Good warranty, good service, good products. As far as the manufacturer is concerned, you can't go wrong with them. Disk formats to 931.51 GB. All tests performed in HD Tune Pro, due to varying results, I ran each test 3-5 times for clarity.

Pros: This review will cover both the retail (boxed) kit (NewEgg Item # N82E16822178384), as well as the bare drive version (NewEgg Item # N82E16822178340). The only difference between the two versions is that in the retail kit the drive comes packaged in the manufacturer's box and includes an instruction brochure. The bare drive version will be bubble wrapped by NewEgg in the packing process, prior to shipping. No hardware/cables/software are included in either version, therefore the price difference you might see between the drives is only for the manufacturer's box and instruction manual in the retail kit. The drive receives a 5 egg rating for its target demographic of an average laptop/pc user who is looking for a little more system responsiveness, for power users it would easily receive a 3 egg rating as explained in more detail in the "Other Thoughts" section. This Seagate hybrid drive uses 8GB of onboard SSD to cache most often used files/programs in order to speed up their loading. Something to keep in mind is that it is constantly learning the way you use your computer, therefore it might take a week or so for an average user to see the full benefit. The following are some sample load time improvements noted from before to after the learning procedure on a fresh installation of Windows 7 Professional 64-bit: Windows Boot time: +37% Photoshop Elements 9: +200% Premiere Elements 9: +217% AutoCAD 2012 64-bit: +378% 3D Studio Max 2012 64-bit: +163% In short, the premium that you pay over the standard 1TB 5400RPM laptop hard drives is strictly to boost the loading speed of windows and the commonly used applications. Key word being 'commonly' since the SSD (fast) portion of the hard drive is less than 1% of the total hard drive size.

Cons: For most of the applications/files that aren't commonly used, you will not see any speed improvement over a traditional 5400RPM laptop drive. The drive is noisier than expected while seeking when compared to traditional laptop drives. Deceptive advertising by Seagate regarding the true benefits of a hybrid drive. i.e. "Performs like an SSD. SSHDs utilize Seagate flash management technology to deliver SSD-like performance. Testing consistently shows that Seagate Laptop SSHDs compare favorably to SSDs—without sacrificing capacity." This is making it sound as if you wouldn't even need to consider an expensive all SSD drive, and instead would get the full performance benefit over the whole 1TB space of this drive; which is simply not true. Also, since it's still a conventional platter drive at heart, the read/write speed is not consistent from 0-1000GB as can be seen below. 0 GB Mark = 105 MB/s 333 GB Mark = 95 MB/s 666 GB Mark = 77 MB/s 1000 GB Mark = 55 MB/s

Overall Review: This section will address the reason for a 3 egg rating for power users and why they are not the target demographic for this hybrid drive. Power users often require ability to easily multitask, read/write large files, and have ultra fast access times which forces them to switch to an all SSD solution to meet their demands. Unfortunately this hard drive will be lacking for those uses just as a conventional drive was lacking before. The end user will receive quicker boot & application load times, but will still be waiting longer than necessary for those applications to manipulate large files. In environments dealing with sensitive data/files, this drive should be avoided. This is simply because the end user does not have any control of what data gets stored on the SSD portion of the drive. Also, at this time there is no information on how files deletions are handled on the SSD. i.e. If a file was securely deleted off the main drive, was it securely deleted off of the SSD? If not, then it could be open to successful recovery attempts by individuals with the knowledge to do so. To recap, if you’re an average user and are willing to spend extra to get an application loading time boost, then buy the bare drive version (NewEgg Item # N82E16822178340). If, you’re a power user, look at 7200RPM laptop hard drives or preferably an SSD if money allows.

Pros: This drive can potentially save you a few seconds here and there when opening programs and files, and is undoubtably faster than a standard laptop drive for the average user. The drive learns over time what programs and files you access the most frequently and stores them on its 8 GBs of solid state - so that when you need to access them again you can load them quickly. Commonly used programs stored on the SSHD will open a bit faster after you open them a few times.

