Readyboost Inquiry

D

DVS_Mind

Poster
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
235
Hey folks, I'm looking to make an improvement in my system performance by adding a small USB 2.0 Flash Drive (either 2GB or 4GB) and using Readyboost to give myself more physical RAM. As you may know, Readyboost is a function in Windows Vista (although it didn't work properly until after several updates) and the new Windows 7. I'm looking to see if this really works and the experience of anyone who has actually used it.

My system specs are as follows: (copied and pasted straight from my xfire page so you may have some useless info below)

Manufacturer: ZT
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs),
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Hard Drive: 413 GB Total (2 SATA drives)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT
Monitor: Viewsonic VG171
Sound Card: Realtek High Definition Audio
Speakers/Headphones: Onkyo 6.1 Theater System\Creative Fatal1ty Headset
Keyboard: Logitech Deluxe 250
Mouse: Logitech MX510
Mouse Surface: Mousepad
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_gdr.071023-1545)
Motherboard: ASUS (I forget the actual model number)


Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: After looking a second time I didn't realize there was a "Tech Help" and a "Tech Talk" section in the forums. Even though this isn't an urgent issue I hope it doesn't ruffle too many feathers. Sorry in advance.
 
Last edited:
You would most likely be better by adding a few more GBs of physical RAM. I haven't heard many good things about ReadyBoost, but adding more RAM to your system (especially because it's Vista) will give you much more of a performance boost. And, on top of that, you could pick up 2GB of RAM for around $30.
 
Yeah, the thought has crossed my mind but there's a slight problem with that. I only have two slots for RAM and they're both currently being used (two 1 GB sticks to make the grand total of 2GB). So, rather than just adding a stick or two I would have to completely replace my RAM setup entirely and would have to spend roughly 50-55 bucks on that exchange as opposed to a mere $4.99 for a 2GB flash drive or $9.99 for 4GB.That may not seem like a big difference to most people, but here's the bottom line: I'm friggin' broke which is why I'm thinking about this possible solution.



I know my methods may seem unorthodox, but at times I'm an unorthodox type of guy. :)
 
here is the thing with ready boost , it does work if done properly , the proper way to run ready boost is with a usb card thats 4x the amount of system ram you have ie Memory: 2046MB RAM = 8 gig flash drive , then yes you will see performance.
 
_Xx_HeX_xX_ said:
here is the thing with ready boost , it does work if done properly , the proper way to run ready boost is with a usb card thats 4x the amount of system ram you have ie Memory: 2046MB RAM = 8 gig flash drive , then yes you will see performance.
Click to expand...

Hm, never even thought of that.
 
I have 2gb's physical and use a 4gb thumb for readyboost. I don't really notice a performance gain per-se but it does seem to smooth the gameplay a bit/ reduce stuttering a bit. From what I have read, readyboost does best handling small packets of info so any gains may be relative to the application you are running. I.E. more data-intensive operations may see better percentage gains from readyboost vs. an application making use of a few large files.
 
this is why u run 4x the amount on ready boost , infact if you arnt doing that , it has potential to even slow you pc down
 
Hex, would it still be necessary to get an 8GB stick even though Readyboost's limit is always 4090 MB? :confused1:
 
Readyboost has a ~4GB cap. Even if you have a 8GB stick, Vista won't use more than 4GB. This is not due to FAT file size limits, but rather a hard cap in ReadyBoost.

I've played around with ReadyBoost for the last few weeks. It makes a barely noticeable difference. IMO, not worth the effort. In the long worth, it's worth putting your money into more RAM, which can be used by SuperFetch for much faster caching.
 
Just remember - Ready Boost is only good at about 1GB - get a good speedy 1GB usb drive, anything more and you're wasting it -

hope this helps!
 
Ducttape said:
Just remember - Ready Boost is only good at about 1GB - get a good speedy 1GB usb drive, anything more and you're wasting it -

hope this helps!
Click to expand...

I have anecdotal evidence to support this. I use a software called ReadyBoost Monitor (free and **hopefully** free of malware). When I use my 2GB USB stick for ReadyBoost, Vista uses most of it. But if I use a 8GB USB drive, Vista uses ~1GB at most. :confused1: Maybe the larger drive is slower, but I doubt it.
 
I tried using ReadyBoost to push my system even farther, and I didn't notice a difference ANYWHERE. Sure the numbers were there, but as a user I didn't notice a damn thing. If you really want a change that doesn't break the bank, think about upgrading to a 2x 2 GB setup. That'll probably put you on target for Vista.
 
Might just be better to disable the service, another thing that's running that dosen't need to be.
 
sorry to bump into the thread but I have a 300 gb eternal hdd, would this work with readyboost or am I completely off?
 
No Eaglesight, Readyboost is only compatible with flash memory (due to the fast transfer rate required) so your external hard drive won't give you any kind of memory enhancement, only a boatload of extra usable hard drive space. :)
 
DVS_Mind said:
No Eaglesight, Readyboost is only compatible with flash memory (due to the fast transfer rate required) so your external hard drive won't give you any kind of memory enhancement, only a boatload of extra usable hard drive space. :)
Click to expand...
ok thanks :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top