Can I replace a 60gb 1.8" 50-pin hdd with a 32gb 400x CF card?

I am going to be trading my trusty CamelBak Motherlode for a Sony Vaio TX-670P that uses a 1.8" 4200rpm 60gb 50-pin ( CF50 ) HDD and was wondering if anyone thinks I would be able to successfully replace that HDD with a 32gb 400x CF card that uses MLC NAND memory ( basically an SSD ).

This is the specific CF card I have in mind for $48: Newegg.com - Transcend 32GB Compact Flash (CF) 400X Flash Card Model TS32GCF400

At 90MBps read and 60MBps write it should curb stomp the sad little 4200rpm HDD, plus the CF card has a lifetime warranty

 

No, this is a bad idea.

Even if you could get the CF card to boot - this is NOT an SSD in any sense of the word.

Flash cards are meant to be written to very few times vs. an SSD's nand cells. Their firmware does not know the first thing about TRIM, GC or any other life preserving means to protect it's nand.

Also; that lifetime warranty? Only for it's intended use (not for use in/by an O/S).

Sorry to burst your bubble - but SSD's are here for a reason (I'd be looking for an 1.8" SSD instead...).

 

I used a CF-SSD in like 2009 when all you could get in the "real" SSD space was a $1000 64GB SLC from Samsung. Nowadays even the used 1.8" PATA/ZIF SSDs are cheap; you should really just look for one of those. They will all perform way better than the CF card (which will be heavily, heavily I/O bound, not sequential bound), even if the performance is rubbish compared to mainstream SSDs.

 

how long with is the 1.8" drive? maybe you oculd fit a sata SSD minus the plastic box/case?

 

Well, just looked at the data sheet from Transcend and it does use MLC NAND and it does have wear leveling soooo. . . .

Info from Transcend's Data Sheet on the CF card:

• Operation Modes:
�� PC Card Memory Mode
�� PC Card IO Mode
�� True IDE Mode
• True IDE Mode supports:
�� Ultra DMA Mode 0 to Ultra DMA Mode 6 (Ultra DMA
mode 5/6 must supply with 3.3V)
�� MultiWord DMA Mode 0 to MultiWord DMA Mode 4
�� PIO Mode 0 to PIO Mode 6
• PC Card Mode supports up to Ultra DMA Mode 6
• True IDE mode: Removable Disk (Default)
• PC Card Mode: Removable Disk (Default)
• Durability of Connector: 10,000 times
• Built-in 15 bit ECC (Error Correction Code) functionality
• Support Global Wear-Leveling to extend product life

I was looking at that but that would require a CF50 to ZIF adapter which combined with the ZIF SSD itself, I doubt I could fit that setup in the Sony.

The Sony does not support SATA Wish it did.

 

I did find this 64gb CF50 SSD but I don't really want to spend $96 on this upgrade: Amiline Inc - 64GB KingSpec 1.8" IDE CF 50-Pin SSD Solid State Disk (MLC). Not to mention the actual rated read/write speeds are lower than the Transcend CF card.

I also found the 32gb version for $59 which isn't bad but the speeds are still lower rated than the CF card: http://www.amazon.com/KingSpec-1-8-inch-50-pin-Solid-State/dp/B007PFPVOS

 

The wear leveling is for image/video use - not for O/S use.

(i.e.; user initiated vs. O/S initiated storage subsystem accesses).


Don't believe me (and go ahead and try it...) but I still don't see how you're going to get this to boot?

I know VLT machines use CF cards as boot devices - but they can hardly be called 'computers' - (I prefer to call them automatic/voluntary tax collectors).