14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most important features that Intel introduced with its Z68 chipset was support for the company's so-called Smart Response technology, but this is not by any means the only way to add SSD caching to your system and one of the most interesting solutions is built by WareMax, which developed an OS independent SSD caching device.
This consists of a small PCB setup in a 2.5-inch drive caddy, and is compatible with almost all platforms and operating systems.
To use the CacheHybrid device, consumers have to install a solid state drive inside the caddy and then connect the device to the motherboard via a standard SATA port.
Another SATA port available on the CacheHybrid has to be connected to the HDD that should benefit from the SSD caching features and then the WareMax solution is ready to go, without requiring any sort of drivers to be installed.
This way, users aren't limited to the Windows operating system as it's the case right now with both the Intel's Z68 motherboard and with Marvell's add-on SSD caching cards.
CacheHybrid can be setup to work in a couple of different modes, the most basic of these being the so-called “safe mode,” in which the drive acts as a simple cache for the hard drive with the data stored on both devices.
If the device is used together with a larger capacity SSD, a part of it can be set up to clone a certain part of the hard drive for an additional performance boost for the programs located in the cloned area (ie. The Windows folder).
The third and final operation mode is called the “extended mode” and it enables the SSD to use some of its capacity for caching files, while the remaining space is used for storing data together with the HDD.
Outside of the CacheHybrid, WareMax also showcased another unit called the RealCache which has one additional SATA port and allows for two HDDs to be attached in an RAID 0 or RAID 1 mode.
WareMax recommends to use the devices together with at least a 64GB SSD and the SATA controller installed on the PCB is limited at supporting 3Gbps speeds.
No details regarding pricing and availability have been disclosed at this point. (via VR-Zone)
