The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    WOW Compact Flash as an SSD Drive...

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by ronnieb, Feb 8, 2010.

  1. ronnieb

    ronnieb Representing the Canucks

    Reputations:
    613
    Messages:
    1,869
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    ronnieb, Feb 8, 2010
    #1
  2. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,779
    Messages:
    7,957
    Likes Received:
    87
    Trophy Points:
    216
    Wow, it's cheap.
     
    moral hazard, Feb 8, 2010
    #2
  3. crayonyes

    crayonyes Custom Title! WooHoooo !!

    Reputations:
    705
    Messages:
    1,098
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    too cheap! :eek:
    but I guess that's only for storage purpose :(
     
    crayonyes, Feb 8, 2010
    #3
  4. davepermen

    davepermen Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,972
    Messages:
    7,788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    but two 32gb compact flash cards aren't cheap. together i bet you get near the cost of a real one.

    and yeah, this one will fail at delivering similar performance / stability.
     
    davepermen, Feb 8, 2010
    #4
  5. sgilmore62

    sgilmore62 uber doomer

    Reputations:
    356
    Messages:
    1,897
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I don't think these compact storage devices will work as an operating system drive because the flash memory in these devices isn't of the quality to allow for the amount of write cycles that OS's produce.

    If you look at user reviews of these types of storage devices being used for OS and apps the fail rates are high and usually happen sooner rather than later.

    The only use I can imagine is transfering the compact flash from a camera to one of these enclosures then to a SATA port on a PC. I doubt the performance and capacity of these devices justifies using as permenant storage.
     
    sgilmore62, Feb 8, 2010
    #5
  6. Pitabred

    Pitabred Linux geek con rat flail!

    Reputations:
    3,300
    Messages:
    7,115
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    206
    Just look at Wikipedia's section on CF: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompactFlash#Speed

    I really don't think they're using the top-of-the-line CF disks at that price, so I'd wager that it's slow as molasses, and on top of that as others have said, CF is not made for major read/write cycling like a proper SSD. It will die, it will go slower.
     
    Pitabred, Feb 8, 2010
    #6
  7. JOCKTHEGLIDE

    JOCKTHEGLIDE Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    thats a tough call I wouldnt use a flasher for all your info such as OS...would hate to lose it.....then someone has it.
     
    JOCKTHEGLIDE, Feb 8, 2010
    #7
  8. Trottel

    Trottel Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    828
    Messages:
    2,303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    The tech behind this is a joke, since CF uses the old P-ATA interface. The problem is that it probably costs a lot, is unreliable, and doesn't really perform relatively well.
     
    Trottel, Feb 8, 2010
    #8
  9. sgilmore62

    sgilmore62 uber doomer

    Reputations:
    356
    Messages:
    1,897
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    sgilmore62, Feb 8, 2010
    #9
  10. davepermen

    davepermen Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,972
    Messages:
    7,788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    davepermen, Feb 8, 2010
    #10
  11. Trottel

    Trottel Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    828
    Messages:
    2,303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Lol. I can buy 32GB SD cards singly for $26, maybe less. I really think CF has run its course. I feel that faster SD cards and the like possibly using an internal array are the way to go for that kind of small portable memory for digital devices. Laptop hard drives are pretty darn small for other applications where you need tons of space, and SSD drives are great when you need speed.
     
    Trottel, Feb 8, 2010
    #11
  12. davepermen

    davepermen Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,972
    Messages:
    7,788
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    205
    and they sure will be fast, have great wear leveling to not die after some days of having an os installed on them, etc.. :)
     
    davepermen, Feb 8, 2010
    #12