A super-fast disk in the computer's RAM. Speed ​​up Windows with a RAM disk

After articles about creating a ramdisk and transfer of the system folder "Temp" the readers had a lot of questions in it, a terrible holivar began in the comments on this topic. They also bombarded me with them by email.

Indeed, the topic is not unambiguous and there are many nuances with peculiarities. I decided to express my opinion on this matter in a separate article, based on personal experience and googled information - such an answer to users' questions about the benefits of using a virtual disk in the computer's RAM.

Is there a use for a RAM disk?

No matter how they beat their heads against the wall, some clever people - there is! And this is a fact. The Internet is full of screenshots with measurements of the speed of reading / writing data to a ramdisk ...

I was also not too lazy and made such measurements (screenshots in the first article on this topic). Besides, why would even special boards be created ...

... and whole external blocks for this case ...

At this point in time, RAM is still the fastest storage medium.

Who needs a RAM disk

Another thing is that not in all cases of using such a disk you can see the acceleration of work. Positive changes are very noticeable when installing programs (which unpack installers into a temporary folder), working with large graphic images in editors, with video transcoding, with processing rather large amounts of information (databases), provided that temporary files of the system are transferred. A profile with a cache of any browser in RAM will also impress you with the result.

I don't work with video encoding, but in Photoshop I immediately noticed a reduction in the time for opening and saving large images. Also, the built-in file manager (Explorer) has become more cheerful. Talk about the speed of the portable browser in my virtual disk? It "flies" like a bullet simply.

In this way, owners of SSD drives can reduce the wear and tear of their drives - the number of read / write operations (cycles) will be significantly reduced.

Who doesn't need an in-memory disk

It is absolutely unnecessary for the players (gamers) - modern games are simply ram-eaters. Such a virtual disk will only steal a piece of it and break off the whole buzz (unless you have 32, 64 or 128 GB of this stuff).

This method of speeding up the computer is contraindicated for those who like to keep 2-3 browsers running at the same time. dozens of active tabs in each (I know several freaks personally). With such a thoughtless manner of using machine resources, the more operatives, the better.

If you have less than 4 GB of RAM, forget about this technology as if it were a nightmare. Your system itself barely has enough of such a volume, and take into account the appetites of modern programs.

If you do not have a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) or you are not the owner of a laptop, I recommend thinking 100 times - if the power goes out, you will lose all data on such a disk (they will not have time to be saved to the physical disk).

For inexperienced, suspicious and cowardly users, I categorically do not recommend using this method of speeding up the system's work - with trembling hands and not fully understanding what and why you are doing, you just ruin the operating system (hello to the blue screen) and then take out the whole brain to people on forums and websites, parallel cursing me or the one who advised you to "accelerate" so.

Who has not yet understood - such a drive is not at all for storing photos, films and music.

How much memory to allocate for RAMDisk

"I have 2-4-8 ... GB of RAM - should I make this fast disk?"

This is the most frequently asked question from users ... there is simply no answer. Everything is very individual and depends on many factors. The manner of using the computer is important here (I wrote about this above), the total amount of memory, the performance of the processor (it may simply not have time to process the rapidly incoming data), type of memory, its manufacturability(modernity) and performance ...

This whole thing is very intuitive, I would say. You need to connect logic, experience and the results of experiments (your own and others') in order to calculate the optimal and safe size of such an "accelerator" just for yourself.

I already wrote - I have 8 GB of memory in my laptop. It is unlikely that I would have noticed the loss of even half of it. I don’t play, I don’t convert video, I don’t create masterpieces in graphic monstrous programs, I automatically close unnecessary tabs in browsers - this RAM disk “entered” me. I am completely satisfied with his work (allocated 3 GB).

Why clean the Temp folder?

A small digression from the topic of the article, but also an answer to numerous questions. If you transferred the system folder with temporary files, it must be periodically cleaned of accumulated garbage.

The fact is that this folder is dynamic (its size is constantly changing) and when you close programs, not all of their temporary data is deleted from the Temp folder. Eventually, they can accumulate to obscene sizes and significantly reduce the size of the limited virtual disk, which will lead to glitches and other problems. This is not tens of gigabytes of the system partition on your hard drive.

In the previous article, the commentator under the nickname Shill kindly suggested this method of clearing our transferred folder - create a separate RAM disk for it and in the settings prohibit saving to a physical disk upon completion of work, so that it is automatically cleared for us.

We learned how to create it using the free SoftPerfect RAM Disk program. And today we'll talk about how to use a RAM disk to speed up your computer, in particular, work with.

How to use a RAM disk?

In fact, there are many ways to use this virtual disk. I will highlight only a few of the most popular:

• Moving the TEMP folders of the operating system;
• Transferring the cache of programs or games;
• Installation of portable versions of programs entirely on a RAM disk.

