RAMDISK - How large to use it as boot


Recommended Posts

I have a problem.  When I get bored with my computer - I want to change it.

I just built this monster in December.  My boot drive is the 500GB Samsung 950 Pro

I want to know how large of a RAMDISK do I need to put WIndows 10 on it.

I dont know if you have to config for pagefiles and such , how large a plain jane win 10 image takes, etc.

I really just want to see if it makes a difference, therefore is it worth it.

It may not (probably not) be a permanent situation.  I am planning on backing up everything, doing it, then... probably going back to the way it was - I just dont know how much RAM and what prog to use to do it.

My mobo has RAMDISK built in - but only allows for 4GB, so I would have to use a paid solution - but they're cheap - so that isnt an issue.


Thanks


(I get like this when there isnt a game out that I want to play, or if the hardware in the computer doesnt make me all warm and fuzzy anymore)   I do things like this to keep from constantly throwing money at a money pit.

 

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1295038-ramdisk-how-large-to-use-it-as-boot/
Share on other sites

you can't put your OS on RamDisk.

its because, RamdDisk is software not OS layer, it works on top of OS.

But even if you succeed by some tweaks to Install OS on RamDisk, it still required caching on Disk, otherwise everything get lost when PC turn off.

IMO, not a worthy try.

  On 16/04/2016 at 07:42, Xahid said:

you can't put your OS on RamDisk.

its because, RamdDisk is software not OS layer, it works on top of OS.

But even if you succeed by some tweaks to Install OS on RamDisk, it still required caching on Disk, otherwise everything get lost when PC turn off.

IMO, not a worthy try.

Expand  

Yeah - did some looking - not gonna happen.  Too much tweaking

Thanks

(Y)

 

You didn't mention how much RAM you have but if you have a lot, Windows is already doing it for you behind the scenes.

 

The Samsung 950 Pro is insane fast so beating that becomes a non-trivial task.

 

Windows 10 will use an agressive percentage of RAM to cache stuff which makes a RAM disk to have questionable value.

 

Everything will take a certain amount of time even if you had infinite speed I/O and nothing obvious comes to mind in this situation. I suspect that two Samsung 950 Pros in RAID-0 will yield minimal real world gains. To get an order of magnitude past that would need battery backed RAM hardware emulating a M.2

 

Another option might be a hardware based controller like LSI feeding a large SATA SSD Array.

 

A giant water cooler to double your CPU speed might be the only option left to get a thrill ride...

 

  • Like 2

the only thing that I consider proper use of RAMDISK boot is when it was used by BOOT from LAN terminal.

On (re-)boot the terminal will fetch OS partition from server using the LAN and put that on firmwired RAM disk.

Its actually ideal for public terminal and its also cut some initial cost that usually associated with internal HDD/SSD storages.

But i heard something like that before current secureboot thingy, is such thing even compliant with secureboot scheme?

If your looking for a rush, I would recommend trying out PCIe based SSDs.  You can pick up a Samsung PCIe SSD and get 1600MB/1350MB (1.6GB/1.35GB or 12,800Mb/10,800Mb) Read/Write  with PCI Express 2 and 2150MB/1550MB (2.15GB/1.55GB or 17200Mb/12400Mb) Read/Write with PCI Express 3 with just one, if you add more...

Good ol' RAMDisk drives.  Remember seeing these a long time ago ... and thinking "wow" ... and then my jaw dropped when I saw the price.

 

 

hyperdrive-4.jpg

 

I think these were sold in the mid 2000's.  The DRAM would still be powered when the PC was turned off so not to lose any data.  Still severely limited by the interface though...with the primary advantage of practically having zero access/seek time.  It had various models ... I believe 8, 16 and 32GB.  The 8GB was ~$2500 and the 32GB costing ~$3800 ... without memory modules ... which back then was obviously more expensive.  I think you could get 32GB memory for around $4000'ish.  In other words ... buying the top of the line Hyperdrive 4 topped out with 32GB of memory would cost almost $8000.  You can now get a 32GB SSD, which has better performance for around 40 bucks.  Man...have times changed.

 

 

Gigabyte had a similar product...though it was PCI and only supported 4GB...but was "only" a couple hundred bucks without memory as well.

 

1712.jpg

 

Anyway...I haven't seen any products similar to these recently.  SSD's (especially the newer NVMe) have made them ... for the most part ... impractical.  

