Final Thoughts
You know I honestly was a little skeptical about these supposed caching drives. I mean I knew what they were supposed to do but I did not expect to see such a performance increase. I mean using the hybrid solution is just like using a normal solid state drive really. The performance I saw was just extraordinary, especially since I knew the drive I was testing was not a solid state drive, I was testing a hybrid solution.
One thing that is great about this drive is the Dataplex software. It allows the drive to be a caching drive. This means you can have the hybrid functionality on any PC system running Windows 7. Not just a system running an Intel Z68 motherboard. This opens things up quite a bit, especially for people who want improved system performance that may not want to get a new motherboard and processor.
I guess since the software only works on Windows 7 that is a limitation on Mac and Linux users. Also the drive is a little expensive for a 64GB drive, coming in at $144.99 at my favorite online retailer, which is just a little under a 120GB OCZ Agility 3 drive. I think when it comes down to it if you want the best performance possible go for a solid state drive only solution. If you need larger capacity and want near solid state drive performance then a caching solution is where you should be looking. I really think that with the performance that we saw with the Synapse solid state drive caching and hybrid solutions may be the next big thing we start seeing with solid state drives.
Overall ThinkComputers gives the OCZ Synapse Cache 64GB Solid State Drive a 10 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Near solid state drive performance
– Improves Windows 7 boot time
– Easy to setup software
– 3 year warranty
Cons:
– Dataplex software can only be used on Windows 7 systems
