Seagate has always embraced the idea of marrying SSDs and HDDs into a single form and it was way back a few years ago that they first launched their first SSHD hybrid drive into the market. Fast-forward a few years and now we have the newest generation of SSHDs from Seagate. The company aims to bring faster performance than normal hard drives using what it calls adaptive memory technology wherein the drive adapts to the usage patterns of the user, keeping the most frequently used data in the faster solid-state part of the drive for quick access. Today we take a look at the latest line of these drives in this Seagate Desktop SSHD review.
Seagate is a familiar name in the storage industry and practically synonymous with HDD storage, and that has been their major business since their inception but with the dramatically changing landscape in storage needs of consumers, the reigning kings of HDD solutions have to play at a whole new level with the increasing demands of gamers and power users. Seagate introduced the SSHD, offering bulk storage with significant performance and responsiveness advantages in one single product. Let’s check out the Seagate Desktop SSHD in this review.
Features
Performance – Capacity. Affordable Price.
- The first solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) in a 3.5-inch form factor
- Boots up and performs like an SSD1
- SATA 6Gb/s with NCQ for interface speed
- Faster than a traditional HDD
- All-in-one design for simplicity and ease of installation
- Installs and operates like a standard hard drive: cross-platform, no drivers or additional software required
- Massive 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities combined with SSD-like performance1
- Backed by a 3-year limited warranty
Best-fit Applications
- Desktop PCs
- Workstations
- High-performance direct-attached storage (DAS) devices
Specifications
Specifications | 4TB | 2TB | 1TB |
Model Number | ST4000DX001 | ST2000DX001 | ST1000DX001 |
Interface | SATA 6Gb/s NCQ | SATA 6Gb/s NCQ | SATA 6Gb/s NCQ |
Performance | |||
NAND Type/Size | MLC/8GB | MLC/8GB | MLC/8GB |
DRAM Cache (MB) | 64 | 64 | 64 |
SATA Transfer Rates Supported (Gb/s) | 6.0/3.0/1.5 | 6.0/3.0/1.5 | 6.0/3.0/1.5 |
Seek Average, Read (ms) | <12 | <9.5 | <8.5 |
Seek Average, Write (ms) | <12 | <9.5 | <8.5 |
Average Data Rate, Read, Avg All Zones (MB/s) | 146 | 156 | 156 |
Average Data Rate From NAND Media (MB/s) | 190 | 190 | 190 |
Max Sustained Data Rate, OD Read (MB/s) | 180 | 210 | 210 |
Configuration/Organisation | |||
Heads/Discs | 8/4 | 4/2 | 2/1 |
Bytes per Sector | 4,096 | 4,096 | 4,096 |
Reliability/Data Integrity | |||
Load/Unload Cycles | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
Non-recoverable Read Errors per Bits Read, Max | 1 per 1014 | 1 per 1014 | 1 per 1014 |
Annualised Failure Rate (AFR) | <1% | <1% | <1% |
Power Management | |||
Power (W) | |||
Operating, Typical | 7.5 | 6.7 | 5.9 |
Idle2, Typical | — | 4.5 | 3.36 |
Idling, Typical | 6.2 | — | — |
Standby Mode | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.63 |
Sleep Mode | 0.75 | 0.75 | 0.63 |
Environmental | |||
Temperature (°C) | |||
Operating | 0 to 60 | 0 to 60 | 0 to 60 |
Non-operating | −40 to 70 | −40 to 70 | −40 to 70 |
Physical | |||
Height (in/mm) | 1.028/26.11 | 1.028/26.11 | 0.782/19.87 |
Width (in/mm) | 4.0/101.6 | 4.0/101.6 | 4.0/101.6 |
Depth (in/mm) | 5.787/146.99 | 5.787/146.99 | 5.787/146.99 |
Weight (lb/g) | 1.345/610 | 1.18/535 | 0.88/400 |
Carton Unit Quantity | 20 | 20 | 25 |
Cartons per Pallet | 40 | 40 | 40 |
Cartons per Layer | 8 | 8 | 8 |
PERFORMANCE TESTING
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K
Motherboard: MSI Z77 Mpower
Memory: Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2400 16GB
Storage: SEAGATE DESKTOP SSHD 1TB (ST1000DX001)
PSU: Seasonic Platinum P1000
Potential Performance
ATTO Disk Benchmark benchmarks a drive’s read and write speeds with increasing file sizes and graphs them.
