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SD Card to SATA adapters
adder:
hi all, has anyone used an SD Card to SATA adapter, eg. something like this:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171511053893
im thinking of trying one for my mame cab, eg. just an 8gb SD card for windows xp, and then the roms will be on a standard sata hard drive. do you get a decent speed increase when booting windows using one of these? any positives/negatives about them, or perhaps something better/more suitable than what i linked above?
thanks
Generic Eric:
I have a red pcb of something like that. TBH, I haven't tried to use it. If you think about it, it's about the same cost as lunch at a restaurant. Give it a shot.
JDFan:
From the specs on a similar unit :
--- Quote --- Supports up to 22MB/sec data transfer rate.
--- End quote ---
So best case would be 22MBs transfer rates so doubt it would yeild much speed difference over a SATA HDD -- might be worth a try with a 32GB SD card loaded with windows and your emulator\roms to use instead of a HDD (figure for the cost it wouldn't hurt to try it
Though I'd probably go with the dual card model that would allow using 2 SD cards for just a couple pounds more - ( http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-Port-Dual-SD-SDHC-MMC-RAID-to-SATA-Adapter-Converter-No-SD-Card-Size-Limit-/181042451170?pt=UK_Computing_Drive_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2a26f892e2 )
nitrogen_widget:
I have an ide model.
I've only used it to boot my live Linux distro and not as a regular HD.
It isn't super fast for boot times but really, how often do you boot up your cab and if you can't wait a few mins. To play your cab....
Vigo:
Yep! I used one one my Super Nintendo a few years back. Getting windows to install was a pain, because my motherboard didn't want to read it as a primary drive, but after fiddling with it I got it installed and it has been running like a champ since. Drive speed is not super fast, and I probably would have better luck if i had gotten a motherboard that accepts USB drives and just used a flash drive, but I was on a budget and to be honest for classic emulation, it was fast and reliable for my needs.