![]() The information is then restored to the RAM upon system restart. It not only creates a user configurable drive, but also saves any data on the RAM drive to your system’s HDD at set intervals and before shutdown. This is where AMD’s Radeon RAMDisk software enters the equation. As far as the operating system or any software is concerned, this new drive is just another storage medium, just one that has unusually low latency and ultra-high read / write performance.Ĭonsumer grade memory may be extremely fast, but it was never designed with long term storage in mind once power is lost any data stored in the RAM is toast. You ‘format’ this portion of memory just like you would a hard drive partition and assign it a drive letter. In its most basic form a RAM Drive / RAM Disk is a virtual hard drive which uses a portion of your system’s memory as a storage device. So from a cost perspective at least, the Xtreme version seems to make perfect sense as a partial substitute for an SSD cache and you can always expand it in the future with additional memory. 30GB cache drives like OCZ’s Synapse and Corsair’s Accelerator routinely go for about $70 and conversely, 1600MHz 32GB DDR3 memory kits can be found for $150 or less, allowing you to tackle system memory and better performance in one swoop. ![]() Price may be a concern but AMD’s $19 Xtreme is competitively positioned against the alternatives. This translates into less programs being accelerated and ultimately slower overall system performance than a larger dedicated RAM drive would provide. Without a doubt, the free version is an excellent starter service but the smaller drive size it creates is horrendously small. Regardless of that path you choose, RAMDisk is compatible with all current AMD sockets like FM1, FM2 and AM3+ along with Intel platforms as well. Meanwhile, Radeon RAMDisk Xtreme ups maximum capacity to a more reasonable 64GB and eliminates the always-present “upgrade now” popup which appears in the free version. It allows users to create a RAM drive of up to 4GB, though anyone using Radeon-branded memory will get access to 6GB of space. The free version is what most people will gravitate towards since the included feature set is identical to that of its bigger brother, albeit with some severe capacity limitations. We first alluded to its presence within the Trinity APU review.ĪMD’s RAMDisk software currently comes in two downloadable flavors: A free version and an “Xtreme” edition which will put you back $18.99. ![]() This virtual drive can house application data and allows ultra-quick access to your most-used files or programs. By teaming up with software manufacturer DataRAM, they have created a simple, easy to use solution called Radeon RAMDisk which essentially sections of a portion of memory as a secondary drive. While Intel has decided to forego official support for secondary RAM drive implementation (there are several third parties that do support it though) AMD has charted a different path. Due to a number of factors, RAM drives faded from memory but they are back in our mindsets due to three main reasons: plunging memory prices, expanded hard drive sizes and the relatively high cost of larger capacity SSDs. Long before the advent of solid state cache drives, enthusiasts were utilizing a portion of their system’s RAM as a way to augment system load times. ![]() Unfortunately, upgrading a processor or migrating to an SSD involves investing huge amounts of money in hardware that will likely be obsolete in no time. Everyone wants a faster, more responsive system and there are a number of ways to get there. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |