USB flash drive w/ performance comparable to HD?

[dpopiz]

Are there any USB flash drives out there now that are fast enough to run apps directly off of and be indistinguishable from running them off a local hard drive?

 

[Willoughbyva]

I don't know, but don't forget the newer usb had drives. They are a little smaller than the old usb enclosurs of the past. Plus they aren't that pricey and I think they are powered by the usb port. The ones at CC and BB are 40 and 80 Gb.

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

24MB/second read, 12MB/second write

About the fastest I could find. Not too shabby. It is no Raptor by any stretch but it does approach 4200rpm ATA 100 notebook drives.

Also, I believe flash drives have a limited write llifespan (in the thousands) so using it as a full time high access hard-drive will shorten its life. (I think)

 

[Willoughbyva]

Yes you are correct from what I remember. I think the max write is 100,000 times oe something like that.