Summary
HP has introduced a desktop computer with a combination of an SSD and a HDD. The SSD will store Windows and commonly accessed applications while the HDD stores user data and other content. The SSD provides faster performance than a HDD for sequential data transfer but may be slower than the HDD for random data.
Analysis
There has been a lot of talk about solid state drives replacing hard disk drives. Although there are users for which the need for rugged storage is more important than buying a lot more storage capacity for the same or lower price, these users are in the minority. However many users would like the read performance that solid state storage can offer and the promise of faster boot times and faster applications. Adding solid state memory in addition to a hard disk drive offers a chance to enjoy faster software performance while still being able to keep a lot of user and other data on a hard disk drive.
HP has introduced a desktop computer with Windows 7 operating system having a flash-based solid state drive as well as a conventional hard disk drive. The multi-level cell flash drive (produced by Samsung) is called a RapidDrive by HP. The solid state drive has storage capacity of 64 GB while the hard disk drive will have hundreds or even thousands of GB of storage capacity. The addition of a RapidDrive to the HP Compaq 6005 Pro increases the system price by $200.
The RapidDrive can support up to 225 MB/s sequential data rates for read and 160 MB/s for write. When reading and writing random data the RapidDrive data rates are at most 27 MB/s and 4.2 MB/s, slower than a hard disk drive. The intention is for the RapidDrive to store the Windows operating system and some applications and allow faster boot times and software response. Microsoft is promising that Windows 7 will have much faster boot times than Vista and the hope is that this will be even faster with SSDs.
Combining solid state storage with hard disk drives is an idea that the industry has been working with for several years. Intel introduced the Robson technology with flash cache memory on the motherboard and several hard disk drive companies along with Microsoft introduced the Hybrid HDD a few years ago. Neither of these approaches has taken off due to the additional cost of adding flash memory to either the motherboard or a hard drive, as well as incomplete operating system support for mixed memory/storage systems. Intel is introducing its Braidwood technology that, like Robson, would put flash memory on the computer motherboard. Also Sun and several other companies are working with approaches to add flash memory on server computer motherboards.
It appears that one way or another we will probably see greater amounts of flash memory showing up in computers. However it does not appear that flash will replace hard disk drives any time soon.
Thomas Coughlin consults with leading institutions through GLG
Analyses are solely the work of the authors and have not been edited or endorsed by GLG.
