SSHD or SSD Cache?

Damian.Byrne · April 7, 2019

So I recently set up my main gaming rig as a Linux+Windows dual boot. I bought it from a custom boutique. Core i7 8700K, 16GB DDR4 RAM, GTX 1080 Ti, a 1TB Toshiba HDWD110 mechanical hard drive and a 512GB ADATA SU800NS38 m.2 SSD (for those two model numbers, I'm going by what Ubuntu is telling me). Windows was initially installed on the SSD while the hard drive was just pure storage.

A few weeks ago, after reading a prominent Forbes contributer, I decided to convert over to Linux gaming. Now, I have Pop!_OS 18.04 installed on the SSD (a fork of Ubuntu), which has a 5TB WD Red for games while Windows is entirely on the Toshiba hard drive. Thing is, booting into it brings back nightmares from my past - it's incredibly slow. I've been booting from SSDs for years, and going back to mechanical makes me want to commit seppuku. I'm wondering - should I replace the Toshiba with a Seagate Firecuda SSHD, or should I throw in a separate SSD and use that as cache? If I go for an SSD, I'll be buying them from a local store, and here is their selection, any recommendations?

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/internal-ssd/data-storage/solid-state-drives/355_4681_32418_xx_ba00013232-bv00312153/xx_xx_xx_xx_5-6-criteria.html

If recommended an SSHD, I can get a 1TB 3.5" Firecuda for 92 euro, or 2TB for 112 euro, although I think I'd stick with the 1TB. I only plan to go into Windows for whatever games that strictly require it and refuse to work with Linux. However, I would have to add about 40 euro to that cost in order to get a hard drive dock, so I can clone my Windows install from the Toshiba to the Firecuda.

For what it's worth, I just now went into my BIOS. I set the SATA configuration from AHCI to Intel RST Premium with Optane Support (I don't have Optane), saved, rebooted, only to get dumped back into the BIOS. Resetting back to AHCI gives me back access to my operating systems.