ReadyBoost ready, but doesn't boost
Vista's ReadyBoost feature, which theoretically improves performance by placing part of Vista's memory swapfile onto a highspeed flash drive, is one of the slickest OS tricks we've heard about in a long time. Unfortunately, it isn't as sweet in practice, according to PC World. They tested three USB flash drives by Kingston, Lexar, and Ridata that claim to be ReadyBoost, uh, ready, and found that while they were able to measure a slight speedup in certain activities (like opening frequently-used applications) overall the effect was unnoticeable -- they concluded that "installing more RAM inside your PC would help a lot more." Bummer. So much for all those freebie USB sticks we have laying around.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rishi @ May 17th 2007 10:44PM
Everything PC world tested was wrong. Check tom's hardware or something for a better review...
BDK @ May 17th 2007 10:50PM
I imagine this feature will get a lot faster with the first service pack.
Jesse S @ May 17th 2007 10:51PM
Not to mention, ReadyBoost gives you performance boosts months after you start to use it...It needs to learn how you compute. And you need FAST drives...
jackanapes @ May 17th 2007 11:10PM
From what I have gathered, readyboost is only intended for PCs that lack enough RAM. A flash drive is not going to be faster than system memory in any circumstance, but it should be faster than resorting to virtual memory. Really not a very compelling feature. It seems like more a stopgap measure for PCs that have been prematurely upgraded to vista.
joerj11 @ May 17th 2007 11:18PM
I've been using Ready Bost for about 2 weeks and have noticed a difference. I have a laptop with 1GB of RAM (the chipset won't allow more) and I use photoshop all day, so it was great to the extra bost. Photoshop grinds a lot less, when I'm running several apps new apps start up faster, and windows comes out of hiberation quicker. Ready Bost rocks!
James Ollier @ May 17th 2007 11:18PM
Why is it every piece of Microsoft news is bad, and every Apple news is awesome? Apart from the false delays...
Doesnt that speak for itself?
search "xbox 360 hack" and also "apple tv hack" on engadget, its funny
notice also the xbox search comes up with more adverts lol
Christopher Price @ May 17th 2007 11:40PM
And if PC World actually understood ReadyBoost, they would know what they were doing.
ReadyBoost is only meant to accelerate the loading of applications in low-memory situations. This is done by copying frequently requested prefetch files into the ReadyBoost drive, off of the hard drive.
PC World's advice is correct (buying RAM is always superior... Microsoft said that already), however, it sounds like they didn't know enough to test ReadyBoost's effect properly.
The best situation for ReadyBoost is an Intel i815, which can't be upgraded beyond the maximum 512 MB RAM. Systems that have built-in RAM caps like that can't take more RAM, and have higher gains with ReadyBoost.
- Christopher Price
http://www.phonenews.com
RijilV @ May 17th 2007 11:43PM
uh, so they put the swap file on some flash media and this is revolutionary? Am I missing something because you could do this in any other OS without it being called a feature...
not to mention that given the amount that windows swaps, putting the swap file on something with limited read/writes seems like a bad idea - I wonder what happens when you start getting read errors ...
Why knows, maybe MicroSoft justed 'invented' something else revolutionary again like they did with TCP/IP or symbolic links...
LJKelley @ May 18th 2007 2:18AM
You are so wrong you smell!! Yes, Linux or even Windows XP could put the swap file on a FlashDrive. What ReadyBoost does is take a second spare copy of your swap file and place it on the flashdrive. Its not an exact copy but more a copy of key applications or components you use alot.
And PC World is wrong. If you have 2GB of RAM its probably a waste but for people upgrading its works well and does speed things up including starting Windows. But even at 2GB of RAM it would load swap information faster.
Neil @ May 18th 2007 12:40AM
God Engadget, do some research before you take PC World's article as gospel...it does work, but its not a replacement for actual ram....nor was it ever meant to be.
Art Chandler @ May 18th 2007 1:49AM
Like some of the other readers who have already commented, I am SO tired of poorly researched articles and out-and-out misstatements. Personally, I have enjoyed benefits from ReadyBoost, but I have certainly understood all along that it is not intended and never has been intended to be a replacement for RAM. Saying things like "installing more RAM inside your PC would help a lot more" simply serves to show that the writer has completely missed the point. Of course, it ALWAYS makes sense to increase the RAM, if your box is not already maxed-out and you can afford the upgrade, but we're really not even talking about the same issue. ReadyBoost has a very narrow purpose, and it serves that purpose well. An excellent discussion of ReadyBoost, as well as other important new memory management features within Windows Vista, can be found in this article by Mark Russinovich (of Sysinternals fame):
Inside the Windows Vista Kernel: Part 2
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/03/VistaKernel/
All thieves should be slaughtered @ May 21st 2007 1:11PM
I find it strange that all these technology sites that feature commenting (Digg, Engadget, PC World, etc.) post articles that either lacks details on key areas, is false or unrealistically optimistic in future breakthroughs, or misinforms the readers.
Where are the results from Benchmark tests of different computer systems with and without ReadyBoost drives attached? Shows some charts of results and explain how you ran the tests, what would readers need to know about varying factors?
