Windows Vista Is anyone using the ReadyBoost feature?

Reading up on Vista in the Smart Computing issue on the OS, I ran across a sidebox dealing with a feature called ReadyBoost.

With ReadyBoost it is possible to designate a USB flash drive as virtual RAM via a USB port.

When my desktop was still on the 1 GB of stock RAM that came in it I installed a Cruzer SanDisk 4 GB flash drive and set it for ReadyBoost.

When I re-ran the performance index tools, it showed that it slowed down the system.

Then, I installed the 4 GB of RAM on the motherboard (two, 2 GB sitcks) and rand the index again. That showed nice improvement in several areas.

So, I went back and re-inserted the Cruzer thumb drive and set it for ReadyBoost and ran the index tool.

This time it did not slow the system down, but neither did it get me any additional speed.

Any thoughts, insight, or real wisdom on the ReadyBoost feature will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Rick

 

I use the ReadyBoost feature on an HP Pavilion notebook with Vista Home Premium, and it only has 1gb of installed memory (low I know, but it was the only computer I could afford with a 17" screen and dual processor, and I had plans to upgrade the ram later).

I find that it doesn't necessarily speed things up (say load time, start time, etc). Where I find it helps is when my system has been up for a while, and I'm switching between applications (say my web browser and itunes). It seems snappier in pulling up the windows and switching between programs.

I think it's a pretty handy feature.

 

See jttp://www.tomshardware.com/2007/01/31/windows-vista-superfetch-and-readyboostanalyzed/ for some facts.

Particularly see this page.

 

Thanks to you both for the response.

Looking at the benchmarks sparrow posted I think there is definitely a gain to be had -- but perhaps not one that is always observable to the naked eye.

I have the flash drive laying around and don't need it for anything else so I might as well leave it installed.

Best to you both,
Rick

 

Readyboost? Well, maybe that's it. I ran out of things as to how to upgrade my beloved Thinkpad, but I don't have Readyboost. Arie, I have 4GB dual-channel RAM (it's all what it would take), so this wouldn't be something for me? Now that I have a 7,200rpm drive for the first time (ever I think), boy, this speed is something else. Is there any benefit to having a 5,400rpm drive. This might be a dumb question, but my dad always has to challenge EVERY...LAST...well, whatever...he is under the impression that 5,400 may be slightly "safer ", maybe he means "accurate" lol...similar to how he likes to burn DVD's at 4x speed when he could do quite a bit higher. That latter one I buy, but the hard drive??? I told him I would ask, so can someone please shoot me a response, so that I don't have to go through this BS anymore? Thanks guys.

 

The flash drive is left in all the time so it is magnetized all the time. Whether that is better for it or a detriment with reference to longevity is a new question.

Somewhere in the reading I've done I picked up that MS recommends a flash drive size equaling 1x to 2x the amount of RAM. Sam’s appears to be a 1x match between RAM and the flash drive, and the gain realized does appear to diminish as the RAM goes up.

So if 2x the RAM is where one receives the maximum benefit, and the speed benefit margin diminishes as the onboard RAM goes up, I would have to go with an 8 GB flash drive to get anything in terms of performance. It's not worth the expenditure, to my thinking.

And as I noted above, it would not be observable to the naked eye "“ which means I would be drumming my fingers while waiting with a lighter wallet…

Thanks again to all for the feedback.