Tech review site AnandTech has given the thumbs up to Intel’s new Z68 Sandy Bridge chipset which debuts the firm’s Smart Response Technology SSD cache system.
SRT combines a very small hard drive including Intel’s purpose built Intel SSD 310 20GB unit with large traditional mechanical drives in order to deliver SSD-like performance for running applications without needing to spend big on large capacity solid state drives.
Arming an Asus P8Z68-V Pro with a Seagate Barracuda 3TB drive and the diminitive 20GB hard drive, Shimpi’s tests showed that app launches were decidedly SSD-like, virtually twice as fast as running from the hard drive alone.
Site founder Anand Al Shimpi said he believed there was a "real future" in SRT but that it needed to become available on a wider arrange of chipsets than the high-end Z68, pointing out that it is the mainstream platforms that stood to gain the most.
"I view SRT as more of a good start to a great technology. Now it’s just a matter of getting it everywhere," said Shimpi.
Read the AnandTech Z68 chipset review here.