flash memory vs RAM

[serendipitousP]

hi all.

great group, i've lurked before but <of course> now i have a real
question; i haven't been able to find the answer anywhere else.

i recently received as a gift a fairly sweet used thinkpad x21 2662
with 128mb of RAM. everything i've read online says it can take a max
of 384mb (i've used all the major manufacturers' configurators). i'm
geeky enough for long enough that i am confident about doing my own
purchasing and installs...but...

i also noticed that my system can take a 1gb flash memory card.

i'm irritated that the price of flash memory cards is SOOOO much lower
than RAM. of course i'd love to figure out a way to use the flash card
more like RAM, but i suspect that the flash card is really just a fancy
removable disk - much like the card in my digital camera, it's used for
file storage, not as a system memory resource.

please help me confirm my suspicions. i've been a professional geek for
almost 20 years, and basically have been one since birth (i know only
one other girl who learned to wirewrap in her basement, and she's my
sister...i was 9, she was 6.5!)...this question and the lack of answer
to it online are driving me NUTS!

thanks in advance for your learned advice.

---pam

p.s. any recommendations as to which brand of RAM is best, speed and
reliability-wise, for my box? i'll gladly listen, here or directly to
pamela 700 at yahoo dot com

 

[daytripper]

hi all.

great group, i've lurked before but <of course> now i have a real
question; i haven't been able to find the answer anywhere else.

i recently received as a gift a fairly sweet used thinkpad x21 2662
with 128mb of RAM. everything i've read online says it can take a max
of 384mb (i've used all the major manufacturers' configurators). i'm
geeky enough for long enough that i am confident about doing my own
purchasing and installs...but...

i also noticed that my system can take a 1gb flash memory card.

i'm irritated that the price of flash memory cards is SOOOO much lower
than RAM. of course i'd love to figure out a way to use the flash card
more like RAM, but i suspect that the flash card is really just a fancy
removable disk - much like the card in my digital camera, it's used for
file storage, not as a system memory resource.

please help me confirm my suspicions. i've been a professional geek for
almost 20 years, and basically have been one since birth (i know only
one other girl who learned to wirewrap in her basement, and she's my
sister...i was 9, she was 6.5!)...this question and the lack of answer
to it online are driving me NUTS!

thanks in advance for your learned advice.

---pam

p.s. any recommendations as to which brand of RAM is best, speed and
reliability-wise, for my box? i'll gladly listen, here or directly to
pamela 700 at yahoo dot com

flash has a finite number of erase/write cycles.

memory - guaranteed-to-work-properly-in-your-computer - is available from
www.crucial.com

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

i'm irritated that the price of flash memory cards is SOOOO
much lower than RAM.

I don't know what you consider SOOOO much less expensive.
Desktop DDR-DIMMs are very near the same price as flash.
Laptop SO-DIMMs are more expensive, mostly because of
lower volume and the "chic" factor.

You may find better pricing at http://www.newegg.com
or http://www.axiontech.com . Avoid the Pricewatch
bottom feeders, but some vendors are reliable.

of course i'd love to figure out a way
to use the flash card more like RAM,

No can do. Flash memory is very much slower than DDR.
It might be competitive with hard-disk for swap if you put it
on a fast interface (USB 2.0 minimum). But even that will be a
near thing. Flash will have much shorter latency than HD, but
the transfer rate may not be as high. It might also wear out.

-- Robert

 

[serendipitousP]

thanks mucho for your informed advice.
i knew i should trust my instincts, but now i know WHY!
---p