is a usb 2 flash drive faster than any IDE drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dterrors
  • Start date Start date
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dterrors

Am I better off installing windows on a 4GB usb 2.0 flash drive than I
am installing it on (any) IDE drive? I heard they're 3x faster than
HDD.

If so, which 4gb+ usb 2 drives are the fastest?
 
Am I better off installing windows on a 4GB usb 2.0
flash drive than I am installing it on (any) IDE drive?
I heard they're 3x faster than HDD.
Click to expand...

One very fundamental problem with this approach
is that most flash drives cant do that many writes.
If so, which 4gb+ usb 2 drives are the fastest?
Click to expand...

Why does the speed matter to you ?
 
Am I better off installing windows on a 4GB usb 2.0 flash drive than I
am installing it on (any) IDE drive? I heard they're 3x faster than
HDD.
Click to expand...


USB 2.0 bulk transfer rate is about 40MBps and ATA/133
on a 7,200 rpm drive has a sustained transfer rate that can be
twice that. Furthermore, installing a Windows OS in flash
memory and getting it to boot is still a trick - one that you
probably can't do. Just put it on a hard drive and be happy.

*TimDaniels*
 
Previously said:
Am I better off installing windows on a 4GB usb 2.0 flash drive than I
am installing it on (any) IDE drive? I heard they're 3x faster than
HDD.
Click to expand...
If so, which 4gb+ usb 2 drives are the fastest?
Click to expand...

Unless you use a IDE flash disk built for speed, you get much lower
trannfer rates and only somewhat better access times. USB flash
is pretty slow. Fast IDE flash is _very_ expensive.

Arno
 
Timothy Daniels said:
USB 2.0 bulk transfer rate is about 40MBps and ATA/133 on a
7,200 rpm drive has a sustained transfer rate that can be twice that.
Click to expand...

Pity then that's not how the OS is accessing it.
Random access on a HD is about 1/10th the sustained transfer rate.
 
Folkert Rienstra" (Rod Speed's left hand) said:
Pity then that's not how the OS is accessing it.
Random access on a HD is about 1/10th the sustained transfer
rate.
Click to expand...


Tell us "Folkert", how does one measure the average
percentage of time that a HD is doing "random access"
as opposed to doing sustained transfer?

*TimDaniels*
 
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