Patent ID: 8261040

Claim:
A storage controller comprising: a processor configured to provide a control signal; and a selector responsive to the control signal and configured to receive write data from a host device and to selectively communicate the write data to at least one of a first storage region of a data storage device and a second storage region of the data storage device, wherein the first storage regions stores data electrically and the second storage region stores data magnetically, wherein the processor provides the control signal in response to a comparison between a size of the write data and a size of a selected buffer among a first buffer associated with the first storage region and a second buffer associated with the second storage region, and wherein when the size of the write data is greater than the size of the selected buffer, then the control signal causes the selector to communicate a first portion of the write data to the first storage region and a second portion of the write data to the second storage region, and when the size of the write data is not greater than the size of the selected buffer, then the control signal causes the selector to communicate the write data to one of the first and second storage regions that is associated with the selected buffer.