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Using a USB key instead of a hard drive
leapinlew:
My next MAME machine I am considering using a 1gb USB key instead of a hard drive.
I see the USB key having a few benefits:
* Less heat
* Less space
* cheaper
* Faster boot and access
I'm not sure what kind of life expectancy they would have. Whats anyones thoughts on this?
Kaytrim:
I've done that with a USB hub inside a portable CP. It had MAME and some roms. All I needed was a computer with monitor. Worked out quite well until I mounted the CP on my FrankenMAME test cab. I pulled the hub at that point because it was not needed. They have the USB keys up to 8gb now for about $200.
I don't know if it would be faster though. I think that the IDE and SATA bus are faster then the USB bus. You could put a tiny Linx distro on the key and boot to it though if the MB supports USB boot up.
TTFN :cheers:
Kaytrim
ChadTower:
Fast access? Not sure about that. At least it would be easy to pop out and make changes.
My main concern would be how long it will hold up under the type of heavy usage this would need. These things aren't usually primary devices.
SavannahLion:
Go look up Hybrid Hard Drives (HHD) and Solid State Drives (SSD).
I say go ahead and knock yourself out. By the time you have to worry about the USB drive going rotten, HHD's or even SSD's will become large and economical enough to justify their use.
If you really want to be hinky and lower the write impact, a 1GB drive can easily fit inside the RAM space of a decent machine. Create a virtual drive and dump the contents there. Might take some tinkering for speed issues but it'll work.
ChadTower:
--- Quote from: SavannahLion on March 27, 2007, 02:16:19 pm ---Go look up Hybrid Hard Drives (HHD) and Solid State Drives (SSD).
--- End quote ---
Those are designed to carry the load of being a primary drive. A 1g USB key is not. Different types of construction and manufacture quality. I mean hell, just look up the write lifespan of your average usb thumb drive. A lot of them are only in the 5 figures.
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