RAM Disks Might Prove Useful For Certain Programs

CerebralFreeze · 14 Apr 2018

RAM disks aren't usually considered a possible setup for one's computer because of the increased boot up and shutdown times but I'm thinking that it has a one really great use - when you use really resource heavy programs that you constantly open and close all day long.

Take Microsoft Word for example. The program is very resource heavy so that whenever you re-open it again, it takes perhaps 5+ seconds to open. You have Word documents open at one time but sometimes, you close all of them. Then you re-open it a second later for another document. You have to wait while the entire program restarts. If it was part of the RAM disk, the file would open instantaneously.

The huge disadvantage of RAM disks is that in the morning, when you boot up, and at night when you shutdown, it takes longer as Microsoft Word is stored into RAM. But if you open and close and re-open Microsoft word even once during the day, you have broken "even" on time usage. And anything more is time saved. I literally will close and reopen Word like 50 times a day and it gets annoying to wait those 3-5 seconds so I'm thinking I’m going to save a lot of time and aggravation.

Other programs that would benefit are: Excel, Outlook, Chrome, Search Program, and especially PDF programs like Adobe Acrobat which are so resource heavy (and you open and close all the time). I don't know if an antivirus like Bitdefender would benefit from a RAM disk since the Bit defender is always on so it's always going to stay within the computer's RAM. What do you guys think?

BEST RAM DISK?

I haven't set it up fully yet. It gets confusing and I'm starting to wonder if all this work is worth it. Maybe I picked the wrong program. I'm willing to start over. What do you guys think is the best one to use for a non-computer expert (aka casual user)?

1. Dataram RAMDisk
2. Softperfect RAMDisk
3. Primo RamDisk

Thanks for your help, guys.

Geneo · 14 Apr 2018

Best is Primo Cache IMO. it isn't a RAM disk, it is a RAM cache which caches at the block level and introduce very little loading time at boot (runs in the background). It takes me around 1 second to load Word.

I have 32 GB of memory and I dedicate 10 GB to the system disk cache , 3 GB to my second partition where I store browser and other caches. These two partitions are on a Samsung 960 Pro. I have a 128 GB 840 Pro serving as a L2 cache to my 6 TB HDD. This allows me to make backups to the HDD at SSD speeds.

You ought to look into Primo cache - it is very nice.

CerebralFreeze · 15 Apr 2018

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely check Primo out. I used SoftPerfect and couldn't get to work the way I wanted it to. By the way, did you actually use other RAM disk programs as a basis of comparison or did you simply use Primo till now and it worked out spectacularly?

Can you also explain you 2nd to last paragraph on how the RAM disk serving as a cache makes backups to the HDD at SSD speeds. I can understand how the cache would be faster but how would the actual writing to the HDD be anything similar to SSD speeds? If what you say is true though, I'm going to have to think of ways to take advantage of it. :)

By the way, can you provide a list of programs you put in the RAM disk. Here is what I was putting on my RAM disk: Word, Excel, Chrome, Search Index, Nuance Power Pdf, Bitdefender, Dexpot, LaunchLCore (Logitech software the controls my keyboard and mouse), Actual folders and files that I use heavily, PotPlayer, Handbrake, and Fastcopy.

Do you have any pointers or tricks that I can use to set things up?

Thanks again for your help. I greatly appreciate it. You're awesome.

Geneo said:

Best is Primo Cache IMO. it isn't a RAM disk, it is a RAM cache which caches at the block level and introduce very little loading time at boot (runs in the background). It takes me around 1 second to load Word.

I have 32 GB of memory and I dedicate 10 GB to the system disk cache , 3 GB to my second partition where I store browser and other caches. These two partitions are on a Samsung 960 Pro. I have a 128 GB 840 Pro serving as a L2 cache to my 6 TB HDD. This allows me to make backups to the HDD at SSD speeds.

You ought to look into Primo cache - it is very nice.

Geneo · 15 Apr 2018

Yes, I have used RAMdisks.

With the SSD as a L2 cache for the HDD, the backup data gets written to the SSD at its speed during the backup, then later transferred from the SSD to the HDD at HDD speed. The backup completes faster and It is transparent where the data actually resides at any time because the cache is at the disk block level.

It has been so long since I used a RAM disk, I couldn't tell you which programs. I know I used it for my browser cache and Photoshop caches. With the RAM cache, I don't have to worry which programs. Classically they almost all re cached.