RAMDisk/RAMDrive as cache?

Hi guys,
I've spent quite a bit of time trying to read forums both on here as well as from Googling, and I've learned of quite a few utilities to set up a RAM drive, but I still have a couple questions, since now I've finally gotten enough RAM for it to be viable to create a RAM Drive.

1. Which utility would be preferred? I'm using the Sager NP9370 laptop, not a desktop, if it matters.
2. RAM Drive can be made to go back to normal RAM on reboot or by a click of a button right? This seems to be a given, but just making sure.
3. I've read that people say to use the RAM Drive as a cache, but I can't quite seem to find out HOW. I recently looked up "SuperCache" but that seems to be a desktop utility?
4a. I have 16 GB of RAM at the moment, and would like to use 4GB of it for a RAMDrive cache.... Is 4GB enough to make a difference in boot times? (I don't have an SSD yet.)
4b. Can someone post clear instructions on how to set up such a cache, if 4GB is viable for this?

Thanks!

 

Let me help you out.

RAMDisk's/Drive's are not consistent and have insane speeds that are to the brink or reality. Once you got beyond 2K Mb/s you can't feel any difference in speed.

I have a RAMCache setup w/ my 32GB of RAM in my laptop. Both on my Clevo W860CU (w/ 8GB) and my MSi 1762 (w/ 32GB) and they are fast... clearly my MSi is much faster due to the quality RAM I have (Corsair Vengeance).

On my W860CU I reach speeds of 2K Mb/s, but on my MSi I reach speeds of 5K Mb/s (sometimes 7K Mb/s depending on what I cache).

1. The utility preferred would be FancyCache (still in BETA but easy to use and still free), SuperSpeed the makers of SuperCache are MOSTLY for desktops, they have optimized their utility to work on desktops and making it work on laptops CAN cause problems. It surely has for me, so I switched to FancyCache.
2. Yes RAMDrives are cleared upon reboot and nothing is "saved" although the utility saves it for you. Again, not optimal.
3. Again using the utility/program/application FancyCache will make it very easy for you to make a RAMCache. Simply choose your OS drive or the preferred drive you want to cache and then go to Cache Size and type in the MB of RAM you want to allocate for use for the cache and afterwards click on Start Caching, then use a program like CrystalDiskMark to benchmark your new speeds (btw dont forget to turn the cache off once you are DONE, instead of turning the machine off, it MIGHT give problems, I haven't bumped into any but still better safe than sorry)
4a. RAMCaches do usually not change boot speeds as they activate ONCE the OS boots due to the program first launches inside the OS.
4b. Just did and 4GB is definitely viable, especially for programs, browsers and such.

I hope I've helped enjoy (don't forget to post at least 5 posts on the forums to send a PM, a good hint just so you know)

 

jaug1337 said it all very well.

My personal recommendation: if you rely on your system for 'critical' applications: forget about RAM caches.

My own experience with FancyCache (it's still in Beta!??) was that I had to reinstall Win7 on my test system. Furthermore, not only was the 'performance' increase only in benchmark 'scores' - it actually took longer to fully boot the system to a usable state.


Sure, go ahead and play with this - but if your system is used for real work instead of just running benchmarking programs; Win7x64 will use the RAM more efficiently on its own.

Good luck.

 

Yes this.

Still not stable though. RAM is tricky business to mess with.

 

Thanks for the input and answering my questions.
I do have a few followup questions though.
Why is it not consistent?
What kind of problems might I run into, and how will those effect my system? (Is the risk really huge for the amount of performance I would get out of using RAM for a cache?)

 

Well, for one, FancyCache is in beta, and beta programs don't (and shouldn't) make any promises of reliability. One of the major problems you could run into is file/program corruption or loss in the case of a power failure (either you have no battery in your laptop and running pure AC, or some other power issue that may happen) thanks to the way RAM works (doesn't store memory when there's no power).

Like tilleroftheearth said, if you want a system that's consistently stable and won't give you many headaches, you're better off getting a SSD. Contrary to what jaug1337 said, I can't notice any difference between SATAII SSD speeds and SATAIII speeds (my personal experience). What determines "snappiness" of a system's drive is random access times, which a RAMdrive won't improve (it only improves seq. read/write times to 2k+ MB/s speeds, like jaug1337 said).

 

The problems with RAM disks/cache is that they take away from Windows 7/8 (which manages RAM very efficiently, btw) which can use it as the situation deems fit to only being used for a specific task.

The risk is that if the RAM Cache doesn't update critical system files when and as needed - almost nothing can bring that Windows installation back to life (depending on the file that got corrupted).

In my case - a complete rebuild was necessary because of FancyCache.

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...el-smart-response-technology.html#post8043614



Worse though was the small increase in performance for the HUGE increase in the 'scores'.

 

I think the more important question is what kind of improvement you are looking for.

 

Ah, more input, thanks everyone.
I was looking for just more speed in general, but it seems I'd be way better off saving for an SSD.

 

I think the other pointed it out just good that a SSD is the way to go.

I must admit they are right, but I can do a thread later where I actually show the differences on a SATA-II SSD, then a SATA-III SSD and finish off with a SATA-III SSD with RAMCache to show what programs might benefit of it.

I'll probably do that in the vacations here soon

 

'More speed in general'...

With an (assumed) Quad Core IB platform, 16GB RAM (PC3-12800 or above) and (possibly) dual GPU's - the only thing that is missing to take on 2013 and beyond is:

Win8x64 (clean install, of course) and a 240/256GB SSD.

So, are you doing both or just one or the other?

 

I think if you want just 4GB for RAMDisk it is better to get AMD Radeon RAMDisk. Sure its a re-branded product but you still get 4GB free and 6GB free if you have Radeon Memory. Linus had a review of it recently AMD Radeon RAM Disk Featuring 64GB G.Skill RipjawsZ Linus Tech Tips - YouTube so you can watch it if you want. He only tested RAMDisk but not the cache mode, although they told him it is much more usefull as a cache for an SSD It not a beta so should be more stable in theory. It is not a beta so in theory should be more stable.

If you want you can download it here AMD Radeon Memory - Software 4.0 GB.

And also even though RAMDisk slows down the shutdown of the computer, i think it shouldn't affect it much when it is used as cache.

 

Ty for the video! That was actually really nice, hopefully he'll do a video on FancyCache too

 

Here is a link to a thread that shows comparison between SATA II and SATA III with a Samsung 840 Pro and W7 Ultimate installed on it,

http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/689654-samsung-announces-840-ssd-12.html