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Detale
12-28-2009, 08:03 PM
Acard SATA II RAM drive (http://www.acard.com/english/fb01-product.jsp?idno_no=270&prod_no=ANS-9010&type1_title=%20Solid%20State%20Drive&type1_idno=13) $550 clams though! No ram included!

They also have a product (http://www.acard.com/english/fb0101.jsp?type1_idno=13&type2_idno=68) using SDHC's as an SSD.

I know Clocker will be interested. Does anyone know of any other products like this?


EDIT: found a decent review of the product


Fast storage, can we ever get enough? With the introduction of the solid-state disk, it's become so clear to us all just how much of a bottleneck traditional mechanic storage has become. Our CPUs are getting faster, but with even faster storage, we could see substantial gains in certain areas that would make it feel like we doubled the speed of our machine. I for one cannot wait for SSDs to come down in price even further and increase in density. When we all have one in our own machine, it will be a good day.

But with SSD hogging the limelight lately, what about other solutions? Remember the Gigabyte i-RAM? Essentially, it was also a solid-state disk, but much larger than what we are used to today. ACard is one company that didn't want the idea to die though, as they've released a similar part that takes advantage of DDR2, up to 64GB worth (via 8GB sticks).

Our friends at Tech Report have a look at the new device, and to say the results are drool-worthy would be a slight understatement. In many tests, it actually out-performs Intel's ultra-fast X25-E, but, it does cost more, so in some regards, it scales. The other downside is the density. DDR2 might be inexpensive now, but the device can only fit 16GB worth of 2GB modules, and going higher really isn't worth it since higher-density modules escalate in price fast. Still, this is a great idea and it's cool to see another option on the market for those who are interested.


http://techgage.com/images/news/acard_ans9010_techreport_012209.jpg

Another benefit DRAM has over flash memory is that there's no limit on the number of write-erase cycles it can endure. Effective wear leveling algorithms and single-level cell memory can greatly improve the lifespan of a flash drive, but they just prolong the inevitable. DRAM's resiliency does come with a cost, though. While flash memory cells retain their data when the power is cut, DRAM is volatile, so it does not. To keep DRAM data intact, you have to keep the chips juiced.

Source: (http://forums.techgage.com/showthread.php?t=4490)

Snee
12-28-2009, 08:36 PM
That looks really cool, but would get really expensive as well, I bet.

As for using sdhcs (or CompactFlash for that matter) like ssds, I'm doubtful that's a good idea. I use an sdhc card as a dedicated drive for my documents (if the netbook breaks, I can still get anything important out of there) but I have to make frequent backups, cos it's a bit shaky. And that's with fairly mild usage.

Detale
12-28-2009, 09:17 PM
I know it would get pricey but the read/write speeds would be way faster no? If so then the price would be justified to get a faster drive.

clocker
12-29-2009, 02:30 PM
It simply no longer makes sense.
Two years ago- when DDR2 was dirt cheap and real SSDs were still stratospherically expensive- it had a shot at the extreme performance crowd (I would have given it a good look) but today, not so much.

Populate the card with 16GB of RAM and you're looking at about $400, the same price as the Intel 32GB extreme drive that pretty much whooped the Acard's ass.
Plus, the form factor is awkward and the standby battery is puny.

A cool idea that's just a few years too late.