XFast RAM support

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   Hi. I ordered a H97M Pro4 and in preparation I'm downloading drivers. Board specifications state that XFast RAM is supported but there is no appropriate utility available in the download section; only XFast LAN. On XFast RAM support list my board (or anything beyond Z87) isn't listed at all. Following the links of some supposedly supported boards I found that download is missing there as well, while for some other boards on the list it is present. Installer seems to be unified and same for all boards/OSes so obtaining it is not the real issue here. I would like to know if XFast RAM is supported on my board. If yes, why wasn't it made available in the download section? If no, why is there false info in the specs? Thank you.

Edited by aerDNA - 23 Mar 2016 at 7:06am

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
aerDNA Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2016 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote aerDNA Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: XFast RAM support Posted: 23 Mar 2016 at 4:35am
	Hi. I ordered a H97M Pro4 and in preparation I'm downloading drivers. Board specifications state that XFast RAM is supported but there is no appropriate utility available in the download section; only XFast LAN. On XFast RAM support list my board (or anything beyond Z87) isn't listed at all. Following the links of some supposedly supported boards I found that download is missing there as well, while for some other boards on the list it is present. Installer seems to be unified and same for all boards/OSes so obtaining it is not the real issue here. I would like to know if XFast RAM is supported on my board. If yes, why wasn't it made available in the download section? If no, why is there false info in the specs? Thank you. Edited by aerDNA - 23 Mar 2016 at 7:06am

aerDNA Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2016 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote aerDNA Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Mar 2016 at 9:51am
	Got the board; turns out XFast RAM isn't available as a download because it's integrated into A-Tuning utility. Btw, I found that ReadyBoost on/off option does nothing if Windows is installed on a SSD. I managed to force it manually with a reg hack described here, just to see if I can get it working but I certainly won't be wasting RAM on ReadyBoost.

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Mar 2016 at 11:36am
	XFast RAM has been included in ASRock's support utility for their mother board (AXTU, A-Tuning, Formula Drive, etc), but that is not obvious to anyone that is not familiar with ASRock mother boards. Recently, ASRock began providing an individual XFast RAM program for some boards through the APP Shop program, as a download. You must download and install APP Shop to get it. Wow, ReadyBoost, I had forgotten about that. Windows knows that ReadyBoost is useless when using an SSD as the OS drive. The minimum performance specs for a ReadyBoost device, are 2.5 MB/s read speeds for 4 KB random reads, and 1.75 MB/s write speeds for 512 KB random writes. The fact that a USB 2.0 flash drive on a USB 2.0 interface can provide that performance, which is better than 99% of HDDs, makes ReadyBoost one of the worst indictments of HDD performance.


aerDNA Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2016 Status: Offline Points: 7	Post Options Post Reply Quote aerDNA Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 28 Mar 2016 at 8:05pm
	Maybe using a RAM drive for ReadyBoost could theoretically yield some performance gains but definitely nothing tangible if Win is running from SSD. I think it would be foolish to use precious memory for that. Using it for %TEMP% on the other hand is a nice idea. Even if you won't necessarily feel a performance bump, it should add some time to SSD life expectancy. XFast RAM v2.0.28 can still be found on support site as a separate DL for some older boards. The one I have is v3.0.3 and it's semi-integrated, meaning A-Tuning is just a front end; you can locate XFastRAM.exe and run it as a standalone app with its own GUI.