Hello,
I am seeking buying advice for 6GB SSD memory to be used for Win 7 Ready Boost service.
I have an old SZ Vaio LaptopSZ1VP, T2500 @2.0GHz and My available ports are:
1 memory stick duo PRO
2 USB 2.0
1 PCI 26pin Express Card (I already have an SD memory card adapter)
1 PCMCIA 68pin card Bus PC Card connectors
I would like specific advice on which memory type will offer me (in this order):
1) Fastest data access/transmission rate (especially read, I guess - given the use)
2) Less cumbersome (if USB, the device must not protrude more than a few cm)
Thank you!
I would li
Thanks! Very useful link!
Quote:
>The flash storage is connected by a fast bus. Typically, USB memory card readers are not sufficiently fast.
> However, connecting flash memory to an internal memory card reader might provide sufficient performance.
I am very ignorant in IT in general and you can see that I was not even aware that flash memory (SD, USB, etc) were not the same as SSD!
Ok, so which is the fastest Flash support available for my Laptop's slots/ports?
Memory Stick Duo PRO?
PCI Express?
PCIMCIA?
SD cards (which one?)?
I doubt you can get PCI Express (PCIe) with your notebook. PCIe is typically an internal card interface (most commonly used to add a graphics card to a PC). The memory sticks/SD cards typically connect via USB ports or internal card reader ports. But again, internal ports are not normally available on notebooks.
PCMCIA or PC Card slots are not the fastest interface either, and will depend on your notebook's motherboard bus. Ultimately, Readyboost was design with USB flash drives in mind so I recommend you look for a "Readyboost Certified drive.
That said, the best way to gain performance is to increase your system RAM. How much do you currently have? How much does your computer support? Depending on your specific model, it appears to support 2Gb. Not a lot.
i believe the 1 PCI 26pin Express Card has a capacity of upto 2.5Gbits a second and the 1 PCMCIA 68pin card Bus PC Card has a capacity of about 1.4Gbits a second.
so the express card is the fastest.
I've played with Ready boost and found it made no difference at all, at least for me. I was using a USB 2.0 16GB flash drive.
A 40 or 60 GB SSD boot drive will make a big difference, Ready boost will not.
Truthfully, I also was not impressed with Readyboost. If your computer has a very limited amount of RAM, I think then you can see an advantage to Readyboost. But with 3, 4 or more Gb of RAM, I don't think it worth it either.
never used readyboost and not really 100% sure exactly what it does, i assume it's just for page files but anyway the usb2 capacity i think is only about 40 MBs a second so i think you should notice the speed benefits of using a pci express card for readyboost over a usb connection.
like you say ztrucker an ssd boot device would be my first choice of upgrade if memory was maxed out.
Ok, so @ digerati, Terry66 & Ztruker…
Wow… guys, I like this forum! Great help… I wonder why I never came here before! Can I expand my help request? 3 more questions!
1)
I am considering the SSD. But, in any case, pls, also recommend me the best 8GB flash memory for my system. The fastest available.
2)
Then, if you have any other suggestions (like the SSD), under 150US$, please, I'd love to hear them. I'm capable of replacing a HDD & a fan… but not much more than that.
3)
My cooling fan is noisy and needs replacement. Sony won't sell directly to consumers and the cheapest Sony specialized repair center estimate starts from 145$ upwards! Where can i find a suitable fan? Any other ideas?
Win 7 Ultimate SP1 + Office 2007 on Sony Vaio SZ1VP CoreDuo 2.0GHz T2500 2MB cache, 1GB RAM (533, DDR2 SO-DIMM) upgraded to 2GB (this is the limit). HDD 120GB@5400 modified to 250GB@7400 Toshiba SATA, 1000BASE-T Ethernet & Intel 3945ABG w/ a express Linksys WEC600 802.11 abgn dual band express card adapter.
Connectors: 1 express card + 1 PCMCIA card + 1 Sony Memory Stick duo pro + 2xUSB2
This thing is 8 yrs old and I have been using it every day since, 6 hrs a day, for work, traveling 4 months a year.
Plastics are so worn that you can see the metal frame where the wrists rest. This is my 3rd keyboard but the screen is the original one w/ only 1 burnt pixel!
I know that it would be cheaper and smarter to replace it and bla, bla, bla… but, pls, don't suggest this, as he might hear you and get offended.
Thanks for any advice.
Tommaso
My cooling fan is noisy and needs replacement. Sony won't sell directly to consumers and the cheapest Sony specialized repair center estimate starts from 145$ upwards! Where can i find a suitable fan? Any other ideas?
Which cooling fan? Many notebooks have two or more, with one for the CPU and one or more on the bottom of the case for case cooling. It is not likely you need to buy a new fan from Sony - unless they really went proprietary on you with that notebook (a concern with all notebooks). You need to pull the fan and measure the dimensions and hopefully see if there is a label with the voltage on it. My guess is it runs on +5VDC.
Every flash memory stick I have had has been given to me as a gift. I only use them for troubleshooting and scanning troubled computers when I am "in the field". I really only care about reliability, not speed so I am afraid I can't help you pick one. In any case, if me, I would get one that supports USB 3.0 to ensure maximum throughput further into the future.
No the page file stays where it was set. Once setup, Readyboost behaves very much like a small RAM cache and the OS will use it for just about anything. So it is similar to the PF, in that both are types of caches, but the Readyboost drive would not hold the PF - at least I see no reason for that.
1: like digerati said the fastest are usb3 compatible, but your actual speed will probably be limited not by the speed of the flash drive but the speed of the usb2 connection.
2: i think your laptop only has a sata 150 connection (max transfer speed of 150MBs) , so again with the ssd it's going to be the connection type not the ssd that's probably going to be the limiting factor. (still going to be much faster than the hard drive your using now, guessing it has a speed of around 70MBs.)
here's a guide on taking the laptop apart just in case you need it.. :- http://www.insidemylaptop.com/how-take-apa…-series-laptop/
@ digerati, Ztruker & Terry1966
Thanks for all the advice. It's really helpful! Why don't you have "thank you buttons"?? The link "How to take apart a Sony Vaio" is HUGELY helpful!! Thanks!
So:
1) Cooling fan: SOLVED (thanks for the link Terry).
2) Mass memory. Either:
HDD replaced by SSD - plz advise correct type (considering my SATA150 connectors) or
ExpressCard SSD (do they even exist?) in addition to present HDD
In both cases, plz advise the correct type considering my hardware.
3) Readyboost. You said that Express Card will perform better than USB 2.0. So I have 2 options. Either:
SDXC SD card + Express card adapter or
ExpressCard Flash memory (does it even exist?)
In both cases, plz advise the correct type considering my hardware.
Again, thanks for all the help! Super appreciated!
any sata ssd will work on your sata 150 connection, sata is backwards compatible, just you won't get the speed from say a sata 3 ssd on a sata 3 connection which is capable of about 600MBs i think.
Not a lot.