I do not pretend to be correct in all actions performed. This is not the only correct decision in this matter. This is just my experience based on the study of this issue from different angles.

Well, let's get started!

Transferring the Google Chrome browser cache to a RAM disk

Before proceeding with the actions described above, let's understand the theory a little.

Browser cache Is a folder with files. It stores data that the browser saves from the Internet in order to speed up the subsequent loading of the previously opened site. In other words, it is much faster than the speed of working with the Internet .. Then, when you re-visit our site, it is loaded not from the Internet, but from the browser cache.

The explanation is completely simplified, but reflects the essence. The browser has its own algorithms for working with the cache, which we will not delve into. It is enough for us to understand - to speed up the work with the browser cache, we can put it on a RAM disk.

In order to transfer the Google Chrome cache, we will use the most efficient method - using symbolic links.

Symbolic link- a file that contains a pointer to go to a specific file or folder. A kind of shortcut that doesn't contain any data by itself, but is a pointer. For more information about symbolic links, see.

The browser cache and user profile files of the Google Chrome browser are located along the path:

c: \Users \ (username) \AppData \Local \Google \Chrome \

So, to speed up the work, we need to transfer this folder to the RAM disk. We will do this step by step. The Google Chrome browser must be closed. With this in mind, I prepared this instruction in which you can open in parallel on a computer or phone. But before starting, read the entire article carefully, install the necessary program and create a RAM disk.

1. We createRAM disk, to which we will transfer the browser cache. It would be nice to make it at least 1 GB and always in NTFS format. Given that the browser user profile will be stored there, you need to associate it with an image file to save this data after turning off the computer. You can read how to do this in this series of articles.
2. on the RAM disk a folder named Chrome.
3. Open the folder c: \Users \ (username) \AppData \Local \Google \Chrome \ in explorer or Total Commander. Do not forget to enable the display of hidden files in Windows beforehand.
4. Cut and paste the contents of this folder anywhere, for example on the D drive. This is temporary.
5. We check that the folder c: \Users \ (username) \AppData \Local \Google \Chrome \ was empty.
6. Go to the previously created RAM disk and create a folder Chrome .
7. Next, we will use the program for creating and editing symbolic links - Junction Link Magic. Download it from the official website and install it. In the main window, click on the button Create to create a new symbolic link. You will have to wait a bit until the creation window opens, this is normal.

   

   The creation window consists of two panels. On the left, the source of the file or folder is displayed, on the right, the location to which we want to make a symbolic link.

   

   Link creation window

   Note! To create a symbolic link, you need to fulfill 2 requirements:
   1. The disk must be in NTFS format. This can be set even when creating a RAM disk.
   2. The source folder and the folder to which the link will lead must be empty.

   In the left window, open the folder c: \Users \ (username) \AppData \Local \Google \Chrome \

   In the right window (yourRAM disk): \Chrome \
   After that we press the button Create... We agree with the warning.

   

   

8. Copy the contents of the folder Chrome which we saved in a temporary folder on drive D to the folder Chrome on a RAM disk.

   Moving a folder back

9. Launch the Google Chrome browser and enjoy its work.

Outcomes

I have been using this method for about a month now and I can say that it really gives a good increase in the speed of work. It is also a bonus that it saves the SSD resource. After all, a bunch of small files that make up the browser cache no longer terrorize the SSD every 2 seconds, thereby reducing its resource.

The cache size in my case does not exceed 700 MB, despite the fact that I have 4 users created in my browser. I clean it regularly with a program.

If you are interested, I will write a material about what other ways there are to use a RAM disk in home practice.

If you liked this article, don't forget to like it, share with your friends, and do your morning exercises!

A chic free computer program from a reliable and trusted manufacturer ... processors and video cards (AMD), called Radeon RAMDisk, will allow you to create an ultra-fast disk in RAM in any computer that will work many, many times faster than your hard disk (HDD) and even SSD drive.

RAMDisk - fast disk in RAM

The scope of such a high-speed virtual disk is so wide that your hair stands on end when you start thinking. For example, I installed a portable browser on it and as a result, my jaw hitting the table painfully from the results of the experiment - it began to really fly like mad.

But you can also "throw" system temporary files, programs or their profiles into it ...

Actually, there are already quite a few programs that can mount such disks in RAM, but I especially liked the one described in this article for its simplicity and clarity.

Work speed

Now you will understand everything without further ado - just by looking at the screenshots. So here's the sad speed of my decrepit HDD ...

... and this is a system SSD-disk (already more fun indicators) ...

... but the speed of a drive created in RAM (hold on to your pants) ...

The program for measuring the speed of disks and the methodology was described to you in the article at this link.

How?