I am running Vista Ultimate with a PIII Mobile, 1Ghz system 768 MB RAM and have noticed much more disk activity than I experienced with XP Pro and was looking to find out whether I should purchase a flash drive that is designed for ReadyBoost or save my money for next computer purchase. Reading this article alone, one would think it isn't worth it. Fortunately, reading the comments can give much more pertinent info on topic from many different users experience. If it weren't for the commenting ability of these types of websites, they would not have many hits since the articles are trash (would say their worthless, but that is debateable since they serve to drive uptight people to anger, which in turn garners popularity as more people go to site and post their angry comments or feelings)
Luke @ May 18th 2007 1:53AM
I have 2GB of DDR2 Ram, and even I notice a huge difference when using Readyboost. When do I notice it? When Vanguard: Saga of Hero's is slamming that 2G for all it's worth. Yes more ram is better, I have 2 more GB on the way, but meanwhile my trusty flash drive laying on my desk is allowing me to function much better until my ram arrives.
Readyboost is a great feature, now go apologize.
Adolfo Facusse @ May 18th 2007 2:10AM
Can I have a free USB Stick?
aaronlh @ May 18th 2007 9:50AM
You are incorrect as well. ReadyBoost does not place a (similar) copy of the swap file on a flash drive at all. It places small chunks of data relevant to various applications and tasks on a flash drive that would take longer to page to a disk to retrieve (we're talking small blocks of data) that are also typically accessed via a random read to the disk and not a sequential one.
There are not going to be full programs or anything resembling a swap file on the flash drive. It is a random read cache.
Jon @ May 18th 2007 3:30AM
From my understanding of ReadyBoost, it is used to cache programs, not store pagefile!
So, this 'benchmark' by PCworld is wrong.
CB @ May 18th 2007 4:26AM
Microsoft should be upgrading the OS to run faster and use less resources , not more.. I have just bought the Amelo on T-Mobile and it's reminded me how kick-ass fast Windows mobile 5 is, instant on (and I mean instant) weeks of standby, uses naff all power in use and can display and scroll Engadget with ease while staying stone cold in my hand, in fact it's powerful enough to do 90% of the things you need a PC for, they should be heading in that direction not keeping a happy partnership with ram manufacturers.
dev0lution @ May 18th 2007 4:20AM
Pffft. This article is riddled with errors in the testing methodology and simplifications, as I made clear in my comments on the article on pcworld.com
How much of the drive did they allow ReadyBoost to use, what apps were launched, how long was the drive used in the system before the benchmark was recorded, etc? They didn't even publish the specs of the drives or the test bed systems and they can't even keep the capacities equal, pricing that is quoted consistent or links to product searches accurate.
This is the journalistic equivalent of the Apple memo..
Trojan @ May 18th 2007 8:51AM
Because it's not a swap file ffs. It's a pre-fetch cache of frequently used programs and data.
Do you even know what the swapfile is?
Jon @ May 18th 2007 9:00AM
With regard to: 'So much for all those freebie USB sticks we have laying around'...
...if they are in the way then please don't hesitate to pop 1 or 2 in the post to me.
Thanks
johnathan mark @ May 18th 2007 9:43AM
ummm... if you need something to do with those "freebie usb sticks" you can always give some to me
im still a poor kid with a 256 mb stick
All thieves should be slaughtered @ May 21st 2007 1:11PM
I have a suggestion of what they can do with those sticks... (figure it out)
Gina @ May 18th 2007 3:22PM
Just needed to say that all "spare" USB flash drives laying around need to be sent to me. I train teachers about what a USB flash drive is and how to use them. It's great that the cost has come down so much but if anyone wants to donate some, we educators LOVE donations of such. It would be great to have USB's to give out to them instead of hoping that they purchase one on their own. Sorry--couldn't reist the opportunity to ask.
tekdroid @ May 18th 2007 7:38PM
millions of people are using ReadyBoost with no issues - it's called Windows XP and Windows 2000. One step forward, 2 steps back. Trademark it. Call it progress.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReadyBoost#Performance
Jon @ May 20th 2007 9:51AM
Quoting a Wikipedia article doesn't prove a thing.
fortunado @ May 22nd 2007 7:40PM
this is a dumb post, I used ready boost with great effect. Not to mention the other reviews that said its fine if you have 1gb or less of ram.
THANK YOU ENGADGET
devurandom @ May 18th 2007 6:25AM
How did the GP qualify as a dump post? How exactly is ready boost different from creating a swap partition on the flash drive an mounting in any *NIX OS?
Even if ready boost produces improvements, how are _any_ of GP's points invalid/dumb?
Alvino @ Jun 9th 2007 11:13AM
Hmm, I've built my pc to be a beast. Also with that said... I was interested in "Ready Boost" and so I went out and bought a "1 GB Lexar" drive and plugged it in... then went and boosted my pc 900 mb's worth. ( don't ask why not the full GB, its a noob question :/ ) And i've noticed a System Initialization. Now I'm not saying i'm a gyru or anything of pc's but i'm not a noob either I consider myself of an expert level. So please, do me a favor.
1. Stop going "Oh MAC Oh Mac" Microsoft has its ups too.
2. Ready Boost was never meant for "Ram Replacement or Additional" So don't think like that.
3. Stop Listening to everything PC World has to say... Their human too they make mistakes.
4. I make mistakes too so do me a favor and listen to yourself. Go out and spend 20$ for a 1 GB stick and try Ready Boost for yourself. Don't take the easy way out and get told how your pc will respond. Take initiative and do it yourself and see what happens. If you see good results i'm happy you took my advice.