foreword
As we all know, the speed and delay of the hard disk are far inferior to the memory, but both can be used as storage media, and then considering the working principle of the memory and the hard disk, the memory acceleration method is applied (of course, there is also a memory The way to play the hard disk is to mount the memory directly and fixedly as an independent hard disk area)
Similar software or products to ROG Ramcache include Intel’s Optane memory (which requires physical media and occupies the M2 interface), Primocache (paid software), and ROG officials also give Superspeed and Romex Software as comparison objects.
In addition, the original version of the software needs the support of the ROG motherboard (or ASUS, which has detection), and non-ROG motherboards can consider using the cracked version (otherwise it will prompt “the function is incorrect”). Note that the software is completely free.
Basic introduction and principle
Ramcache essentially acts as an invisible priority hard drive (in the sense that data resides on it). This hard drive is actually a cache that contains the most frequently accessed data on the system. This cache improves performance by taking over reading and writing critical parts of the most frequently accessed data. Minimizes and in some cases eliminates the involvement of rather slow standard storage options. This is the reason for the huge increase in performance due to the much faster read, write and access time performance of DRAM “memory” than standard storage devices.
In order to improve the game loading time and program execution speed, ASUS ROG series added “RamCache” disk acceleration technology to the motherboard, which virtualized the system memory into a disk cache, accelerated the disk read and write speed and made the system I/O more efficient. It’s almost done. Through the intelligent caching mechanism to optimize the read and write performance, the system disk performance can be significantly improved without complicated settings for the system. Temporarily store the data read from the disk in the system memory, and when the system needs it again, it can be directly read from the system memory without revisiting the slower disk, thereby improving the performance of the system disk. At the same time, ROG RamCache can store the data to be written to the disk in the system memory first, so that the system can quickly complete the writing request, and then write the data to the device after the calculation is completed, which not only reduces the I/O waiting time and makes the system respond Significantly increased, and at the same time, many temporary files do not need to be actually written to the disk, which improves the write life of SSD.
It can greatly increase the speed of your running programs, especially the large-scale drawing software is an extraordinary experience. Of course, it also has disadvantages, that is, when you have a blue screen or a sudden power failure, it may cause the loss of the file data you were operating at that time. If you are sure that there will be no power failure or blue screen, you can safely turn on this function.
Generally speaking, there are often multiple principle modes for such acceleration (excerpt from third-party copywriting)
- Write-through mode: When writing, a copy of data is written in both the hard disk and the Optane cache. When reading, if the data already exists in the cache, it will be called directly; if it is not in the cache, it will be read from the hard disk to the cache, and then called. This mode only speeds up reading and is suitable for reading-based scenarios.
- Write-back mode: Simply put, the data is written into the Optane cache first, and then written to the slower hard disk after the size reaches the set threshold. The disadvantage is that data may be lost in case of unexpected power failure. This mode speeds up both reads and writes.
- Read-only mode: Only reads are cached, and writes go directly to the hard disk. The read process is the same as the direct write mode.
It should be noted that Ramcache does not have so many settings, but from the actual test to improve the read and write speed at the same time, the write-back mode should be used. (Primocache can be set more, including using SSD for acceleration, custom strategies, multi-level cache, etc.)
In addition, because Ramcache needs to be used for memory (this software can only use memory, Primocache can use hard disks, Optane can directly use Optane accelerated memory* or also called solid-state drives), so it is recommended that users with large memory use it, otherwise the experience may not be very good. So I bought 2 sticks of 32G memory with 16×2 memory and added it, so that the Ramcache can be enlarged directly.
RAMDISK
It seems to be something from 2013. This name seems to be the predecessor of Ramcache. It is mentioned in the official website introduction:
Unlock Last Mile Performance
The total memory capacity of modern ROG PCs is usually between 4~64GB. However, Windows 7 or Windows 8 make better use of memory, so it’s mostly empty most of the time. In many cases, application performance will still be limited by the need to access or cache data hosted by SSDs or HDDs into memory. This can cause noticeable delays. While modern SSDs are less heavily used than ever, the SATA bus is still many times slower than main memory access latency and bandwidth. ROG RAMDisk has the ability to form connections to existing files hosted on SSD or HDD. It simply remaps the original content into the RAMDisk so that access to the desired application or data is done entirely within the DRAM bus, minimizing execution latency and data read-in time.
