| Flash memory may not be taking over from your | | | | Samsung's OneNAND Flash memory onto a regular |
| regular hard disk in the near future, but it could still be | | | | hard disk. The Flash is used as a buffer, storing write |
| playing a significant role before long. | | | | tasks until it is full. Only then is data written to HHD. |
| | | | | This way, during times of light usage, the hard disk can |
| The hard disk has been with us for longer than you'd | | | | remain idle or even in sleep mode for much longer. |
| realize. The first examples materialized back in the | | | | Samsung claims this reduces power consumption by |
| 1950s, and the IBM Winchester format which we still | | | | an average of 9%. |
| essentially use today arrived in 1973. Since then, pundits | | | | |
| have predicted the hard disk's doom more than once. | | | | Seagate's Momentus 5400 PSD takes a similar |
| With the rise of Flash memory in mobile devices, which | | | | approach, but uses twice as much Flash (256MB). |
| have been pushing down unit prices, it is expected that | | | | Seagate maintains the greater capacity reduces |
| solid state disks (SSDs) will take over from the | | | | power consumption by as much as half. |
| mechanical variety sooner or later. But while there are | | | | |
| no signs of this happening just yet, there is new | | | | Since Flash maintains its data without power, it's an |
| technology bubbling under which could see Flash | | | | ideal place to store part of the hibernation file. Seagate |
| memory taking a greater role in PC storage. | | | | argues this reduces recovery time from hibernation by |
| | | | | 20%. Using a flash buffer can also extend the life of |
| Drive Time | | | | your hard disk, which is usually measured in terms of |
| | | | | the average number of hours it can be in use before |
| The spectre haunting HD technology is the | | | | failure occurs. |
| ‘superparamagnetic effect'. This supposedly sets a | | | | |
| limit on how small the magnetic grains on a hard disk | | | | Despite Samsung being the first to publicize the HHD, it |
| can be. Below a certain grain size, the temperature | | | | was developed with Microsoft. In fact, two |
| raises enough to reverse the magnetic polarity of | | | | technologies within Windows Vista will make use of it. |
| grains. This makes the hard disk unreliable. For the time | | | | ReadyDrive is what Microsoft calls support for HDs |
| being, the superparamagnetic effect is being held at | | | | within Windows Vista and a driver will be needed to |
| bay by new developments like perpendicular recording | | | | manage the process. But Microsoft has a more |
| which allows the use of larger grains by stacking them | | | | surprising take on the hybrid idea, too. In recognition of |
| on their ends perpendicular to the hard disk surface. | | | | the ubiquity of Flash RAM thumbdrives, Windows Vista |
| With traditional recording, grains run parallel to the disk | | | | will also contain ReadyBoost, which anyone can use. |
| surface, so take up more room. In the long run, though, | | | | Instead of having the Flash cache built into the hard |
| perpendicular recording will only delay the hard disk's | | | | disk, ReadyBoost can use a thumbdrive instead. |
| execution. | | | | |
| | | | | Perhaps the most viable version of the hybrid idea is |
| Flash memory also requires much less power than a | | | | the one Intel is currently calling Robson. Instead of |
| mechanical disk. Additionally, Flash offers much lower | | | | relying on the hard disk or third party add on for the |
| access times than those of a hard disk. As a result, | | | | Flash memory, Robson places it directly on the |
| Flash hard disks offer boot up times 25 – 50% | | | | motherboard, connected to the Southbridge via PCI |
| quicker than conventional hard disks. On the down side, | | | | Express. That way, any disk can be used, and you |
| Flash memory is still only available in fairly meager | | | | don't have to worry about compatibility issues. |
| capacities, and those are hideously expensive. | | | | |
| | | | | The benefit of ReadyDrive is to power consumption, |
| Mix and Match | | | | so it's aimed primarily at portable computers. But with |
| | | | | 4GB already being launched for ReadyBoost, the |
| SSDs have their good and bad side compared to | | | | hybrid idea is starting to have clear implications for the |
| HDDs. This has led to a new idea; why not use both at | | | | desktop PC as well. So perhaps the SSD will take |
| the same time. Samsung was the first to publicize the | | | | over from the HDD as has been predicted for so long |
| concept, and has been talking about its Hybrid Hard | | | | – just in a slightly more surreptitious manner than |
| Disk (HHD) for the last 2 years. This bolts 128MB of | | | | we originally expected. |