ReadyBoost - Setup and Use

HarriePateman · Aug 29, 2014

Nice Write up thanks

Xmas · Feb 1, 2015

Ready boost is not a RAM aid instead it is a disc prefetch aid. It work when the disc head has to do a seak of say 10ms, and when only a small amount of data is needed.

If it has the data prefetched.

It is like a cheap solid state hybrid disc some of the time otherwise invisible.

The only cost is you loose a USB or other slot if you already have a spare fast memory chip.

If you have a stick with a LED it will be off most of the time but when it is flashing you are gettng some speed up, a seek is real slow.

My LED is off all the time cept for some system functions, when it can be quite animated.e.g. defragmenting. Defrag can be boring slow... close down ditto, etc.

bilateral · Aug 28, 2015

I'm not sure how active this thread is any more--I hope someone who knows something about this can respond.

I read the whole thread, and I have a few questions I did not see raised about Win7 running ReadyBoost. Many laptops have an ExpressCard slot that could be used with an adapter to run a flash card. However, there are also a couple of ExpressCard SSD's on the market. (ExpressCard has capability to run on either of two interfaces--USB 2.0 and PCI-E, which is MUCH faster.) This company makes an SSD (64 & 128 GB) for this slot that runs off the PCI-E, so it should be pretty fast:

Wintec Industries - Flash Memory - Solid State Drives - ExpressCard SSD - Product Specifications

I understand that one generally cannot use this SSD as a boot drive, as the laptop will not boot off of the ExpressCard slot. So the C: drive would still be the installed HDD on the laptop. However, so long as the boot drive remains a standard HDD:

1. Will Windows 7 allow the ExpressCard SSD to be used for the ReadyBoost cache? I know it will NOT allow it if the SSD is the boot drive.

2. I imagine the access times on an SSD are faster than an SDHC flash card, but I'm not sure. (SDHC is the fastest SD protocol that will run in the SD slot of most older laptops, or an SD adapter for the ExpressCard slot.) I'm wondering if it would be a benefit to put the ReadyBoost cache on this SSD. I'm not planning on replacing the main HDD with an SSD on this older machine.

3. With the 64GB SSD, there is enough room to also put the Page file and perhaps some frequently used programs on the SSD. Does this make the idea more worthwhile? Which other Windows components could be moved to this drive with benefit in this situation?

4. Since with Win 7, one can run two or more Flash drives with ReadyBoost, I could use the SD slot and the ExpressCard slot with an SD adapter to run TWO SDHC cards for readyboost. (I understand that by running several cards, Win7 will use them like a RAID array, increasing the speed of transfers by using both cards intermittently--so potentially much faster.)

5. I could also use the two slots for one SDHC card, and one ExpressCard SSD. In this case, the SSD may be much faster, because it is running on PCI-E,...so I am wondering if the discrepancy in speeds would be more problematical than running two identical Flash cards.

I realize these are complex questions. Anyone willing to take this on?

Thanks,
Michael

Brink · Aug 28, 2015

Hello Michael,

To be honest, today's PCs will not see any performance benefits from ReadyBoost.

In your situation, it would be best to have the page file on either the SSD or SDHC depending on which one is faster.

bilateral · Aug 28, 2015

Thanks for replying. This laptop is actually a little older--around 2008 or 2009 vintage. I forgot to say it is maxed out with 4 GB of memory, but I know some have still reported benefit even there with RB. And I haven't seen any discussion of actual use of two or more flash drives with RB. Almost all reports are with only one Flash device. If two are working together, couldn't this tip the balance in terms of access speed on a heavily loaded Win7?

My wife uses this laptop, and almost always loads many programs and web pages at one time, so I'm thinking it might help. I am trying to find out now which has faster access time and random access speeds--SSD or SDHC.

Lastly, can you recommend a good resource on the question of putting the paging file on a fast separate drive?

Thanks again,
Michael

Brink · Aug 28, 2015

You would be better off having a larger page file instead. The tutorial below can help show you how to.

