Crucial Announces Adrenaline SSD Cache Drive

By Doug Crowthers
published

Crucial has announced the release of its Adrenaline SSD Cache Solution designed to be used as a cache drive along with a standard mechanical hard drive.

The Crucial Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution comprises of a 50GB Crucial m4 SSD, a 3.5" adapter bracket, and caching software. When paired with another drive (more commonly used with a HDD), Adrenaline intelligently places, or caches, the most frequently needed files on the SSD and keeps less frequently used files on the hard drive. This allows for users to have best of both worlds: SSD-like performance with the high capacity offered by a traditional hard drive. Crucial has not released pricing or performance expectation for this drive but is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

"Many PC users are reluctant to give up their high-capacity hard drives for the performance of a solid state drive," said Robert Wheadon, worldwide senior product manager, Crucial. "Crucial Adrenaline offers these consumers an affordable bridge between hard drives and solid state drives, so they won't be forced to choose capacity over performance, or vice versa."

The Crucial Adrenaline SSD Cache drive will be backed by a limited three-year warranty and is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2012.

25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • lahawzel
    What...what is the point of this? Can't people just buy a 64GB Crucial M4 and cache with that?
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that just about any solid state drive could be used for a cache. What makes the new Crucial ssd a cache drive? Does including a software cache application allow an ssd to be labelled as a cache drive? Is it another example of creative marketing?
    Reply
  • digitalzom-b
    This is odd... is the point to turn some of the pagefile into cache?
    Reply
  • hippee921
    No you typically can't link the SSD directly to another HDD. this is stating that it becomes 1 virtual drive. you really make this in to a kickass version of a Seagate Momentus XT, but instead of a 4gig SSD Cache, you get a 50gig cache. You also dont have to worry about where and what things are being stored on one drive vs. the other. I think this is Awesome! Tom's PLEASE do a review on this when it comes out and put it up against a normal SSD, a Hybrid and standard 7200rpm!
    Reply
  • jessterman21
    This is AMAZING - and saves the hassle of cloning. I'm getting one as soon as they're out!
    Reply
  • CaedenV
    lahawzelWhat...what is the point of this? Can't people just buy a 64GB Crucial M4 and cache with that?You could, I am assuming this (like other dedicated cache drives) has a faster IOPS rating than the standard drives. Also, the 50GB means that there will be more error recovery, and longer life span for the higher demands of caching vs regular system drive use (more reads/writes on a cache drive than a system drive).

    Toms, does the inclusion of software mean that this will work with any chipset? Or is it still tied to z68 boards?
    Reply
  • greenrider02
    This is not any different from getting any other SSD and using free software to set it up as a cache.

    So this product is for people who can't manage that terribly difficult task...
    Reply
  • computernerdforlife
    You're a middleware.

    But really, buy a good flash drive and forget about it. Enjoy gaming/computing this weekend folks! :)
    Reply
  • Mathos
    I think most ssd's can be used as cache drives, but they require external software to do the work of intelligent caching. This sounds more like what the Momentus XT does with built in firmware, and uses the software to make the 2 drives into 1.
    Reply
  • freggo
    Why would I not use a 60GB drive as the OS drive instead ? That should give me more boost than a 'cache' drive.
    Reply