Primocache review: Hard drive tuning via RAM and SSD cache

Best Prices Today: PrimoCache

PrimoCache is designed to boost the performance of hard drives and SSDs by using fast cache memory. It works by using your RAM or secondary SSD to temporarily store data you use a lot. Then, when your system needs that data again, it grabs it straight from the cache instead of the slower hard drive. That means your most common programs launch quicker and files open faster. This software tool also operates independently of the operating system and doesn’t require changes to existing software.

It works with traditional hard drives, SSDs, and modern flash memory. PrimoCache can also speed up access to USB flash drives. But caution is advised: PrimoCache delays the final data storage. New data is first written to the cache and only later transferred to your hard drive or USB stick. Premature removal of your flash drive can actually lead to data loss when using this software.

The software is pretty configurable. You can decide how much RAM or SSD space to dedicate to caching, and even speed up several devices at once.

PrimoCache: Setup and performance results

After installation, we first had to set up a cache task. We were able to reserve RAM for the cache, set up a second-level cache on an SSD, select the drives to be cached, and adjust a few other parameters such as block size and delayed writing specifications. This process wasn’t overly complex, but less technically experienced users will appreciate the presets provided, which cover different use cases with just a few clicks.

We initially set up a cache on a somewhat outdated notebook with a mechanical hard drive and 8GB of RAM to get a sense of PrimoCache’s performance. As expected, the result was positive, though there was no real wow factor, especially since the old machine had already been working satisfactorily.

Primocache

To avoid relying solely on subjective impressions, we measured performance using the Crystal Disk Mark benchmark tool. The results showed a significant increase in performance: in tests with a USB drive, average read speeds increased by more than 50 percent with random reads, and a performance gain of nearly 25 percent was measurable with the mechanical hard drive. However, speed gains in writing and sequential reading were negligible, such as when copying large files in one go, which is typical during backups.

On a second, more current notebook with a fast SSD, neither perceived nor measured speed improvements were particularly impressive. In such cases, the main benefit of PrimoCache would be reducing the frequency of SSD access, potentially prolonging the drive’s lifespan by limiting write and delete cycles.

PrimoCache: Worth it? A simple rule of thumb

From our tests, we developed a simple rule of thumb to help decide whether purchasing PrimoCache is worthwhile. The software offers greater benefits the slower the drives you use and the more frequent individual, non-sequential file accesses occur in daily use.

Examples include database applications, indexing services, or using your computer as a web server.