Extend SSD life and improve performance
Heavy write events to persistent mass storage such as SSDs or even spindle HDDs often exhaust their useful life after a period of use. This effect is especially noticeable when running applications that involve heavy write events such as P2P downloads. System DRAM, on the other hand, can withstand nearly unlimited access attempts, making it perfect for such applications. By using the ROG RAMDISK software, users will be able to transfer access critical folders from permanent mass storage to DRAM, which only has one access to permanent storage during system shutdown, ensuring the longest lifespan of permanent mass storage devices in the system .
Partial caching feature that uses RAM disk for best use
ROG RAMDisk Enjoy blazing-fast performance without porting your entire application to a RAM disk. By creating a connection of existing folders between the persistent storage (SSD/HDD) and the RAM disk, the system will copy the data and then access the RAM disk data as if they were originally installed in the RAM disk. The system only sees one version of the data, so there is no risk of duplication.
Get the most out of your investment: Make the most of available DRAM space
Due to licensing issues, most bundled RAM disk applications may limit the DRAM space, while additional changes may be required to access DRAM space above a certain limit. ROG RAMDISK offers full functionality to utilize the entire available DRAM space to create as many RAM disk drives as needed (depending on remaining drive letters available). No further costs are involved, providing full flexibility for various applications. The only limitation is installation, as long as a supported ROG motherboard is detected, the ROG RAMDisk software can be accessed.
Easy to use intuitive user interface
The user interface has been carefully designed for intuitive management of RAM disks. This allows users to create RAM disks with a single click, and RAM disk connections can also be created in only three steps. In addition, the available system memory space is also represented graphically and textually for easy interpretation according to your preference.
Only write back to persistent storage when absolutely necessary
In the traditional RAM Disk solution, when the system is shut down, all contents stored in the RAM Disk need to be written back to permanent storage to ensure data integrity. However, ROG RAMDisk takes a different approach, only updating the modified content, leaving the rest unchanged. This prevents heavy writes, which prolongs the life of persistent storage such as SSD drives.
Silent loading during OS startup
RAM disks usually take time to create and load during operating system startup, because data stored in RAM is not retained after power loss. This results in prolonged OS loading times, which happens to be one of the main concerns of RAM Disk users. To overcome this architectural limitation, ROG RAMDisk prepares itself in the background while the operating system loads, allowing access even during the preparation process, making the process invisible to the user.
implement
As shown in the figure above, read or write commands often suffer from unexpected delays and bandwidth bottlenecks due to the need to span multiple data buses. This situation is especially serious in a multitasking environment where a large number of read and write events occur. To reduce performance bottlenecks, ROG RAMDisk starts with a kernel-based driver that, once created, presents itself as a standard mass storage medium. If a junction is configured, it further redirects traffic from the raw mass storage device to the RAM disk. Data hosted on RAM disks is compared later and only changes are updated back to mass storage before system shutdown to ensure data integrity, component longevity, and maximize I/O performance.
Blacklist Folder for RAM Disk
Due to specific requirements of the software architecture, not all data is required or even recommended to be stored on a RAM disk. Below is a blacklist of folders that are not suitable for RAM disk utilization when optimal performance is required:
Swap File / Page File: The swap file is simply a permanent storage space, used as a virtual memory extension of the system memory, making the system believe that it has more system memory space than it actually does. Moving the swap file to the RAM disk just defeats the whole purpose of having it in the first place. As a result, doing so will not benefit system performance at all.
Startup Folder: Considering that ROG RAMDisk generates and populates its RAM Disk during OS startup, doing so will slow down boot time as the files won’t exist until executed. Therefore this is inappropriate.
Recommended Benchmarking Program
If you plan to benchmark your RAMDisk, we recommend the following
ROG motherboards with ROG RAMDisk app
HDD or SSD with frequently accessed data.