Everything is very simple and understandable. Any RAM works by itself much faster than any disks, and add a multi-threaded high-speed data transfer bus with a pair of channels - and we get the results shown above.

Nuances and warnings

• I strongly advise you to start thinking about speeding up your computer using RAMDisk for owners of at least 4GB of RAM. Otherwise, you will get the opposite effect. The program will cut off a noticeable piece of RAM, which is necessary for the stable operation of the system.
• Before transferring something important and systemic to this virtual disk, make sure that you correctly and completely understand the transfer technology. Be sure to do system restore points and backups before experimenting.
• When you turn off the computer, our virtual disk also turns off, or rather, completely evaporates. Don't worry - if the program is configured correctly, all data from the disk is written to a real physical disk. At system startup, they are again written to the automatically re-mounted RAMDisk.
• In the event of a sudden power outage, the data will not have time to write to the physical disk and will be completely lost somewhere among your loud curses at electricians. That is why this method can be used completely painlessly only in laptops or computers with a UPS (uninterruptible power supply).
• When using this technology to speed up your computer, you will literally lose a couple of seconds when you turn off your computer and the same - when you start it up.
• It will not be correct to simply "throw" system or profile folders into this magic disk. You also need to tell the system the correct new path to them.
• Storing simple files (photos, videos, music ...) in RAMDisk is extremely stupid, sorry. There are others for this dimensionless places.

As you can see, there are not only advantages, but also some disadvantages of using a drive in RAM.

Why the manufacturers of the operating system do not use this feature and do not provide us with convenient built-in tools for this remains a mystery. May give birth in a few years, as with regulation monitor color temperature.

He dragged on something with the preface - you are already already afraid of impatience, and here I am blah-blah-blah ...

Radeon RAMDisk

You can download this free miracle program by the link at the end of the article, but for now ...

Program installation

For a couple of days I "ran" 2GB of RAM as an additional disk - I delete it and make 3GB with screenshots. I don’t play games, I practically don’t use programs that are demanding on computer resources, billion tabs I do not keep them open at the same time - I think that the free (remaining) 5GB is quite enough for me to comfortably work on a laptop every day.

Go…

If you leave a check mark here, the program for creating a disk in RAM will start immediately. Perhaps, at the first start, such an extortionary window will appear - shoot him like a mad dog ...

... and go to settings ...

This is the first settings tab - here we set the size of the future disk (in the free version, this size is limited to 4GB for third-party memory and 6GB for proprietary AMD Radeon ™ Memory.

"Create TEMP Directory" - check the box if you plan to store system temporary files here (I do not recommend doing this yet, because additional gestures are required, which I will describe in another article).

"Set Disk Label" is a mandatory checkbox (we call our disk and assign an unoccupied letter to it).

In the "Image File to use For new Disk or to Load exiting image" column, specify the storage location for the drive image that is created when the computer is turned off (left it by default).

If in the "Load Options" section, put a point on "Create a new disk" - a new disk will always start when the computer starts. "Load the specified saved image" - will resurrect the image saved when the machine is turned off. And in order to save it, you need to check the box “Save Disk Image at Shutdown” in the “Save Options” section.

Not confused yet? It is better to re-read it a couple of times, but do everything right - any mistake or carelessness can cost you dearly. Who does not want to delve into - just do everything as in my screenshots - I have checked this setting on a couple of computers several times already and everything works fine.

The last settings tab remains ...

"Manualy set RAMDisk timeout value" - delayed start at system startup.

"Do not create backup file when saving disk image" - disables the creation of a disk backup if saving disk to file is enabled.

"Do not compress image file on NTFS filesystem" - do not compress a disk file if it is saved to a disk with the NTFS file system.

"Clear RAMDisk memory on exit" - clears the contents of the disk at shutdown.

"Do not start RAMDisk when Windows starts" - do not start at system startup (manual launch by clicking on the shortcut).

"Allow Image file to be saved in non System Drivers" - saving the image using third-party drivers.

Drum roll - click on the "Start RAMDisk" button and ... agree with the installation of the drivers ...

... formatting the newly made virtual disk ...

Let's try to create a RAM disk linked to an image file.

1. Create the image file itself. To do this, go to the menu Image - Create Image
   

   

2. The parameters here are similar to those we chose when creating the RAM disk. We set the name of the image file, type, size, format and volume label. For example, I will create an image with the same parameters as the RAM disk from the first example. Accordingly, you need to create an image file with exactly the same parameters as you want the RAM disk to have. It is important!

   

   After that, you will receive a message about the successfully created image.

   

3. Now we create the RAM disk itself. To do this, click on the already familiar big green plus. And in the window that opens, in paragraph Image file path (optional) click on the folder icon and select the previously created image file.

