Super Talent Exelerator 2GB 166x Internal Ready Boost Module

Introduction:

    Super Talent offers a wide assortment of memory modules from flash drives to the latest in DDR3 technology. Some of the other technology they have are dedicated ReadyBoost modules for Windows Vista. The particular ReadyBoost module I will be reviewing is the 2GB Exelerator which boast speeds of up to 166x. This particular module uses a 9pin header that connects to a 9pin USB header on the motherboard.

About the Company:

Corporate Overview
Headquartered in San Jose, California, Super Talent Technology designs and manufactures DDR and DDR2 memory modules and Flash based storage devices for computers and consumer electronics.

Engineered in Silicon Valley
Super Talent\'s Silicon Valley based electrical, mechanical, and software Engineering teams develop leading-edge DRAM and Flash memory solutions for a multitude of applications. Our US-based engineering enables Super Talent to bring advanced new products and technologies to market well ahead of the competition. A leading innovator, Super Talent holds over 100 patents on DRAM and Flash module design and manufacturing processes, making Super Talent one of the world\'s chief patent holders in memory device categories. Super Talent is an active member of JEDEC, the association that defines future memory standards. The company is a technical leader in producing industry standard memory modules as well as in developing custom memory solutions

Specifications:

Dimension:  19mm x 46mm

Technical Details

- 9-pin header plugs into standard USB port on motherboard
- Fully compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0
- Dual Channel Flash Memory Architecture
- Lightning fast 166X offers 25MB/sec Read speed
- Ideal as a dedicated internal ReadyBoost drive
- Can be used as a separate internal hard drive 
- More than 10 years data retention
- Limited lifetime warranty

A Closer Look:

Retail front

Retail rear

   The Exelerator comes packaged in a small plastic retail blister pack that is held closed by a friction fit and has a small cardboard insert with information about the product on it. The Exelerator is a small memory module that is the same size as some of the flash drives that Super Talent offers. One exception is that on the Exelerator a 9pin plug is used in place of a USB style connection. The Exelerator is design to be a Vista Ready Boost drive and plugs into a free USB motherboard 9pin header.

Front

Back

So what is ReadyBoost?

    "Windows ReadyBoost lets users use a removable flash memory device, such as a USB thumb drive, to improve system performance without opening the box. Windows ReadyBoost can improve system performance because it can retrieve data kept on the flash memory more quickly than it can retrieve data kept on the hard disk, decreasing the time you need to wait for your PC to respond."

9 Pin connection

Red LED

 So does this mean I have more RAM in my computer?

    No. What ReadyBoost actually does to the system is it adds more Disk Cache. The Disk Cache on a speedy flash drive adds a bit of quickness to the way application load. Since the access time on a hard disk is slower then that of a dedicated memory module.

Installation:

Match up	Installed	Other side	No flash
Drive installed	Pop up window	Select "Speed Up"	Choose size

    Installation is plug in play which makes it this very simple except that you must have a free 9pin USB header on the motherboard. This option is not likely on some motherboards that only have two of these header. Once the module is installed the AutoPlay window should pop up with two options (1) Open folder to view flies (2) Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost. Pick option number 2 and follow the rest of the onscreen instructions. That is it now you have a ReadyBoost enabled drive.

Conclusion:

   Since I don't have a real test to show you the benefits of using the Exelerator 2GB you will just have to take my word for it, plus you can trust me{:-Þ. Actually the only real difference the end user will see is that the applications load faster. I'm talking about a few seconds faster and this is with 2GB of system RAM installed. The real people who will benefit from ReadyBoost are the folks with 1GB or less of system RAM, and laptop users. The folks who will see an improvement are the heavy memory application users who page file a lot. Those folks will notice that the hard drive light doesn't flash as much.

    My only real grip about the Exelerator is that it must be used on a 9pin USB header on the motherboard. As an option I would have liked to seen a 9pin to USB adapter for the user who may not have a spare USB header on the motherboard. The Super Talent Exelerator is an excellent choice for users who need that little extra boost in performance and don't want to crack open the case.

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