16-64GB system memory [depending on the maximum capacity of the motherboard].
Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit [requires Pro or Ultimate due to Home Premium’s 16GB limit] or Windows 8 64-bit
ROG RAMDisk package.
One of the following four configurations can be used to verify the effect of RAM Disk
Use game titles that generate heavy reads when loading maps, textures, models, and other data during game load and/or writes during game save (such as Civ 5).
I/O-intensive applications such as Adobe CS series.
Virtual machine applications, such as VMWare, come with a licensed copy of another operating system for use within it.
A disk benchmark utility such as CrystalDiskMark, ATTO, or IOMeter.
basic use
After downloading and installing, there are only simple mode and advanced mode. In fact, there is no difference. The only difference is that the advanced mode can set a main hard disk, but all hard disks will be accelerated when accelerated. There may be subtle differences in strategies (for example, the main hard disk is cached first. , cache time, etc.),
The other is DRAM information check, you can see the memory information of the memory slot, which is useless.
Then there is the memory check function, a small test, it is normal, there is no problem, the memory is one of the most durable components in the computer, second only to the CPU.
Then it’s gone, one key to start, one key to close. Pay attention to booting. If the software starts but the acceleration has not started, pay attention to whether there is a large-scale program currently running, otherwise clicking Start may cause the system to freeze. [Switch acceleration does not need to restart the computer]
Then don’t close this software if you have nothing to do, otherwise it may cause fatal consequences.
Note that once it is started, it will occupy memory and the task manager cannot see who is occupying it. In addition, after turning off the acceleration, it is recommended to wait a few minutes before shutting down, and do not directly unplug the power when shutting down.
comparison test
Note that C and D are Samsung PM9A1 1T (CPU pass-through bit), E is Toshiba Kioxia RC20 1T, F and G are Hikvision OEM Seagate monitoring mechanical hard disk 4T, and H is Fanxiang S660 2T.
CrystalDiskMark
before acceleration
Control mode 1, 3 threads 1G, NVMESSD mode, random data, display default
Control mode 1, 3 threads 1G, NVMESSD mode, random data, display default
Control mode 2, 5 threads 1G, NVMESSD mode, random data, display default
Control mode 3, 5 threads 1G, default mode, data random, display default
Control mode 3, 5 threads 1G, default mode, data random, display default
Control mode 2, 5 threads 1G, NVMESSD mode, random data, display default
after acceleration
Control mode 2, 5 threads 1G, NVMESSD mode, random data, display default
summary
It can be found that the test effect of the mechanical hard disk in the cache has been greatly improved by hundreds of times, and the solid-state hard disk has also been greatly improved by several times. At the same time, the two solid-state hard disks with different performances have also been pulled to the same level.
AS SSD Bench
after acceleration
The reading and writing speed has been significantly improved, but the access time is still limited by the original disk [In actual use, the performance will be better because the read data will be cached]
before acceleration
The solid-state drive cannot finish the test directly
References
Ramcache III official download
ASUS ROG motherboard RamCache III software brief introduction
https://rog.asus.com/technology/republic-of-gamers-motherboard-innovations/ramdisk/
https://rog.asus.com/tag/ram-cache/
https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-x570-f-gaming-model/helpdesk_download/
Discussion on PC Hard Disk Acceleration
Ramcache III; Dram Cache; Creating A Ramcache Using Advanced Mode – Asus Z390 Series Feature Manual
https://forum.romexsoftware.com/zh-cn/viewtopic.php?t=5258
Sincerely ask for advice from those who have actually used hard drives and SSDs with over 10,000 rpm
How to let ordinary computers use Intel Optane acceleration
RamCache cracked version V3.15 installation free version
[Question] What is the purpose of RamCache III of ASUS?
[Unboxing] MX500 slightly unboxing + Asus RamCache light test – Kanban PC_Shoppi…
What is the principle of SLC Cache acceleration in SSD?
RAMCache (hard disk acceleration software) v3.01.00 free version
This article is transferred from https://www.blueskyxn.com/202301/6823.html
This site is only for collection, and the copyright belongs to the original author.