#CD Speedway
13 messages in this thread
I've got it and I love it. Take care. Brian Hinkle, Anaheim, Ca
I noticed that in CD Speedway's benchmark, they used an 8 meg cache. Is
that necessary? What's the minimum size, and the optimal size? I'm ready
to buy a cache asap. THANKS for any help.
Sorry for jumping in, but perhaps a little info. will be important in
determining sizing requirements for Speedway.
First off, there really is no standard optimal size. It depends on the
CD's in use. Because Speedway is a file cache, the file must be able to
fit in the cache to be used effectively. It also means that if you load
the file into the cache that first accesses can be improved. This patent
pending technology differs dramatically from our hard disk cache FAST!.
Although a hard disk caches advantages our picking up directory and FAT
info, most disk caches only grab sectors (pieces) or tracks of the
information, not the entire file.
To determine the optimal size for your cache, look at the directory of your
CD-ROM. Our engineers determined that most CD-ROM file sizes range between
256K and 4 Meg. in size. That would mean that between 4-6 Meg. would be
optimal for the cache. How many files in the cache at one time is also
important to enable you to tune the product for the most benefit. For
example, if the majority of your files are small (let's say 512K or less)
than a 8 Meg. hard disk cache with 256 files would be optimal. Obviously,
RAM runs a lot faster than hard disk. If you can afford the memory, set up
a 6-12 Meg. RAMdrive. By the way, although the Microsoft spec for
RAMDRIVE.SYS states a maximum of 4096K, we've had success setting up 12Meg.
ramdrives without problems.
If you have other questions, I'll be happy to respond.
Reese.
I run basically 3 types of cd-rom software:
1) Data access programs. The data files vary in size from 38k to 60Megs.
The average data file probably runs between 20-30 megs.
>>the file must be able to fit in the cache to be used
effectively<< Will the 60 meg file access be improved with Speedway? (I
don't think I'm going to be installing 60 megs of ram on my system.) My
current setup is: 8 megs ram total; 2 megs in use by Smartdrv. Since the
data files are so huge, will it matter whether I set up an 4, 6, or 12 meg
ram drive.
2) Multimedia disks. Mammals and eventually others. Will the cache affect
these programs adversely (the smoothness mainly)
3) MPC programs, like BattleChess and King's Quest 5. The MPC version of
KQ5 seems to stagger a bit–can Speedway improve this?
I'm sorry to ask you all these questions, especially since I;m probably
going to purchase it anyway. But it would be nice to know how Speedway
will affect different types of programs. THANKS for your help! BTW, can I
purchase Speedway in the mall?
-John
John,
No problem asking questions. That's what we're here for. In response to
your questions:
1) Any file larger than the cache size will be ignored. (I don't
recommend a hard disk cache of 60Meg. The time to load will be prohibitive
to your performance.) However, the next version of Speedway will support
both background and partial file reads. This version will be the solution
to your data file accesses. The current version can be optimized to work
with up to 12Meg. data files without performance drain by the load times.
2) Mammels video will improve. It will be smooth, rather than the jerky
motion I've heard in the field. Some users have reported that their
non-multimedia drives are now running multimedia software by using
Speedway.
3) Again, Speedway will smooth out the jerks in gaming software. Check
the gamers forum for more info. on games and Speedway.
4) I don't know if our publisher has the product in the mall or not. I do
know that the product is available at just about every retail location
nationwide including Egghead, Software Etc., Electronics Boutique, Walmart,
Sams Wholesale Club, others.
Reese.
Thanks a lot for the info; gee, response time was fast (I haven't used
CompuServe actively for years). Anyway, I'm going to pick up a copy of CD
Speedway and hope the upgrade comes soon.
-John
John,
The upgrade (more like a patch) is almost ready. Watch the forum for
details.
Reese.
Reese,
PMJI, but I could not find CD Speedway in any stores in Phoenix yesterday.
Egghead said they were out but expected more in soon. Walmart did not even
recognize the title; so I mail ordered it.
John
John,
I don't know what to say…this has happened before on some of our other
products like FAST!. Depending on the city, some stores have it, others
don't. My apologies for your chasing it….
If anyone would like to know where they can purchase Speedway, they can
contact either myself(e-mail) or BLOC Publishing (GO BLOCPUB).
Reese.
Ok,
how can I go about getting a copy of Speedway from Malaysia?
can I order one by fax or phone with a Mastercard or Visa & have it sent
over here? If you can give me an international number to send the order
I'll get right onto it.
Dave Baker
David,
You may order by e-mailing us an order. We'll take care of the customs
forms, etc, and let you know in advance what the charges for duties are.
Reese.
The question is can it help older non-mpc compatible drives with mpc sound
on applications?
Bill,
The reports I have from the field say yes. Specifically in gaming
situations. Those apps that were MPC only did run on non-MPC drives using
Speedway caching.
Reese.