Cons: I tried out some real-world testing... My conclusion is that there wasn't really wasn't a noticeable difference in loading screens for gaming for me. I set up two computers with comparable hardware (slightly higher clock speed on the CPU in the computer WITH this drive), one with this drive and one with a standard 7200 rpm drive. I loaded levels at the same time (which had been visited before), and the loading screens were more or less the same duration, with the SSHD even lagging behind a few times. While this test was far from perfect, don't expect it to be like gaming with a real SSD where your loading screens will be an order of magnitude faster. This could be a result of the relatively small 8 GB of solid state, many modern games nowadays at least double this amount.

Overall Review: This is an early generation of this hardware, and most people fit into either the power user or mainstream user category. Power users who are willing to spend the extra money should probably get themselves a SSD, while mainstream users who are not should stick with regular hard drives for the better cost/storage ratio. The one real use I can see for this drive is if you have a laptop with just one drive bay and you need more storage than a SSD can provide - this is still a 1 TB drive after all and you will likely get better performance out of the SSHD than a regular drive.

Pros: Well I have heard of the hybrid drives. Really didn't think they would work that well. I was wrong. Boot times are fast and when considering this is a 5400 RPM drive. Faster than my 600GB VelociRaptor. Everything seemed snappy.

Cons: Writing large files you will be reminded this is a 5400RPM disc drive. No adapter to put into 3.5" bay. Only 8GB of SSD. Not for the power user.

Overall Review: Well I could of thrown a bunch of numbers up here. They really don't mean a lot. For the average user that wants to speed up their laptop or desk top this will work good. Lots of storage space, faster than a regular platter drive of same specs, (minus the SSD) and a lot cheaper than a SSD of 1/4 the storage space. There are other solutions to speed up your PC IE ramdisk comes to mind. But that's a whole other story.

Pros: It is very important to understand that this hybrid drive has to learn what programs you run often. It only uses its SSD portion for loading executable programs that have been opened before. After learning how, this SSHD definitely boots Windows faster than my 10k Raptor. It also opens AutoCAD and Google Earth faster. Resuming from sleep is almost instantaneous -that's the only thing it does that is comparable to an SSD. It is a decent performer when it comes to regular file transfers, but it doesn't come close to the Raptor when moving large files. Mine stays cool since it's right behind a case intake fan, but It would probably heat up a laptop just like any other hard drive because it definitely gets warmer than an SSD.

Cons: It's more expensive than any other 1TB hard drive, and the benefits while noticeable don't really justify the cost in my opinion. Although it opens the program faster, AutoCAD drawings take longer to open than from a 10k drive and nowhere close to an SSD. My boot sequence changed in an odd way: POST takes at least three times as long to recognize this and other hard drives after installing it. It completely negates the speed improvement booting to Windows since I wait just as long if not longer for a cold boot to desktop... This could be because I am using an older 680i Motherboard, but I have had several other 1 and 2 TB storage drives on it without any POST slowdowns.

Overall Review: I got around 110MBs file transfer speeds on average so it's not what you'd call slow, but Seagate's claims about the performance of an SSD at the cost of an HD are ga-bage since it's a lot more expensive than an HD and only does one thing as good as an SSD (resume from sleep.) It's performance boost opening common programs is noticeable but if you already have a 7k+ HD and work with any large files at all you will be disappointed. Seagate gets props for deliberately calling this a "laptop" drive because considering the cost, this drive has one perfect niche and that is a laptop with only one HD bay that needs more storage. In that case it would definitely be an upgrade from a standard, smaller HD. I wouldn't buy it as a regular storage drive OR a desktop boot drive since it just doesn't perform any differently from a normal HD for random file transfers or program installatoins.

Pros: This is a great drive for everyday use. It has a large 1TB capacity and comparing it to other SATA drives, the performance is comparable. Speed tests aside, using this drive as an HTPC works well because the large capacity gives you space for movies, music, pictures, etc. and I didn't notice any lagging when playing movies.