Virtual Memory Paging File - Change

Xmas · Aug 29, 2015

It is simple to use a PC Card or USB and ready boost!
Windows knows when it will save seek time cause it keeps a record of where it last moved the head to and only uses the cache's data when it faster getting the cache data than moving the head.
A disc access is seek, rotational latency, and transfer
Ready boost is just transfer even if it is sloooooooooooooow traaaaaaaansfer
It will wear out a flash memory eventually but mine has lasted longer than this thread.
You are overthinking if the disc is being thrashed ready boost helps independent of the other suggestions.
Your processor has a smaller cache fast RAM memory for similar reasons.
My laptop has a slow CPU and fast rotation disc and only uses the PC Card a lot in disc defrag hibernate & reboot when it is on near 50% of the time.
But I only use email and text web pages but the disc is near 80% full.
It is simple to plug in a medium speed (cheap) PC Card and use the recommended cache size.
It won't match a hybrid disc but that is more wonga and more difficult install, needing thought.
Don't forget to defrag regular a fragged disc is slow.

bilateral · Aug 29, 2015

Thanks for the reply, Xmas. You know, a processor's cache RAM is REALLY fast! No PC card is nearly as fast as that, nor fast as regular RAM, nor as an SSD. But your points are well taken.

I'm really hoping that someone has had experience using TWO or more Flash cards or sticks using Ready Boost. I'm wondering if there is any evidence that using two makes a difference.

Michael

Xmas · Aug 29, 2015

bilateral said:
Thanks for the reply, Xmas. You know, a processor's cache RAM is REALLY fast! No PC card is nearly as fast as that, nor fast as regular RAM, nor as an SSD. But your points are well taken.

I'm really hoping that someone has had experience using TWO or more Flash cards or sticks using Ready Boost. I'm wondering if there is any evidence that using two makes a difference.

Michael

Any cache memory hierarchy works when the faster more local memory is hit a reasonable % of the time on chip or intermediate fast RAM.
Two memories will be better than one statistically for sure.
But the big gain is the first PC or USB.
The gain is because a

10ms seek + rotational latency

is a very long time.
Especially if the head needs to be returned for the next file read or moved randomly.

A disc frag spends all its time moving files and the PC active LED is on a lot!

The big improvement is the first flash cache

Mine is a 2009 laptop 4gb RAM, 8gb ready boost note compressed so close to 16gb effective.
I don't think the compression is optimal but it is not optional either.

That was the recommended size the PC Card is 16 or 32 gb 96k/s read from... 320 gb disc fast rotation.

Note ready boost will boost (avoid a % of) seeks for virtual memory etc. as needed it is a uniform associative cache.

Your significant other may be better reducing the disc traffic as well, if ready boost still leaves her unhappy a hybrid might not be detectably better and a full flash uneconomic compared with a replacement machine.

Mine is just acceptable.

Check the fragment % and enable a scheduled defrag that is where the biggest gain may lie.

bilateral · Aug 29, 2015

Xmas said:
Mine is a 2009 laptop 4gb RAM, 8gb ready boost note compressed so close to 16gb effective.

My wife's old Toshiba laptop has almost the same specs--with a Core Duo processor. I plan to give it at least 8GB, maybe as much as 32GB for ReadyBoost. For the moment it's a trial with a weak SD card with 4 GB. If I use the SSD ExpressCard, I will also follow Brink's suggestion and put the Page File on the SSD.

That was the recommended size the PC Card is 16 or 32 gb 96k/s read from... 320 gb disc fast rotation.

96k/s? Do you mean MB/s? (Which could only be sequential reads--Random Writes are much slower.) 96KB/s would be only .096MB/s. I did some comparative study through searches on benchmarking of various devices. I'll try to round up those numbers for you.

Your significant other may be better reducing the disc traffic as well, if ready boost still leaves her unhappy a hybrid might not be detectably better and a full flash uneconomic compared with a replacement machine.