Potential Write Performance
For potential write testing, HD Tune was used to measure the drive’s write performance. Again, we focus on the average results for real-world relevance.
Crystal DiskMark
Crystal Disk Mark is storage benchmarking software was developed by “hiyohiyo” of Japan, and is available for free. Crystal Disk Mark measures sequential, and random read/write speeds of storage devices.
Real-world Test: File Transfer
We’ve taken our compression test files, a collection of images, documents and other files ranging from 1KB to 50MB amounting to 3,343 files for 3GB and a single, large 12GB file. We’re posting the raw transfer results for your reference. Test data is copied off a PCI-express SSD.
Filled-Space Performance
Now we check out performance when we fill the drive with random files amounting to more than 50% capacity and running our benchmarks a few times then letting the drive rest then finally running to get a picture of how the drive performs during such use.
We can see the drive reverts to its rated drive speed meaning the SSHD hasn’t applied adaptive technology to our benchmark given that it deletes its files after running. In a real world sense, the adaptive technology would benefit OS or application files and of course, game files. Say for example you play a lot of Diablo 3 which is a 13GB installation, the most common files are cached in the SSD portion of the Seagate SSHD and quickly gets loaded so you get into the game quickly. This applies best to FPS games and to some extent MOBAs where level textures are loaded when you cross certain areas of the map, sometimes causing framedrops and slowdowns which could easily be a life or death situation once you get into a clash or firefight.
Conclusion
The Seagate SSHD presents a more competitive solution of achieving higher performance for read access together large capacities for bulk storage without the need of buying separate products and certainly a more affordable option than a multiple disk setup. Seagate addresses two issues that most gamers and power users encounter when choosing a storage solution but are faced with budget or space constraints:
- The Seagate SSHD provides high speed storage performance for regularly accessed files using Adaptive Memory Technology where it efficiently uses it’s NAND memory to serve update quickly, which is enough for gaming.
- The Seagate SSHD is a single-drive solution removing the need for an SSD + HDD setup for an OS drive and bulk storage drive saving space and power at the same time.
There are plenty of other scenarios where the Seagate SSHD would triumph but as most folks are comfortable with buying an SSD for their usage, it’s the consumers that want to save money for an upgrade like a faster GPU or CPU than their storage.
Overall, the Seagate Desktop SSHD is an effective solution that a certain portion of the market, namely budget gamers, can appreciate. They get the benefit of read speeds from an SSD and the large storage capacity of an HDD. While it doesn’t break any performance records, the Seagate SSHD is still an impressive product due to its versatility.
The Seagate Desktop SSHD comes in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities and is backed by a 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Silver Award.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to Elland Jhann Ilustre! You are the winner of a brand new Seagate Desktop 1TB SSHD! Please email us using your Facebook email address for confirmation.
THIS GIVEAWAY HAS CONCLUDED.
We’re giving one of you lucky readers the chance to win your own, brand new Seagate Desktop SSHD 1TB drive. All you have to do is simply answer the questions in our giveaway app below. It’s that easy. Optional questions grant you bonus entries for more chances! All the answers are in this review, feel free to be creative with your answers.
Seagate SSHD Giveaway
Important stuff:
- Contest runs from date of posting until 11:59PM, July 21, 2015.
- One (1) winner of one (1) Seagate Desktop SSHD 1TB.
- No purchase necessary to join.
- Winner will be announced within 48 hours after draw.
- Winner has 24 hours to respond after announcement otherwise we will deem it forfeited and another winner shall be selected.
- Open to permanent residents of the Philippines only.
72 Comments
Performance,Capacity and Affordable Price a really Bang for the buck…I really need this one for my computer shop server pc.It would help me a lot on saving Online Games and for faster performance..
Love the idea of a single-drive solution! Ideal for mini-ITX builds.
A definite upgrade from a hard drive and for those on a tight budget will like this.
Performance and Capacity!
I need it to store videos, music and documents!
I like how it’s a single-drive solution. You have the performance and size both in one piece and the price is lovely for someone who’s having a hard time picking between an SSD and an HDD whether to choose speed first than size. And I must say that I’m THAT someone. :))
This single-drive solution removing the need for an SSD + HDD setup for an OS drive and bulk storage drive saving space and power at the same time is all i need. Right now im using 120gb SSD for OS + 1TB HDD black for my personal files including games. I read somewhere that using ssd as a back up for your personal files not running it for over a week is not safe so definitely this SSHD is the solution and i deserve to win this one.
Thanks Back2Gaming for some fun!
No need to buy a separate SSD since the Seagate Desktop SSHD combines the extreme read/write speeds of an SSD with the capacity of a standard disk drive. 😀
Good alternative for budget PC users who aren’t ready to jump over on SSDs entirely and still opt for traditional HDDs. This product should probably convince them to make a gamble with new technology and make them realize what they’re missing.
Nice! 😀
An SSHD would be a great thing to buy for some mid-level gamers out there. The people who want an SSD but can’t afford one can get an SSHD. I myself would want one because lately, I have been saving up for an SSD but the problem is I can’t afford a large one and it would really help me with all of the games I have yet to play on my library 🙂 #gameon
This storage is awesome!
SSD–like performance and hard drive capacity! I need more space for my F100 (PC) <3
finally, a seagate sshd. I’ve look at WD BLACK SSHD version and would want to know how this one compares
I deserve to win this one because the random number generator has finally chosen me at random!
Woohoo!!!! Seagate, good warranty good coverage.
SSHDs are the beasts when it comes to high-speed transfer rates and they’re more durable!
I hope I will win this giveaway. This will definitely improve my computer’s boot time and overall performance for my gaming and general computing needs, I’d certainly pick this Seagate SSHD rather than an OP, small capacity SSDs nowadays.
a great alternative for those on a budget and want SSD like performance + large storage amount
Having a lot of storage and faster than HDD speeds are the best features for SSHDs. I need one for my video editing and gaming. I do a lot of competitive gaming event coverage, the speed and huge space is perfect for this kind of thing.
Great review. Recommended for low budget-good performance build
+1 for gundam 00 movie kekek
Good job seagate.. A new product to look forward to specially for pc enthusiast.
Perfect for budget people like me.
SSHD FTW! I definitely need this! Super fast and very reliable!
1TB for $120.00, 2TB for $170, and 4TB for $240. Prices are from Amazon.
It’s pretty good, though, you can get some performance from SSDs while getting the capacities of HDDs. A little too expensive for me but I think it’s worth it in the long run. It’s easy to set up too!
The feature I like the most came from the name itself, “SSHD”. A hybrid between HDD and SSD. SSD performance with an HDD capacity in an affordable price. YAY!
And I deserve to win this BAE :3 because I’m planning for an upgrade in months but because I’m really on a tight budget, I couldn’t push through with it. So winning this SSHD will definitely save me a chunk of money.
The adaptive memory technology enhances its resourcefulness through separating the files used the most as well as saving space in a case. This would be great in modded cases or in my modded table case lol.
Great performance and affordable.
I really like the idea of Adaptive memory technology where it can speed up accessing my files that I regularly use like having an SSD. I need this to level up my gaming PC and everyday usage and i really think i deserve to win this ^_^
With all the fad going on about cutting carbon footprints and going green, I think it’s about time I tried a hybrid. It has great economy, instant torque and has a capacity that fits light users and heavy users.