  • Like 2
  On 16/04/2016 at 08:19, Ravensky said:

Get another 950 500Gb and RAID 0 them... so fast!!!

Expand  

Only have 1 M.2 slot on mobo

 

  On 16/04/2016 at 14:00, ITOps said:

If your looking for a rush, I would recommend trying out PCIe based SSDs.  You can pick up a Samsung PCIe SSD and get 1600MB/1350MB (1.6GB/1.35GB or 12,800Mb/10,800Mb) Read/Write  with PCI Express 2 and 2150MB/1550MB (2.15GB/1.55GB or 17200Mb/12400Mb) Read/Write with PCI Express 3 with just one, if you add more...

Expand  

Right now - I dont see any faster than my 950 Pro in real world terms - unless you go for something extravagant and server-based.

  On 16/04/2016 at 12:41, DevTech said:

You didn't mention how much RAM you have but if you have a lot, Windows is already doing it for you behind the scenes.

 

The Samsung 950 Pro is insane fast so beating that becomes a non-trivial task.

 

Windows 10 will use an agressive percentage of RAM to cache stuff which makes a RAM disk to have questionable value.

 

Everything will take a certain amount of time even if you had infinite speed I/O and nothing obvious comes to mind in this situation. I suspect that two Samsung 950 Pros in RAID-0 will yield minimal real world gains. To get an order of magnitude past that would need battery backed RAM hardware emulating a M.2

 

Another option might be a hardware based controller like LSI feeding a large SATA SSD Array.

 

A giant water cooler to double your CPU speed might be the only option left to get a thrill ride...

 

Expand  

I am running two 950's and in RAID-0 and it is a LOT faster than one...

  On 16/04/2016 at 15:58, Ravensky said:

I am running two 950's and in RAID-0 and it is a LOT faster than one...

Expand  

Obviously it would benchmark faster, but I was very skeptical that day to day usage would be impacted much simply because a single 950 is so fast.

 

So what stuff do you find perceptually much different with two 950's over a single 950?

 

  On 16/04/2016 at 15:03, T3X4S said:

Only have 1 M.2 slot on mobo

 

Right now - I dont see any faster than my 950 Pro in real world terms - unless you go for something extravagant and server-based.

Expand  

Yeah, I scanned through the specs of all the PCIe cards on Newegg and couldn't see anything faster than a 950. In fact most of them were slower or similar.

 

I suppose if Ravensky can provide detail on his dual-950 experience, you could consider a dual PCIe card addition if slots available.

 

Unfortunately anything you could do is outside the "best bang for the buck" territory.

 

If you have a lot of RAM there are registry settings to muck with how Windows manages the RAM cache and also turn off paging file (which screws up bsod dumps) or move page file to that mobo 4 gig ram disk you mentioned.

 

Giant water radiator keeps coming back into my head...

  On 16/04/2016 at 14:47, adrynalyne said:

Or get one PCIe SSD and be faster. 

Expand  

Or not.

 

I so so so much would like to have a 950.

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147467

 

It is essentially a PCIe SSD in just a different form factor.

 

Max Sequential Read

Up to 2500 MBps

Max Sequential Write

Up to 1500 MBps

4KB Random Read

Up to 300,000 IOPS (4KB, QD32)
Up to 12,000 IOPS (4KB, QD1)

4KB Random Write

Up to 110,000 IOPS (4KB, QD32)
Up to 43,000 IOPS (4KB, QD1)

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=636&N=100011693%20600521290%20600038471%20600038466%20600038467%20600537559%20600038468&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1cm_sp=CAT-SSD_3-_-VisNav-_-Add-In-Card

 

Nothing there seems faster

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820228114

 

That one has PCIe x 8 but since the flash RAM is a bit slower is probably pointless.

 

Some sort of PCIe x 8 using enterprise SLC Flash RAM might be faster if such a thing exists...

 

  On 16/04/2016 at 20:23, DevTech said:

Obviously it would benchmark faster, but I was very skeptical that day to day usage would be impacted much simply because a single 950 is so fast.

 

So what stuff do you find perceptually much different with two 950's over a single 950?

 

Expand  

saving large files, game loading, boot times, all the heavy stuff is WAY faster...I also edit LARGE files in Photoshop and that kind of stuff, its night and day for that kind of application...

