From TNPC issue #4.16...

Computer Memory: More is Better

by Al Gordon
August 9, 2001

With handheld computers, desktops, and notebooks taking on new functions every day, memory is of the essence. Increasing memory often is one of the most cost-effective performance enhancements you can make on a PC. And this is all the more true right now because memory prices are dirt-cheap.

The folks at Kingston Technology Company (www.kingston.com) recently assisted me in trying out several items from their memory lineup. Kingston recently has decided to focus on its core memory business, a spokesperson said, and also revamped its shopping Web site, putting substantial price cuts in place.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/416/tr.cgi?al1

It is worth surfing there to do some comparison pricing if you are thinking about memory upgrades.

One starting point would be to take your desktop or notebook up to 256MB, which would be my top hardware recommendation if you are considering a move to Windows XP. If you have a PC that shipped with Windows ME, you are going to want to trade up to XP. But XP is a memory hog.

At current pricing, 128MB modules for most desktops run as low as $24.70; $45.50 for 256MB. More expensive ECC (error checking and correction) memory runs $66.30 for 128MB; $123.50 for 256MB. Notebook prices are a little more variable; 128MB modules are more aggressively priced than the 256MB units.

Kingston's and most retailers' sites have a "memory finder" utility that allows you to simply put in the brand and model of your PC and let the Web site do the work of finding the right part number. Just be sure you check any fine print at the bottom as it contains important configuration rules. (For information on memory types and installation see Jim and Lee's "Absolute Beginner's Guide to PC Upgrades" Chapter 5 - Ed.)

For handhelds and other electronic devices, Kingston has focused on non-proprietary, industry standard digital storage formats: PC Cards, CompactFlash (CF), SmartMedia (SM), and Multimedia Cards (MMC). It has no current plans to get into manufacturer-specific formats such as Sony's Memory Stick.

CF and SM are big in digital cameras, and Pocket PCs embraced the CF design. Kingston's CF lineup runs to 256MB, with a price around $200. The 128MB cards are around $100. I recommend buying them in a bundle that includes a PC Card adapter, so you can plug them into notebooks as well as your handhelds.

The additional storage capacity is a valuable accessory for a handheld. It allows you to store video, audio, and large databases while leaving the handheld's main memory free for processing use.

I put the 64MB, 128MB, and 256MB cards to the test in a Compaq iPAQ (where I also used the PC Card adapter in the iPAQ's PC Card sleeve) and a HP Jornada. You can install Pocket PC applications to a storage card as well as data. Since the main memory on a Pocket PC functions as both as storage and as the equivalent of RAM on a desktop, putting less-frequently used apps on a CF card allows you to preserve precious memory for running applications.

But the core value still is in data storage. Given the Pocket PC's built-in Windows Media Player, for example, a 128 or 256 MB CF card will allow you to put literally hours of MP3s or Windows Media files on your handheld, store a large collection of graphics, and host a industrial strength database.

Kingston also makes a USB PC Card Reader for CompactFlash, $35, that when plugged into your PC's USB port (and the driver software installed, of course), lets your computer see a CF card as if it were a removable media drive. You can then do the usual Windows Explorer or My Computer drag and drop, copy and move functions to get data on and off the card, as well as access it from Windows applications.

While a few file formats, such as Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, need to be run through Microsoft ActiveSync and converted to Pocket PC formats, that is not necessary for a lot of data, including most multimedia and graphics files. The Reader is a faster and more simple data transfer tool than ActiveSync, and I use it whenever possible.

A CF card is roughly the size of a restaurant matchbook. The MMC is even smaller: postage stamp-sized. MMCs now are available in 64MB capacity ($90) as well as 32MB ($48), with 128MB upcoming. The format is starting to take hold in MP3 players--I tested Kingston's 64MB MMCs in Compaq's PA-1 and new PA-2 players--and they also will work with Palm's 500-series handhelds. You can essentially record a half-dozen CDs worth of music onto a couple of postage stamp-sized MMCs, which is the essence of portability.

And if your need for storage is totally insatiable, you can always go with Kingston's 2GB DataPak PC Card Type II Hard Drive ($357.50). Yes, 2GB. The unit is mainly for notebooks, but it runs just fine in the iPAQ's PC Card sleeve. I couldn't come close to filling it up, but corporate users (or someone determined to put a movie on a handheld) probably could find a way.

One thing for sure: I like the way digital storage prices are trending. When I started researching this piece, I could not recommend the highest capacity cards because they were more expensive than buying two of the next largest. Now, by the important bucks per MB standard, the rule is the bigger the better.

On a side note, I like the Handspring's color Visor handheld (TNPC #4.03) and the expandability of its "Springboard" module system. But I wasn't keen on the fact that memory expansion was available only through the proprietary Springboard format.

Problem solved. Hong Kong-based Portable Innovation Technology Ltd. has developed "MemPlug" Springboards that allow users to use industry standard CF and SmartMedia cards with their Visors.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/416/tr.cgi?al2

I tested the CF unit with cards as large as 256MB without problem, however the company warns that not all media is comparable. For now stick to the major brand names, such as the Kingston I used.

Patrick Lin, the founder of Portable Innovation Technology says that his product lineup will expand further later this year with Secure Digital/MMC and Sony Memory Stick MemPlugs. The former is used in Palm 500-series handhelds, the latter in Sony's Clie, and thus, Visor owners can use data and apps from the other two Palm OS handhelds. Very cool.

In keeping with the Springboard concept, all the software for running the MemPlug is on the module itself, and the package includes backup, data moving, and video applications. My one complaint: only a limited function version of PiDirect, the software that enables the Visor to read from the memory cards, ships with the MemPlug. Upgrading to the full version is another $20. The idea may have been to keep the module at the lowest possible price point, but PiDirect is so critical to its operation that it should have been part of the standard bundle even if it increased the price tag.

You can reach Al Gordon at:
mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com

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