Capacity
Capacity, performance and because I don’t have one yet! ^_^
The feature that I like the most is its massive capacity with SSD-like performance. I deserve to win because I’m awesome and there’s nothing you can do about it. 😛
way cool
Speed + Big Capacity (Y)
Speed and capacity all-in-one.
Capacity + Speed + Reliability + Great Technology.. This seagate sshd is perfect.. i’ve been using seagate hdd since my 1st computer and i can say that their products are awesome and have long lifespan..
seagate FTW, built my 1st computer with a seagate. same as my 2nd.. planning on building my 3rd rig but still not have enough money so this will be a great help and its hybrid wooooo..
It’s a freakin hybrid!:D
I’d like to see more of what Adaptive Memory Technology technology can do. Let me have it!XD
Being a Hybrid Drive.. allows you to use only this drive than using multiple storage devices :3
I deserve to win one because I’m running out of space and I’m planning to shift from mATX to ITX 😀
capacity for tons of …. :3
would love to have this as a game drive solution as a 128gb is barely sufficient these days.
The balance between speed, capacity, and cost
I need this to replace my laptop’s HDD
Nice performance. Really good for everyday use.
What i like on this SSHD is that it performs like an SSD with a big capacity and an affordable price with a 3-year limited warranty. I am deserving to win a Seagate Desktop 1TB SSHD because I believe that this would improve my work and output as an online freelancer. This would improve the read and write of data in the programs and applications I’m using in my work.
PERFORMANCE, CAPACITY and AFFORDABLE PRICE!!!
I deserve to win this because i really want to try this SSHD and i don’t have the money to buy it… 😀
the capacity and performance,because sshd is like ssd+hdd = sshd 😀 hybrid Boot Faster. Load Faster. Shoot Faster.
Speed of a SSD + storage size of a hard disk. A deal for the performance of 2
Capacity of a HDD and the speed of a SSD makes me wanna cry because i dont have the money to buy this XD
Booting up like a SSD with the storage capacity of a HDD is pretty cool
your AIO need for your OS and Files. 😀
No more SSD and HDD installed separately! ^_^
Would like to have this drive for my audio library samples, as my Spinpoint F3 1TB is 5 years old already and giving up! This would definitely be a worthy replacement for it and would drastically speed up my loading times! 🙂
Better upgrade! And i want one 😀
I like the fact that B2G has reviewed this hard drive and that’s also one reason why I’d like to win this contest. Another thing is that I need a bigger storage for my files as my current Seagate 500GB is no longer enough.
The good thing about this SSHD is that it’s fast and affordable, an All in One solution for your storage needs, another thing to note is that it comes with 3 years of warranty for peace of mind!
It being hybrid is so much awesome. All the other Added tech is a bonus for me.
Seagate’s Adaptive Memory Technology amazes me most because it is self-learning which means it learns overtime where to store the elements depending on their priority.
I need this to upgrade my current station because its storage capacity is behind most PCs today.
I have to win this cause, My Hard Disk drive just died 2 days ago, and I don’t have money to buy a new HDD, and winning this would make my life productive.
I need this for fast boot and loading for games
Very innovative, reasonable price for both the speed of an ssd and the capacity of the hdd in a piece of hardware instead of having two which also saves space
What I like most about this Seagate Desktop SSHD 1TB is the “All-in-one design for simplicity and ease of installation”. Because for me who doesn’t have enough knowledge in fixing computers, I think I won’t have a hard time in fixing, placing, installing and restoring all my files!
I deserve to win this because my hard disk/computer is not working since last week. The technician told me that I need to buy a new hard disk and replace it asap and (my fear) all files will be lost. This giveaway is just perfect since I can’t afford to buy a new one. Thanks for the chance to have it for free! Good luck to all! 🙂
Hybrid. Period.
ggwp T_T
Thank you po!
grats
swerte <3 congrats :))
congrats
Hindi ko alam na may contest.
congrats!
Second win mo na land ah. Grats
wow O_0
kantai collection? congrats!
does it come with free Kongou ‘materials?’
congrats to elland and thanks to back2gaming for some fun!