Debate all you want about hard disk drives versus solid state drives. Seagate reminds us that they can co-exist on a single product.
The Momentus XT aims for the best of both worlds. It has a 4 GB SSD for fast boot times, supposedly loading windows 36 seconds faster than Seagate's existing 7,200 RPM Momentus HDDs. But more of the actual storage space is on hard disk, allowing higher capacities without the price premium of pure solid state drives. They are compatible with any operating system.
Best of all, prices aren't astronomically higher. Three sizes are available: a 250 GB drive for $113, a 320 GB drive for $122 and a 500 GB drive for $156. By comparison, the list price of Seagate's 7,200 RPM Momentus 500 GB HDD is $99. The exact release date is unknown, but Seagate plans to announce more details during a May 26 event.
Seagate tried the hybrid drive concept in 2007, but as Computerworld points out, the product was a complete failure. The drives were still expensive, performance gains were minimal and prices were still high. In other words, the worst of both worlds.
This time, the Momentus XT uses special software that tracks the user's activity and adjusts SSD and HDD use to optimize performance, decreasing disk seek time, boot time and application load time. Seagate says the Momentus XT is mainly intended for gaming and high-end laptops, small form factor PCs and external drives. An Asus representative is scheduled to attend Seagate's event, so I imagine we'll see the Momentus XT pre-loaded in an Asus gaming rig.
I've noticed that traditional hard drives seem stagnant lately. We've seen some moderate gains in capacity among two-platter drives, a new format that allows greater storage density and some far off developments that could lead to even more capacity, but I don't think the thirst for more storage is there, especially at the speed of HDD. At least a hybrid drive makes fast boot up more accessible. I'd rather have an extra 30 seconds every morning than a few more gigabytes I'll never use.