   

   By the way, the image file itself can be created right there by clicking on the blank leaf icon. But we are not looking for easy ways!

   It could have been like this 🙂

4. We set the drive letter and be sure to mark the item Save content... In this case, the data from the RAM disk will be saved to the image file during system shutdown. And check the box As a removable disk, if we do not want unnecessary folders to be created on it.

   

   Main settings

5. Let's go to additional settings. Here we are interested in the item Save data to the image every, min. If you have important information stored and there is a possibility of a sudden failure of the computer, set the frequency of 30 minutes, for example. But keep in mind that saving data to an image slows down your work. And if the created RAM disk occupies a large amount, the saving time is correspondingly significantly increased.

   

   Autosave to image

6. That's it, click OK and the created disk will be automatically mounted. You can start working with him.

   

   Result

Basic settings for SoftPerfect RAM Disk

To be a real guru in this program, let's figure out its basic settings. Fortunately, there are few of them.

In order to get into them, go to the menu Tools - Options.

Settings

basic settings

Run along withWindows- SoftPerfect RAM Disk will be added to. The necessary setting for RAM disks to be created automatically, without your participation.

Allow customization to unprivileged users- makes it possible to work with the program and change the settings of the created RAM disks for users who do not have administrator rights in Windows.

Allow unmounting disks from explorer- thanks to it, you can quickly disconnect the disk without going into the SoftPerfect RAM Disk program.

Global drive letters- use of global identification of disks created in the program. It is not recommended to disable, according to the developer, if you are a regular user and do not use.

Show tray icon- when turned on, the program icon in the form of a lamb is displayed in the line next to the clock. Better to leave it on for quick access to the program.

Outcomes

So we have laid out on the shelves the work with the SoftPerfect RAM Disk program and the process of creating RAM disks in it.

But why do I need a RAM disk? What am I going to record on it? How can I best use it? This is what will be discussed in.

If you liked this article, don't forget to like it, share with your friends and eat more vitamins!

The technology that allows using part of the system RAM as an additional disk device has been known for a long time - since the early 80s of the last century. SoftPerfect RAM Disk is one of the solutions to speed up "heavy" PC applications and extend the lifespan of your SSD. Logic dictates that this technology should be most widely used today, when RAM is cheap and abundant.

But the facts tell the opposite - few PC users know what a memory disk is and the benefits of its many benefits.

The main idea here is not only to make full use of the available computer memory, but also to achieve a much higher speed of work - not in percentage, but at times.

The RAM chips of modern PCs are often significantly faster than even ultra-high-performance SSD-drives, which, in turn, are significantly ahead of classical magnetic HDD-drives in this regard.

But RAM disks have one serious drawback - since the information stored on them uses volatile media (silicon chips), after a power failure (i.e. after turning off the computer) this data ceases to exist.

Fortunately, today there are simple tools like SoftPerfect RAMDisk that you can download for free to solve this problem in a simple and elegant way. The program periodically writes (and, accordingly, when the system is turned off) all information from the RAM device to a special section of the system hard or solid-state disk.

Thus, RAM disks acquire a high degree of independence with little damage to speed. And when combined with an SSD device, the issue of compromise is so small that it's not even worth mentioning.

By the way, in the context of creating and managing a RAM disk, I did not accidentally mention SoftPerfect RAM Disk. There are other similar programs on the Internet, such as qSoft RAMDisk Enterprise and Dataram RAMDisk, but SoftPerfect RAM Disk for Win 10 is one of the easiest tools to install, configure and use.

After installing the application, you just need to select the "Add disk to be mounted at boot" option to specify the letter, size and format of the partition on the hard disk or SSD to which data from the RAM disk will be written.

Its size can vary depending on the amount of RAM available, as well as what percentage of it you are willing to allocate for use as an in-memory disk.

Most modern PCs have at least 4 GB of RAM, which makes them ideal for using SoftPerfect RAM Disk - in such a system, you can safely allocate 20-25 percent of the available RAM.

SoftPerfect RAM Disk will take care of the rest, including offering the ability to create more than one virtual disk. After assigning a letter, the drive will appear in the Windows Explorer menu and you can use it like any other device in the system.

But how do you benefit from such a disc? First of all, it can significantly speed up the loading of every program that uses temporary (cache) buffers - for example, Adobe Photoshop.

The same applies to any web browser - if you configure it so that it uses the RAM disk as a buffer cache, it will not only run faster, but also will not clog the hard disk with unnecessary temporary files.

RAM disks are also useful if you want to extend the life of your SSD. It is a known fact that after a certain number of rewriting cycles, solid-state drives "wear out" and stop working. So if you are dealing with applications that love to constantly access a disk device, redirect them to the RAM disk created with SoftPerfect RAM Disk - this will extend the life of the system SSD.

Have a great day!