Thanks for the recommendation Joshu. I chose W3 Total Cache because caching is a very sensitive aspect of the WordPress platform so I wanted to stay with one of the top two caching plugins that were available, especially to ensure that the plugin is appropriately maintained and upgraded as new WordPress versions and other plugins are released.
why is the thread full with self promotion posts :S by the way, how about SEO Smart Links? won't it be too artificial to hurt your site?