Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Level 1

12 points

Hybrid drive vs. fusion drive performance

I just got a new Mac Mini (Oct 2012) and it has a 1TB drive in it.

I'm going to use it to replace an older Mac Mini in which I installed a 500GB Momentus XT hybrid drive.

That sucker ran a LOT faster than the original drive that was in there, even though there's only 4GB of flash cache on it.

As I understand things, I can add an SSD to my machine and Disk Utility will configure it to work with my existing drive and make it look like a fusion drive.

The other option is a 1TB hybrid drive from Seagate. They don't call them Momentus XT any more, just SSHD or something like that. It has an 8GB flash cache on it.

Here's my question: is a "fusion drive" configuration with 128GB or 250GB of SSD going to be noticeably faster than a 1TB hybrid drive?

Or will the hybrid drive get me ~90% of what the fusion drive configuration will do?

What would you do, and why?

Mac mini, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Apr 19, 2013 5:04 PM

19 replies

frannbug

Level 1

20 points

Jun 6, 2015 6:12 AM in response to thetoolwiz2

I have tried all four types of drive, HDD, hybrid, SSD and fusion in my machines at home. On a scale of 1 to 10, where HDD drive is 1 and SSD is 10, I would put the hybrid drive at 3 and the Fusion drive at 9.5. The Fusion drive is blisteringly fast. The Hybrid drive (a Toshiba one with 8gb SSD) was a bit of a disappointment and didn't appear to make a vast amount of difference.

There is a YouTube video that shows you how to set up a pair of drives as a Fusion drive with a couple of simple Terminal commands. I'm really tempted to try this in my 2006 MBP which already has a 1TB HDD and a 256GB SSD in it. Only thing holding me back is that you have to format the drives as they will be repartitioned in the process.

jdh9846

Level 1

19 points

Apr 9, 2016 11:46 AM in response to Zarquon42

Did you do this? Can you update us on the results?

jdh9846

Level 1

19 points

Apr 9, 2016 11:48 AM in response to frannbug

Did you do this? I am wondering how/whether to update/upgrade my 2009 27" iMac, which currently has one 2T internal drive and is painfully slow.

frannbug

Level 1

20 points

Apr 10, 2016 7:42 AM in response to jdh9846

No, I'm afraid I didn't try it. I am generally loathe to try using Terminal as I wouldn't be able to know the best course of action if I got unexpected results. I don't understand how it works as I haven't learned enough programming. I have no qualms about cracking my computers open and tinkering under the bonnet, though, so I did buy a bigger SSD and swapped that out. 512gb SSD alongside a 1tb HD, both internal, makes a massive difference to the old dear!

Cleaning out the fans can also make a vast difference to an elderly MBP. I managed to clean the right fan but lost my nerve with the left one as it is buried under other components.

Hybrid drive vs. fusion drive performance