Flash memory + ReadyBoost = MegaRam Vista Tips Discuss Flash memory + ReadyBoost = MegaRam in the Windows Vista forums; Has anyone got any working knowledge of this yet? I've attempted 3 Flash devices (2 USB & 1 SD Card) and have found no performance increase at all as ...

[Gawain]

Has anyone got any working knowledge of this yet? I've attempted 3 Flash devices (2 USB & 1 SD Card) and have found no performance increase at all as yet. (Doesn't even report the memory change in the system settings).

Am I suppose to configure ReadyBoost or does it just work "out of the box"?

[dazzlin]

Right click on the drive and select Properties. You should see a tab called ReadyBoost, where you can select the option to use the device as a ReadyBoost device.

Keep in mind that the device must have a certain speed. Vista will check the speed of the device and tell you it is not fast enough to be used for ReadyBoost if it doesn't meet the the speed requirements, which are:

2.5MB/sec throughput for 4K random reads and 1.75MB/sec throughput for 512K random reads.

[Gawain]

Thanks for your reply Dazzlin. I have tried searching the properties dialog in my removable device but don't seem to have the ready boost option anywhere.
I currently have a BTC cd-writer which has an integrated 7-1 card reader which automatically populates each card slot as a removable device.
I'll try with a USB flash drive in the USB port later and see if that does the trick.

[Gawain]

Hi guys - just thought I'd update you on my last post. I plugged in my USB and got it working. I also plugged in my SD card via a USB card reader and again the ready boost option was available.

Not sure why it won't work on the integrated CD drive - perhaps it only expects to find a removable external device via the USB ports, as opposed to the internal connection of the CD-Writer.

Oh well, not the end of the world - but thought I'd inform you all you may run in to trouble if trying to use an internal card reader.....

[dazzlin]

for the update, and glad to hear you had some success.

[Znod]

Originally Posted by dazzlin

Vista's ReadyBoost is my favorite feature. Basically, you insert any flash memory device (USB Memory Stick, SD Card, Compact Flash, etc.) and ReadyBoost uses that device as EXTRA RAM. So if you buy a 512MB ($70) or a 1GB ($100) or even a 2GB ($150) flash drive from your favorite electronics store, and shove it into an available USB port, you've just increased your computer's RAM by that much. How cool is that?

I think that ReadyBoost is pretty cool, but is there any reason to think that extra memory, in the form of a flash drive, would be faster than extra memory from virtual memory and one's hard drive?