Trouble is, she really likes her current machine (keyboard, touchpad, screen). She actually tried a newer, more powerful Lenovo--and we both hated it compared to her old Toshiba Tecra R10, and frankly, it was so loaded up with bloatware, it wasn't really faster off the shelf, despited updated processor and twice the memory!

Check the fragment % and enable a scheduled defrag that is where the biggest gain may lie.

That's a good point--I doubt she has defragmented the drive in a while, though maybe Win7 is doing it automatically. I'll check.

Michael

Xmas · Aug 30, 2015

Mine is also a toshiba but a single core 'slug' one up from web book.

But you do need to enable defrag once a week and check it regular.

Maybe buy a second battery.

And run the windows tune up and kill the default sexy graphics...

But explaining how a cache memory works is difficult.

Basically even a small cache achieves 90% of the speed up of a full flash disc for 90% of time! So that the speed of the processor is now more limited by the dual core and the RAM.

The ready boost is similar to the processors cache memory in essence.

But more exactly similar to a hybrid disc - because it has more information than a hybrid disc though it is using up processor speed to do things. The clue is they have compressed the files... To reduce the dependency on flash speed.

So moving any files to flash and using ready boost together won't gain much more.

Ready boost will have the swap files cached already... For a large % of time. If you move them to SSD this will stop ready boost worrying about them and increase its efficiency but the gain is much lower.

And ready boost will only use the cached files when it is quicker to do so it is not simple like the processors cache.

But if you have a small slow flash card installed you probably have 85% of gain already. I'd not try further.

I decided there was no point in a hybrid! Though I need more disc space. Free space reduces fragmentation.

Yes it is a 95 M flash card I got it in a sale so was cheap.

I'm on a small iPhone so typing is not easy on fast train.

Sorry

bilateral · Sep 1, 2015

Brink said:
You would be better off having a larger page file instead. The tutorial below can help show you how to.

Virtual Memory Paging File - Change

Thanks for the suggestion, Shawn. I was tied up with other stuff for a few days, but I've now had a chance to read all through that thread on the Paging File. The main information about moving it I was familiar with. What I've been uncertain about, and was hoping people would go into more in the discussion is what drives one can put it on, and whether there are alternative ways to do that.

When you suggested (a few posts before) that I try putting "the page file on either the SSD or SDHC depending on which one is faster" I think you must have forgotten your previous comment (also in that thread) that one cannot put the Paging File on a removable drive. (I've also heard this elsewhere.) But in any case, I've been wondering:

1) Is the thing about removable drives a hard-and-fast rule?
2) Will the OS (Win7) consider a 64 MB SSD that is mounted on an Express Card slot as a removable drive or not?... And:
3) If Win7 thinks of an ExpressCard drive or a flash card as removable, is there a way to convince the OS otherwise--get it to "rethink" the situation and consider it a standard drive? Or to force it to use the drive anyway?

bilateral · Sep 1, 2015

@Xmas--I really appreciate your comments. You have obviously thought a lot about cache and how it functions, and how ReadyBoost works.

Xmas said:
Basically even a small cache achieves 90% of the speed up of a full flash disc for 90% of time! So that the speed of the processor is now more limited by the dual core and the RAM.

Yes, I understand what you are saying. But you know how it is, most of us would like to get the best performance possible.

...similar to a hybrid disc - because it has more information than a hybrid disc though it is using up processor speed to do things. The clue is they have compressed the files... To reduce the dependency on flash speed.

BTW, I just saw a 1 TB 2 1/2" Hybrid drive for about $100--would be hard to beat that as an option, in either my situation or yours. The problem for me is, my wife's laptop does NOT have a removable HD bay. So to change out the HDD, I have to take the whole laptop apart. I did that once, and don't really want to do it again on an older laptop!

That's a good point about what Microsoft did when they created ReadyBoost. By compressing the files, they speeded up the transfers, so you get a greater effectiveness.

So moving any files to flash and using ready boost together won't gain much more.

