"not enough RAM in the Universe" , how much can we store in 8,16,32,64GB RAM ?
2,3 , BOTH needs to process the Db before entering lookup phase, right ?
I gave you all the calculations according to storing / querying 2**30 X coords and their scalars. Simply adjust the calculations if you want more or less points.
IDK what more you're asking for. Depending on how many points you'd like to store and lookup, you pick the right strategy. There is no magic fastest solution. You need to factor for how much you can fit in RAM, how much you read from the disk, and how many operations need to be performed.
For example, if you want to store 1 trillion points, and if you can fit a bloom filter for them in RAM, you'll need 128 GB of RAM and ~ 40 TB disk storage, just to build the lookup table. Then you can brag about having hundreds of zettakeys/second speed for solving Puzzle 80. Not sure you really grasp the physical limitations though...