Best use of SD and PC card slots?

[gp-clipper]

I've been trying to figure out the best use of the SD and PC card slots. I'm not really running much software, but I do use the computer to stream videos and have a tv tuner via usb. I know the graphics is a little weak, so I was wondering if anyone is using the Ready Boost options. I also saw a post that said that the SD slot uses alot of processor speed. The area that I've noticed the computer straining is in the CPU usage. Starting up it is peaking at 90-100%.

My system has the 60GB hd, 1.5 MB RAM, running Windows 7.

So, I'd like to hear how everyone is using their SD and PC card slots. Storage, speed boost, anything else? Any advice is appreciated. Also, I've noticed that the Windows 7 upgrade left some old Windows folders from XP. I'm assuming that those folders could be deleted. I'm not going back to XP. I think Win 7 is working very well on this laptop.

Thanks, Gary

[Temetka]

In my X41T I have a 4GB SDHC (High SPeed) 10x card from Patriot that I use for ReadyBoost. Having used the ReadyBoost feature for months I can tell you it makes a world of difference in terms of speed and system responsiveness. Boot times are dramatically decreased as are application load times and the whole system just feels more responsive to me. Go Microsoft.

In the PC Card slot I have installed a Lexar 32-Bit Cardbus Compact Flash reader and an 8GB Patriot 266x card that I use to augment the storage of the machine.

My unit runs at 1.5GHz and has 1.25GB of RAM and it runs Windows 7 Ultimate just fine. Sure I don't have Aero but no one with the Intel 915 GPU does so it's no huge loss to me.

My planned upgrades for this machine are:

More RAM. I plan on purchasing a 2GB RAM stick to replace the 1GB RAM stick that is currently installed. This will allow Windows 7 to 2GB a full 768MB more RAM than I have now.

[mklym]

With my X41T (1.5GHz, 2.5GB ram w/1.99 usable, 16GB KingSpec SSD), when I inserted a SanDisc 8GB Extreme III SDHC, Win7 told me that the ssd was fast enough that I would gain no performance increase using the card for ReadyBoost, so I just use it for extra storage. I have a Lenovo 60GB SSD coming and after I install that, I am planning on using the SD slot for a bluetooth card. The PC Card slot is only used for a WWAN card when I am on the move. I am considering using the PC slot for a USB 2 card, but am undecided.

If you are going to keep the laptop, I would suggest spending the money on a decent SSD. The increase in the systems performance is worth the cost, in my opinion. I go by how the unit performs as I use it, not synthetic benchmarks. Adobe Reader 9 opens in ~1 second, Firefox in 2-3 second, as compared to 8-10 sec for AR and 15-18 sec for FF on the stock 40GB HDD.

[loyukfai]

I ditched the ReadyBoost-SD after installing a SSD as well. A Bluetooth SD adapter sounds good for non-BT-equipped models. I didn't think about it and got an USB Bluetooth dongle installed which leaves the machine with only one USB port free. However, the USB dongle is at 1/3 (or lower) of the price of a Bluetooth SD adapter ($15 from eBay).

Cheers.

[Temetka]

Other than gaining more USB ports, why would you install a PCMCIA USB 2 card? The system is already USB 2.0 compliant.

[greg.billings]

Hmm, so if you have an SDHC card Class 4 or better the ready boost will solve the 4200rpm stock hard drive performance blues?

I have a CF card adapter for the HD bay and just waiting for some more bucks for a 32GB 533X card to replace my drive.

For thost using SD cards in the SD slot how is the extra heat from the card?

[Temetka]

Does it solve the performance of the 4200RPM HD when using an SD card for ReadyBoost?

For the most part, yes. However when copying large files from or to my external HD the performance of the internal HD is...sub-optimal. Not enough to make me terribly upset as I love this machines, but enough to remind me that upgrading the HD is on my list of things to do.

Regarding heat from SD slot, there is none as far that I can tell. I've never known SD cards to generate any noticeable heat.