Does ReadyBoost kill usb keys?

[nobb]

I was wondering if maybe someone could clear this up for me. I did a search and could not find much useful information about this.

I am aware that flash memory has a limited number of times that it can be written onto. When my usb key is being used as a ReadyBoost device, the tiny light on it is constantly flickering, indicating activity. Is Vista just reading from the usb key, or is it constantly writing to it as well? I would feel kind of paranoid about my usb key prematurely dying if Vista was constantly writing to it.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

i think they are being used to read & write. what makes u think activity on ur usb drive is killing it? they're meant to last for years. and doesn't your usb drive have lifetime warranty? most reputable ones come with lifetime.

 

[nerp]

Readyboost is designed in such a way that it won't reduce the expected lifespan of a flash drive.

 

[RebateMonger]

Microsoft has published information on this topic, and claims that a Flash drive should function in ReadyBoost for "many years".

Microsoft: Performance Acceleration

Flash Wear
Some types of NVRAM (such as NAND) are rated for a limited number of write-erase cycles before individual cell failure occur. To limit the possibility of cell failure, ReadyBoost has been designed to carefully manage when it writes to the cache. Initial testing of devices enhanced for ReadyBoost indicates that users can expect many years of use under typical workloads. The absolute lifetime of each device will vary depending on device capacity and manufacturer.

 

[0roo0roo]

by the time it wears out it will be worthless
i don't think readyboost caches anything that isn't duplicated on the drive already, i don't think they'd trust data to a removable drive after all..so it doesn't matter.

 

[Rubycon]

!!!!! WARNING: Running thousands of iterations on flash memory can significantly shorten device life!!!!!

I've tried it - basically the Prime95 of testing flash and have not had it fail on me.

 

[Brian48]

I read an article somewhere that actually ran some tests using readyboost on systems with various memory configs. Unless you've got a system with 1gb or less of memory running Vista, you're likely to not notice any significant difference in performance using Readyboost over one that is not.

I used it for a while myself and concluded that it's pretty much not necessary for me. This is with 2 boxes running on 2gb of RAM and one box running with 4gb of RAM.

My personal opinion, you should spend the money else where (unless of course, you really need a flashdrive for other reasons beside Readyboost).

 

[nerp]

I agree with Brian. The usefulness of Readyboost decreases in proportion to the amount of installed system memory. And, the more memory you have, the larger the Readyboost cache needs to be to notice an effect.

A 512MB laptop will see an enormous boost of performance with a 2 or 4GB stick. With a 1GB Readyboost stick it will still see quite a leap.

A 1GB machine will see a subtle boost with a 2GB or 4GB stick. Much less with a 1GB stick.

A 2GB machine -- you need to use at least 2 or 4GB to notice much of anything and I was having a hard time noticing anything on my 2GB machine. At this point I don't think Readyboost is all that helpful unless you have a slow hard drive or some other i/o bottleneck.

Readyboost seems best suited for portable machines where memory/storage is often lesser/slower than desktop machines.

 

[nobb]

Thanks for the replies. You guys seem to be right when saying ReadyBoost does not seem to do much for systems high memory systems. I have 2gb ram on my notebook and honestly, I cannot feel any difference with a 2gb usb key connected.