ramdisk

[randomperson21]

surfing around the net, found this thingy
its a solid state storage system taht uses ddr ram modules. link

any good? is the performance increase worth the cost?

 

[KennyT772]

well what they are best for is ultra high end photo work and video editing of all types. if you are not frequaently loading and saving over 500mb of files then you dont need one..

 

[randomperson21]

so no real benifit for games?

i do some work in 3dsmax, but that doesn't save huge files....

 

[Alec§taar]

Practical uses of them for performance gains are noted on these forums

See my subject-line/title above, & this URL below:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=12295

* DON'T "BLOW OFF" THE URL BELOW EITHER - more feedback & discussion exists in it & it closes on what will be an even BETTER model than the CENATEK RocketDrive I use, & the Gigabyte IRAM even:

DDRDrive x1 PCI-Express model (due out later this year)



APK

P.S.=> There is an even MORE in-depth discussion on them in this thread on these forums, here:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=12904&highlight=IRAM

Have @ it, enjoy the reads... apk

 

[randomperson21]

thx for the links.

looks pretty cool, but i think its out of my pricerange.

 

[WarEagleAU]

They are cool and quick, and even though ram is cheap, you cant really get enough to use a full replacement. I mean sure, if you have 4 gigs of ram and two killer ass games that dont use more than 3.5GBS then it would be kick ass. However, right now, with it a budding technology, I would rate. Faster and more capacious ram will be out (DDR3 anyone?) soon and plus they may go more than 1GB modules

 

[randomperson21]

good point. plus, the gb/$ ratio is really, really bad.
like $80/gb.
compared to $0.50/gb for most hdd's.

 

[Scheich]

I read a post where someone has put 2x512 mb 500mhz ddr1 on the mobo and 2 gb on a solid
state disk. The reasoning is to overclock like hell while letting windows unleash its full swapping
power onto the solid state disk. Quite funny and cleaver.. but the price is still very high.

The performace on the i-ram seems to be a little better than the competition, but its main
use is to reduce random seek times to zero. Harddisks cant do that.

 

[randomperson21]

huh. i think i'd put the 2gb in the system. thats strange.

and i figure i really don't need that much performance. its just too expensive.

 

[Alec§taar]

good point. plus, the gb/$ ratio is really, really bad.
like $80/gb. compared to $0.50/gb for most hdd's.

Is it? Not when you consider std. HDD's (electro-mechanical types) are 1000's of times slower, literally...

(Depends on if you can use the speed, because these units can be applied to apps/games, but they are best applied to tasks which are severely diskbound, & especially for those that need faster seek/access times)

* Those URL's above go WAY into this line of discussion... I suggest a quick scan of them!

APK

 

[randomperson21]

all i'm trying to say is its way to expensive for me to afford, when my hdds are pretty much fast enough as it is. i don't throw around big files enough to make it worthwhile.

 

[Alec§taar]

all i'm trying to say is its way to expensive for me to afford, when my hdds are pretty much fast enough as it is. i don't throw around big files enough to make it worthwhile.

I hear you... money talks!



* It's not restricted to LARGE files only though... anything that would be diskbound I/O gains by it in seek/access time, hugely, since the speed of RAM is 1000's of times better/many orders of magnitude so, than mechanical HDD's are.

(As per usual - it "boils-down" to HOW you use a machine & for what tasks!)

APK

 

[Alec§taar]

I read a post where someone has put 2x512 mb 500mhz ddr1 on the mobo and 2 gb on a solid state disk. The reasoning is to overclock like hell while letting windows unleash its full swapping power onto the solid state disk

That'd most likely be me, here on these forums I have noted it & over time in others... it is EXACTLY what I have been doing since 2003 in fact on 2 of my systems here.

Quite funny and cleaver..

LOL! Thank you...

but the price is still very high.

Agreed: It is pricey though... especially on the RocketDrive when it first released!

I got a 1/3rd break on mine by doing a review for CENATEK of their then "state-of-the-art" RocketDrive (PCI 2.2 bus, PC-133 SDRAM unit) but, it was STILL pricey imo too:

"An Independent User's Review of CENATEK's Rocket Drive"

www.cenatek.com

That you can examine for HOW I apply it, FULLY, on the front page of their website...

The performace on the i-ram seems to be a little better than the competition, but its main use is to reduce random seek times to zero. Harddisks cant do that.

Right... IRAM is nicest NOW, but the DDRDrive x1, in theory, SHOULD be faster (due mainly imo, to the bustype used, as I noted above). We'll have to wait & see on actual results though...

Still, newer technologies like this HyperOS unit, & the Gigabyte IRAM are even better that what I use now in the CENATEK unit! Seeks/Accesses on ALL will blow away HDD's, but their transferral rates are superior to the unit I use... bustype shows thru large here!

(IRAM & HyperOS have faster RAM mainly imo, & also faster bustypes used (SATA on the IRAM iirc))

Again:

The upcoming DDRDrive x1 PCI-Express slotted one will be better still imo, because it will use DDR memory AND a faster bustype still than the other 2 utilize AND their prices are FAR MORE REASONABLE than what I paid out for the CENATEK RocketDrive years ago (discount break I got, notwithstanding).

Competition's good that way - drives prices WAY down most of the time!

APK

P.S.=> I can't wait for the DDRDrive to release, kid you not...

Then, my CENATEK rocketdrive'll go back where it came from (my 2nd rig, SQLServer 2005/IIS6.x lab machine)... apk