HP: No Intel Turbo Memory

HP Compaq 2710pCNET News.com is reporting that HP will not be offering Intel’s Turbo Memory as an option on their Santa Rosa-based systems. HP did perform tests, and did see the benefits, but they also saw that overall system memory was more important:

Using Intel’s benchmark test for evaluating the performance of Turbo Memory, HP’s team did see the improvements in performance that Intel had predicted. However, because 1GB of Turbo Memory is effectively split into two–with one half serving ReadyBoost and the other ReadyDrive–adding a 512MB SD card or a 512MB USB stick to the baseline system resulted in the same improvements.

The greatest improvement came as a result of adding more actual RAM to the system. “We added 1GB of RAM and saw a much higher improvement in performance compared to using any of the ReadyBoost or Robson technology,” Doddridge said. He added that: “If you have enough system RAM in the system already, ReadyBoost doesn’t give you a lot.”

This means that the HP Compaq 2710p and HP Compaq 2510p will not have the option of using the memory boost. Both the 2710p and 2510p were recently announced, and have a 12-inch widescreen display. The 2710p is a Table PC/Convertible, with a screen that rotates around and turns it into a Tablet PC.