Frame-rates are identical from what we've tested, while object draw distances remain fixed in place, regardless of the drive - only Trials Fusion's virtual texturing tech tends to see any genuine improvement. But before we kick off, it's worth noting that in-game performance is generally unaffected by storage upgrades. The downside? It always falls short of a full-blown SSD, where data is read and written directly to flash memory, rather than locating data on a spinning platter. The hybrid's combination of a mechanical drive with a solid state cache has benefits for PS4, boosting loading times across all games while sidestepping the need to constantly juggle game installs.
In the case of our test 1TB hybrid drive, we're getting double the capacity at a lower price point overall. Involving an SSHD gives us a middle ground between the two technologies. The thinking here is that, while solid state technology will trump a mechanical drives every time - and in fact, it comes out first in all six games tested - is it always the best value upgrade for the money? Or does it simply depend on the title at hand? So, cards on the table: we've pitted the PS4's stock drive against a 480GB Trion 100 SSD from OCZ, and also a hybrid 1TB Seagate SSHD - a 5400rpm mechanical drive backed up with an 8GB cache of SSD-like NAND. Loading times are painstakingly long in certain games - notably Just Cause 3 and The Witcher 3, where the stock HDD takes over a minute to start a new game, or load a save. For PlayStation 4, upgrading its stock 5400rpm hard drive to something better is a relatively easy process, and in some cases a growing necessity. The price of solid state drives has crumbled remarkably in recent years, and today, even a 480GB SSD can be had for around £100 (or £80 in a good sale). And as things stand, I've gone for the nuclear option: I've installed an SSD. Similar to Bloodborne last year, it required later patches to address the issue, but regardless, we had to do something - anything - to mitigate this issue.
At its worst, Avalanche's open world title chalked up a remarkable two minute wait, even with the day one patch installed. In testing Just Cause 3 on PS4 and Xbox One, we found ourselves slumped in front of our screens, waiting for interminably long load times to finally complete.
It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
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