All off topic discussions go here. Everything from the funny thing your cat did to your favorite tv shows. Non-programming computer questions are ok too.
Well, I got a 2GB microSD chip for my phone and adapter for my laptop today (plus the I Am Legend DVD and heat therapy mouse pad ). I'm considering getting eBoostr (I use XP instead of Vista) and using half of the drive as flash memory. That would give me 2GB physical + 1GB flash + 4GB pagefile. Does this sound worth it or should I just use that space for lots and lots of 1600x1200 pictures taken with my 2 megapixel phone camera?
I've used a flash drive as 'extra memory' before, but IMHO it's not worth it. What happens is that the flash drive's supplied space (1GB) is used as partial swap space. Although the flash memory is somewhat faster than some harddrives, its not enough to show any real performance gains. if you have a sata 2 drive, just stick with what you have. Also, I doubt you are capping your 2GB physical memory limit in the first place.
I use VM's a lot - 8 gigs will be useful. Although, to tell the truth I haven't finally decided yet whether 4GiB may be enough. The fact is, I want several VMs running simultaneously.
also, what OS will you be using? 64-bit will be your only option to utilize that memory range.
I will mainly be using Vista Ultimate 64 bit. Of course, a 32 bit OS could make use of the range with PAE...
01000101 wrote:except I don't believe XP or Vista do that.. but i could be wrong
Vista does.
@OP: The problem with using flash memory as RAM is that flash memory has a distinct, finite lifetime. It can only survive (for example) one million writes, which is fine if you're saving photos etc but if you're using it as volatile storage then you're going to run into problems somewhere down the line.
01000101 wrote:except I don't believe XP or Vista do that.. but i could be wrong
Vista does.
@OP: The problem with using flash memory as RAM is that flash memory has a distinct, finite lifetime. It can only survive (for example) one million writes, which is fine if you're saving photos etc but if you're using it as volatile storage then you're going to run into problems somewhere down the line.
agreed, the lifespan of a flash medium is very different from physical RAM modules. thanks for the info on vista btw.
Well according to the Microsoft a flash drive used with Ready boost have a lifetime of 10+ years. Today's flash drives are much better at managing wear and won't wear out as quickly as they used to.
However, after saying that adding memory to the computer will have a much greater affect on the speed and performance of the computer.
). I'm considering getting eBoostr (I use XP instead of Vista) and using half of the drive as flash memory. That would give me 2GB physical + 1GB flash + 4GB pagefile. Does this sound worth it or should I just use that space for lots and lots of 1600x1200 pictures taken with my 2 megapixel phone camera? 
