One of Vista’s best features, allegedly, was Readyboost. Plug in a 1GB to 4GB thumb drive and the system goes stellar because it reads data on fast flash memory before consulting with the pagefile. This was especially true when accessing large swathes of contiguous data. Promoters of Windows Vista said that gains from readyboost would be apparent in:
- Starting up. The flash drive would cut down start up time by some 10 to 30%
- Shutdown. The flashdrive would eliminate the need to read hard drive data prior to turning off leading to quicker blank screens
- Application data access. The flashdrive should keep paged information handy allowing those who manipulate large Photoshop files or Audition data to see results quicker and faster.
That was all in theory of course. For some reason, my real world experience with Windows Vista’s readyboost pointed to grimacingly different outcomes. Speeds remained the same, and shockingly, some applications even slowed down. Bottomline was, the system never improved a great deal. If there was any improvement, the same was marginal that productivity barely benefited from it.
The Readyboost of Windows 7 is a radically different animal from the Readyboost of Windows Vista. I was initially skeptical of having to waste a dedicated USB drive to the 2nd generation readyboost, but I’m glad I tried. With a Sandisk Cruzer 4GB, I reactived readyboost of the Windows 7 platform and ran the system through its paces for a week. The change delighted me. Startup never improved, but shutdown and application data access was consistently quicker. For instance, I noted that shutdown consistently shaved off 4 seconds with the thumbdrive plugged in.
Adobe Audition witnessed some delightful results as well. I normally play with very large soundfiles that take 60MB to 120MB of hardisk space. One’s patience is certainly tried handling such processing. Anything that can cut down the processing time was welcome. I tried Readyboost.
The result made me grin. Readyboost consistently shaved some 20% off the handling of such large files of varying sizes. The speed drop is apparent when I unplugged the USB drive.
Oh, and need I mention that the same goes for Doc, CDR, and other large files? Readyboost finally makes a difference, not just for tech junkies who rejoice at marginal gains in figures- but also for laymen who want to experience that seat-of-the-pants improvement.
If you’re on Windows 7, get out there and buy the fastest flash drive you can. The results will delight you!
