Computer Startup Time: 7200rpm + 256GB SSD vs.512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD

[ubmuaer]

I'm in search of a new laptop and have gotten used to the quick start up times of my 4yo SSD drive (it starts up in less than 10 seconds rather than a full minute)

The computer I'm customizing (HP Envy) gives me an option to choose "1 TB 7200 rpm SATA; 256 GB M.2 SSD" vs "512 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD" (for an additional $120.) Which harddrive option can start up faster? I know it's the SSD that is allowing the computer to start up quickly, but with the dual drive, I'm not sure where Windows is loading from. Thanks!

 

[velocityg4]

Unless their engineers are idiots. The OS will be loading from the SSD not the HDD.

Between the two SSD. They are both M.2. I do not know if the first is SATA M.2 or if it is also NVMe. Assuming it is SATA. There shouldn't be much more than a couple seconds between the two.

Which you should choose is debatable. It depends on what you need. A hard drive plus SSD will use more power than only an SSD and weighs more. Neither factor would be particularly significant though.

Another issue is speed. As long as you can fit all your programs on the smaller SSD. It doesn't really matter for most uses. However, a hard drive can add hesitation. Anytime the computer does something where it thinks the hard drive is needed. You might experience a hiccup while it spins up. You can leave it to always on to avoid that hiccup. Which will hurt battery life.

My preference for laptops is all SSD. Unless it is impractical to do so. Hard drives are fine on desktops for data storage. Since it doesn't matter if they are always spinning while you are using the computer. Unless you need the additional storage. You could always pull the 1TB drive out of the cheaper model. Then pop it in a case and use it for backups. Leaving just the SSD. SSD are so cheap now. That $120 would almost pay for a secondary 1TB SSD in the 2.5 bay. Then you'd have 1.25TB of SSD vs 0.5TB.