  On 16/04/2016 at 20:45, DevTech said:

Or not.

 

I so so so much would like to have a 950.

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147467

 

It is essentially a PCIe SSD in just a different form factor.

 

Max Sequential Read

Up to 2500 MBps

Max Sequential Write

Up to 1500 MBps

4KB Random Read

Up to 300,000 IOPS (4KB, QD32)
Up to 12,000 IOPS (4KB, QD1)

4KB Random Write

Up to 110,000 IOPS (4KB, QD32)
Up to 43,000 IOPS (4KB, QD1)

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=636&N=100011693%20600521290%20600038471%20600038466%20600038467%20600537559%20600038468&IsNodeId=1&IsPowerSearch=1cm_sp=CAT-SSD_3-_-VisNav-_-Add-In-Card

 

Nothing there seems faster

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820228114

 

That one has PCIe x 8 but since the flash RAM is a bit slower is probably pointless.

 

Some sort of PCIe x 8 using enterprise SLC Flash RAM might be faster if such a thing exists...

 

Expand  

I keep forgetting the 950 Pro is PCIe. 

  On 16/04/2016 at 21:53, Ravensky said:

saving large files, game loading, boot times, all the heavy stuff is WAY faster...I also edit LARGE files in Photoshop and that kind of stuff, its night and day for that kind of application...

Expand  

did you actualy do all of those things on a single 950 Pro? just want to confirm that for the record since that description you have written would also seem to be describing a single 950 pro compared to anything else.

 

So, you seem to be implying the followinf progression:

 

1. 10,000 rpm hard drive - nice improvement over any hard drive

 

2. Current gen SATA SSD such as Samsung 850 - giant improvement over 10,000 rpm hard drive

 

3. M.2 Samsung 950 Pro - giant improvement over Samsung 850

 

4. Two M.2 Samsung 950 Pro in RAID 0 - giant improvement over single Samsung 950 Pro

 

  On 16/04/2016 at 22:39, DevTech said:

did you actualy do all of those things on a single 950 Pro? just want to confirm that for the record since that description you have written would also seem to be describing a single 950 pro compared to anything else.

 

So, you seem to be implying the followinf progression:

 

1. 10,000 rpm hard drive - nice improvement over any hard drive

 

2. Current gen SATA SSD such as Samsung 850 - giant improvement over 10,000 rpm hard drive

 

3. M.2 Samsung 950 Pro - giant improvement over Samsung 850

 

4. Two M.2 Samsung 950 Pro in RAID 0 - giant improvement over single Samsung 950 Pro

 

Expand  

Why do you doubt him? I would do those things. In fact, I have entire source code repos  running over 50GB in size on my SSD. I also have several databases running locally from it as well. I can always use more throughput. 

  On 16/04/2016 at 22:53, adrynalyne said:

Why do you doubt him? I would do those things. In fact, I have entire source code repos  running over 50GB in size on my SSD. I also have several databases running locally from it as well. I can always use more throughput. 

Expand  

Because a single 950 Pro is so fast. I am not doubting him, but I want to make sure I understand what he has communicated.

 

In RAID-0,  two 950 Pros would be 5,000 MBytes Read and 3,000 MBytes write which has the potential to challenge various software systems that were not tested in such a configuration.

 

Like the X-Files movie "I Want to Believe" and so in a case of a single source of anecdotal evidence, more detail helps a lot.

 

Also, two M.2 slots are practical for a laptop which seems rather exciting with two 950 Pros...

  On 16/04/2016 at 22:39, DevTech said:

did you actualy do all of those things on a single 950 Pro? just want to confirm that for the record since that description you have written would also seem to be describing a single 950 pro compared to anything else.

 

So, you seem to be implying the followinf progression:

 

1. 10,000 rpm hard drive - nice improvement over any hard drive

 

2. Current gen SATA SSD such as Samsung 850 - giant improvement over 10,000 rpm hard drive

 

3. M.2 Samsung 950 Pro - giant improvement over Samsung 850

 

4. Two M.2 Samsung 950 Pro in RAID 0 - giant improvement over single Samsung 950 Pro

 

Expand  

Yes actually I have tested both situations, 950 pro single and 2 in RAID 0, and RAID 0 is MUCH faster...I am not going to say it again =)

  On 17/04/2016 at 00:15, Ravensky said:

Yes actually I have tested both situations, 950 pro single and 2 in RAID 0, and RAID 0 is MUCH faster...I am not going to say it again =)

Expand  

Thanks for the update.