Cons: A 5400RPM drive is a bit slow for my taste. This is a hybrid drive, not an SSD so you have to keep in mind it will not perform like an SSD. If you're looking for SSD speeds, I would not recommend this drive. See the benchmark tests below.

Overall Review: I don't know much about hybrid drives, so the 8GB in "1TB + 8GB SSD" really threw me off. I tried to look for a manual online. Unfortunately, you will never find it under "STBD1000400". When mounted, it is actually recognized as "ST1000LM014-1EJ164". The drive looks just like any SATA laptop drive and the connections are also the same. The speeds are nowhere near an SSD. I compared the test results to a Kingston SSD. Here are the results of the tests (keep in mind the tests were run using all the same hardware and software for both drives): ATTO Disk Benchmark: Read = 103MB/s (237MB/s Kingston) Write = 110MB/s (128MB/s Kingston) AS SSD Benchmark: Seq Read = 88.49 MB/s (224 MB/s Kingston) Seq Write = 103.93 MB/s (114.44 MB/s Kingston) Read Score = 10 (45 Kingston) Write Score = 12 (38 Kingston) Total Score = 28 (105 Kingston) HD Tune Pro: Seq Read = 86.4 MB/s (191.8 MB/s Kingston) Seq Write = 95.8 MB/s (67.2 MB/s Kingston) The Kingston isn't that fast of an SSD, so with results like these, I was not that impressed with the SSD performance of the Seagate.

Pros: As an everyday user: Cool product! Made my old computer fast at turning on and the programs I use all day are really fast now, too! As an enthusiast:The drive is fairly quick in applications (after using that application a couple times), Windows boots much quicker than I ever imagined it could in my old Dell laptop. Not only does it sort of feel like a solid state drive, but I have so much space to store things on. A terabyte worth of moderately quick storage, that acts like a solid state drive as best it can? I like it. I definitely wouldn't think of going with this drive over a real SSD, but the performance increase is definitely noticable. Data transfers...not bad considering the access times. I'm not sure if i'm being a pessimist here, or if this drive really fails to excite me, but see below. Sure, it's quick. Sure it's made my older laptop feel new while booting and using a few common applications, but it seems like some sort of bad joke when it finally hits the mechanical section of the drive.

Cons: I did run benchmarks on this drive, and they were not that terribly impressive, even on the SSD portion. This drive could definitely use faster NAND, and more of it. For a hard drive that's meant to go in a laptop (which generally don't have that great of cooling for the drives), and being 5400rpm, the drive gets pretty warm. In my laptop, the old 5400rpm drive would stay around 40c, while this SSDHDD thing hovers around 47c. This is a bit warmer than I'd like a drive getting, but it doesn't seem to mind the heat. The mechanical portion of this drive is not very impressive. Sure, it's fairly quick with sequential reads, and slightly better with writes, but the access times are absolutely miserable when focusing on only the mechanical portion. 19ms random access time? I have green drives that best that by a good margin. I've even seen better in 5400rpm drives from 5-10 years ago. It isn't AAM affecting performance...I checked. I should also note that I had a fan on it so it wasn't running as warm as I just mentioned. In my desktop... So basically, it feels really really fast, then it's suddenly far from it. That should be alright, as the drive should try to "get smart" and move your most used data to the ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE (sarcasm) 8gb of MLC NAND that is in this thing. It would be a lot better if Seagate offered 16 or maybe even 32gb of storage in a hybrid drive.

Overall Review: Since Newegg hasn't had the greatest reputation for shipping hard drives safely, the retail box might offer a little extra protection, so that's always a good thing. The retail box also comes with some warranty information. That's all you get inside the retail box. I expected them to not include anything extra, and I was right. I'm not so sure about the reliability, but the drive does have a 3 year warranty, so that's definitely a nice touch. Just be sure to pick up an external and back your documents up to it. I may not have given this drive that great of a review, but I would definitely recommend it for your average user. It's really nice to have your laptop boot up quickly, and have roughly the same performance it did before the drive upgrade in a worst-case scenario. I'm more of a power user/enthusiast, and it definitely isn't for me. I'm sure my sister will absolutely love it though...