Sync time on the newer version doesn't seem to be all that different for me, still taking an eternity.  For the people who said it synced in an hour did you start completely fresh(deleting all files from any previous wallet including everything in the appdata folder and just import from the seed)?  I'm getting really tired of this hassle.  The most basic of things is that you can actually use whatever currency you're using, not have to fight the wallet at every turn.