 

But now I am stuck in the movie "Exorcist" where "The Power of Speed Compels Thee"

 

Your experience compels me to somehow find an extra $1,000 from somewhere...

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • https://deadline.com/2025/06/spaceballs-2-casts-rick-moranis-bill-pullman-keke-palmer-1236431204/
    • Microsoft updates default app choices for Windows 10 and the Curl tool with build 19045.6029 by Sayan Sen Microsoft has rolled out a new Windows 10 release preview build today for Insiders flighting the channel. The new build, 19045.6029, has some new changes and improvements. The biggest highlight is related to default app choices for the EEA (European Economic Area) region. Microsoft writes: "We are rolling out some small changes in the EEA region for default browsers via the Set default button in Settings > Apps > Default apps: Additional file and link types will be set for the new default browser, if it registers them. The new default browser will be pinned to the Taskbar and Start menu unless you choose not to pin it by clearing the checkboxes. There is now a separate one-click button for browsers to change your .pdf default, if the browser registers for the .pdf file type." Microsoft has also updated the curl command line tool with "most recent stable version is 8.14.1". Aside from those, remote Component Object Model (COM) activation that were failing with 0x8001011 error code has been fixed. And there are several other changes too. The full changelog is given below: [Mobile Operator Profiles] Updated: Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA) profiles. [App Platforms and Frameworks] Fixed: An issue affecting Component Object Model (COM) functionality on Windows platforms, where remote COM activations were failing with error 0x8001011. Upgraded the version of the curl tool included in Windows to v8.13.0. [Authentication Platform] Fixed: An issue affecting the device registration in Entra ID Windows Account Manager (WAM) plugin. [Input and Composition] Fixed: An issue affecting the complete removal of unused language packs and Feature on Demand (FOD) packages. This led to unnecessary storage use and increase in Windows Update installation time. [Print and Peripherals] Fixed: An issue affecting USB-connected Multi-Function printers with dual protocol interfaces, where scanning may fail and prevent use of the OS’s built-in scanning functionality. [Start Menu] Fixed: An issue causing jump lists to disappear from the Start Menu. Fixed: An issue where the Start Menu was not starting after installing an update. [Settings] Fixed: Settings > System > About unexpectedly shows version 2009 instead of version 22H2. [Servicing] Fixed: An issue where Kiosk devices using the ForceAutoLogon configuration and Shift Override might stop responding with a blue screen after being locked and unlocked by support administrators. [File Server] Fixed: An issue where the system may hang when acknowledging an Oplock break on resources located on SMB shares. You can find the official blog post here on Microsoft's website.
    • This is a liability problem. They aren't simply going to trust that you aren't the driver. I think if they really wanted to they could do something similar to key fobs where they only work if they are in the proximity of the driver's seat. As already pointed out by a Random Stranger, simply having your passenger hit the play button doesn't make it any less distracting for the driver.
    • Windows 11 gets improved app defaults settings and Windows Share in build 22631.5545 by Taras Buria Windows 11 build 22631.5545 is now available for download in the Release Preview Channel of the Windows Insider Program. The update is a pretty minor one, but it still packs some important changes, such as improvements for app defaults in the Settings app, Windows Share enhancements, and a few fixes here and there. With build 22631.5545, Microsoft is giving users in the EEA region more control over default apps in Windows 11, particularly for browser defaults. Now, browser defaults support additional file and link types. Your default browser now pins itself to the taskbar (you can turn this option off), plus you can change your typical PDF viewer with one click (if the browser of choice supports PDF handling). As for Windows Share improvements, the sharing window now includes a preview of the link that you are about to send to someone. The rest of the changelog includes various fixes: [Audit] Fixed: An issue with auditing privilege use created too many security event logs. These logs filled up the system drive and prevented users from signing in. [Authentication] Fixed: This update fixes an issue where domain-joined machines running Windows 11 22H2 or 23H2 couldn’t update their account passwords on Windows Server 2025 domain controllers, which led to trust