Performance - Part Two
PCMark 7's trace-based simulations provide a better indication of what the Laptop Thin SSHD can do in everyday scenarios. The Starting Applications test entails loading office documents and Internet Explorer, while the Gaming test simulates a run of World of Warcraft.
In both benchmarks, Seagate's integrated solid-state cache is working as intended. In certain cases, the NAND-acceleration results in the drive delivering almost eight times the performance of a standard hard disk, and though the overall speed is some way shy of a dedicated SSD, Seagate has found a satisfactory middle ground.
For users coming from a traditional hard disk, the SSHD can offer a dramatic increase in system responsiveness - particularly in regards to Windows boot times. To give you another example, we used the Laptop Thin SSHD as a replacement for a 7,200RPM hard disk in an old, worn-down Dell laptop and saw Windows 7 load times reduced from a laborious 143 seconds to just 30 seconds flat.