16GB would have been nice, but really 8GB is enough. The amount of files accessed when booting and starting programs for 90% of users is under 8GB.
I've been using a 2.5" 1TB SSHD in my main rig for a little over a month now and it is noticeably faster at startup and loading common programs than the standard 3.5" hard drive it replaced.
It definitely wouldn't be cheaper. A 1TB drive is about $60. The cheapest SSD on newegg is $47. That doesn't add up to be cheaper than a 1TB SSHD, not to mention you have to have a board that supports Intel's Smart Responce, which a lot of people don't.
so $117 vs $99
oooh $17 to go from 1TB with 8GB of cache to 1TB with 32GB of cache via SSD which is gonna have the better performance considering both are just using the SSD to cache data.
8GB isnt enough to store the OS or even a single game it only stores the most used files for faster loading so in the end the larger capacity SSD would be a better option.
2TB Toshiba HDD = $89.99
32GB SSD = $46.99
Total Cost = $137
So 2TB SSHD at $139
Or 2TB HDD + 32GB SSD for $137
So while the 1TB is $17 cheaper the 2TB option is $2 more expensive.
In the end both Seagate options are inferior performance wise.
Even without smart response Id rather just buy the actual SSD and run the OS off of it. Granted 32gb is pretty damn paltry in terms of capacity it is still enough for the OS.