relationship issues. [Country and Operator Settings Asset (COSA)] Fixed: This update brings profiles up to date for certain mobile operators. [Display Kernel] Fixed: An issue that prevented Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections until you restarted your device. [Network file sharing] Fixed: This update fixes an issue where workstations and servers might stop responding when connecting to resources located on Server Message Block (SMB) shares. [Performance] Fixed: This update addresses an issue that prevented the complete removal of unused language packs and Feature on Demand packages, which previously led to unnecessary storage use and longer Windows Update installation times. [Shell] Fixed: This update resolves an issue where kiosk devices might stop responding after being locked and unlocked by an administrator. [Windows Hello] Fixed: This update fixes an issue that prevented the automatic renewal of expiring certificates in Windows Hello for Business. [Windows Search] Fixed: Windows Search responds very slowly—the Search Box can take over 10 seconds to load before you can use it. You can find the announcement post here.
    • Father's Day is coming, so give your dad some great gifts by Steven Parker Mashup from Depositphotos.com (1) (2) Father's Day is quickly approaching on Sunday, June 15. If you haven't gotten your dad a gift for the occasion, don't sweat it. There are lots of affordable gifts you can buy for Father's Day on Amazon, and if you order one or more of them right now, you can get them shipped to you in time to give them to your dad. Below we have put together some Apple deals, and we'll keep expanding the list as we come across more interesting deals, so be sure to check back. iPad Deals Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 Tablet $299 -14% now $299 (was $349) Apple iPad Air 11" 128GB M3 Chip Tablet -17% now $499 (was $559) Apple iPad Air 13" 128GB M3 Tablet -12% now $699 (was $799) 2024 iPad Mini A17 Pro 128GB 8.3" Tablet -20% now $399 (was $499) 2024 iPad Pro 11" 256GB M4 OLED Tablet -10% now $899 (was $999) 2024 iPad Pro 13" 256GB M4 OLED Tablet -15% $1099 (was $1299) Apple Pencil (3rd Gen, For Select iPads) -13% now $69 (was $79) Apple Pencil Pro (For Select iPad Pro & Air) -23% now $99 (was $129) AirPods deals Apple AirPods Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds -32% now $169 (was $249) Apple AirPods 4 Spatial Audio Wireless Earbuds -23% now $99 (was $129) Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds -17% now $149 (was $179) Apple Watch Deals Series 10 GPS 42mm (Sport Band) -25% now $299 (was $399) Series 10 GPS 42mm (Sport Loop) -25% now $299 (was $429) Series 10 GPS 42mm (Sport Loop) -23% now $329 (was $429) Series 10 GPS 46mm (Sport Band) -23% now $329 (was $429) Apple Watch Ultra 2 49mm GPS Smartwatch -8% from $739 (reg $799) Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) Smartwatch -32% from $169 (was $249) MacBook Deals 2025 MacBook Air 13.6" M4 Chip Laptop (16GB/256GB) -15% now $849 (was $999) 2025 MacBook Air 15.3" M4 Chip Laptop (16GB/256GB) -13% now $1049 (was $1199) 2024 MacBook Pro M4 14.2" Laptops -11% from $1429 (was $1599) 2024 MacBook Pro M4 16" Laptops -10% from $2249 (was $2499) Mac Deals Mac Mini M4 10-Core CPU 10-Core GPU -8% now $546 (was $599) iMac M4 24" 8-Core CPU/GPU (16GB/256GB) -8% now $1193 (was $1299) iMac M4 24" 10-Core CPU/GPU (16GB/256GB) -7% now $1349 (was $1499) Kindle deals 16GB Kindle Scribe + Premium Pen -25% now $299.99 (was $399.99) 32GB Kindle Scribe + Premium Pen -24% now $320 (was $420) 64GB Kindle Scribe + Premium Pen -22% now $350 (was $450) Samsung 49" Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) 240Hz Curved Gaming Monitor -$800 now $999.99 (was $1799) Samsung Galaxy Buds FE True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds -35% now $64.99 (was $99.99) Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ -$120 now $879.99 (was $999.99) Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 47mm -31% now $449.99 (was $649.99) SAMSUNG Galaxy S25+ -12% now $879.99 (was $999.99) These are just a small selection of the discounts on offer; for more great deals, go to Amazon's Deals page. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      Orpheus13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Orpheus13 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      Orpheus13 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      serfegyed earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      fashionuae earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      519
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      261
    3. 3
      +FloatingFatMan
      202
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      168
    5. 5
      Xenon
      121
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!