Yes, I've thought about this--using both the ExpressCard SSD and a Flash Card, but for different things. Are there files that would be worth moving to the SSD and still install Readyboost on the Flash, since the entire OS would NOT be on the SSD? Without Win7 installed on the SSD, it should allow RB, but RB should then ignore the files that are on the SSD because they are making very fast transfers (if it is that intelligent!) Would RB still cache files that reside on the hard drive, while ignoring those on the SSD? I could put things like the browser cache and heavily used programs on the SSD.

Ready boost will have the swap files cached already... For a large % of time. If you move them to SSD this will stop ready boost worrying about them and increase its efficiency but the gain is much lower.

...And ready boost will only use the cached files when it is quicker to do so...

As I just mentioned to Brink, I'm not sure if Win7 will allow me to put the swap files on this SSD--even though that may make sense.

Yes it is a 95 M flash card I got it in a sale so was cheap.

Do you have a device--SD slot or USB--that is compatible with the speed of the card? Otherwise you will not get the full speed that is rated. Most SD card slots in laptops are rated for SD and probably SDHC--but not for SDXC or higher. Unless you use an adapter off USB 3.0 or the Express Card slot (like Compact Flash.) SDHC will probably not go beyond 30 MB/s or so. But in any case, the more important thing is the access speed of the card, and random reads and writes. Oddly, some slower (sequential) speed cards turn out to be faster for random transfers.

I'm on a small iPhone so typing is not easy on fast train.

You did very well! Thanks.

BTW, my wife's laptop did have the Windows defrag turned on, but at the time it was set for, I doubt it has run often. I did it manually, and the disk was 3% fragmented. This does not sound like a lot, but I did the defrag. But I don't like the fact that Win7 defrag does not give one much information about what it's doing. I'm thinking of trying Puran instead.

Xmas · Sep 2, 2015

I also looked at the 1tb hybrids but decided that might mean a weekend cloning and screw driving so asked a chum for easy options.
The PC Card can be left in all the time a USB stick and socket is more exposed to physical damage eg in train or coffee shop.
Defrag does not take long if the disc is not badly fragged, if I have a work break I run defrag if I need to end the day I run defrag...
If the disc is 3% that is bad as it is predominately the current files post the last defrag that will be fragged...
Ready boost will cache the page file if the page file is on a hard drive. The 4gb RAM should reduce page traffic anyway.
If you keep defragging and have ready boost running already you are only going to get a little more throughput.
Try and explain fragmentation as like you hiding her under garments in trash can.

bilateral · Sep 2, 2015

Xmas said:
The PC Card can be left in all the time a USB stick and socket is more exposed to physical damage eg in train or coffee shop.

Yes, that's why I thought of using the ExpressCard slot. For some uses, everything can be completely recessed, just like the SD card slot on a laptop. I don't think there is an adapter for Compact Flash that will do this--the card will stick out and can easily break off. But an SD adapter in ExpressCard slot should remain recessed. Same with the SSD I found, that goes right in the slot and disappears. So you could have two RB devices, both of which are not visible and easily transportable with the laptop.

So--did you look into using two or more devices for ReadyBoost? Some compare this to RAID--it should speed up RB cache file transfers considerably, and access speed on the SSD only. What has me stumped is I have not found any information about what happens when you use two devices that have different random transfer speeds? Do they both slow down to the speed of the slower device? Or does RB allow the faster device to transfer the larger part of the data? The latter would be ideal.

Try and explain fragmentation as like you hiding her under garments in trash can.

That's a pretty funny metaphor! Thanks for that.

Michael

Xmas · Sep 2, 2015

My laptop is small only one PC slot.
I appreciate that ready boost will be better with more than one device but have not seen how it used two devices ie does it 'write through' each device.
I only defrag regular.
Keep 20% or more free space.
And use a reasonably fast premium brand PC Card.
I don't have free weekends to fit a fast hybrid.
Defragging is as necessary as the PC Card.
A 1tb hybrid would not frag as much, but I eat or do something else while it defrags.

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