automatic ramdisk

[stampee 8]

Hi all: I would like to try putting some of the prepar3d data onto a ramdisk. I have searched google and these forums and it seems like most people manually copy over some files to the ramdisk, and then change file links in the prepar3d .cfg file. This seems like a messy method at best.

Also all the information I find is 2 years old or older.

Is there a way to do this automated?

I want to use a 10 g ramdrive. All the files would not fit on this I know, but certainly the ones being most used at the time would be.

Maybe a ramdrive cache? many times I fly around over the same general area, so it may load from HD the first time, but then should pull from the ramdrive the 2nd time.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

-stampee

 

[hesynergy 67]

I used a commercial ram desk for quite some time until I upgraded to win 7-64.

 

I put all of my UTXUSA files (~4GB) on it and experienced a significant improvement In smoothness...this was pre-P3D, and I don't know why I didn't buy the 64bit version of the ram disk and recreate the scenario… I might consider buying some faster and more RAM to do it again, after gathering some statistics on others who have done the same with P3D v2x.

 

Chaz

[denali 74]

primocache, 90 day trial

[hesynergy 67]

thanks, denali!

 

C

[Appliance 51]

If you happen to own an MSI motherboard a free auto ramdisk is included in their utility CommandCentre.

 

In my experience it works well.  I find it strange that more members don't seem to use one,  particularly the majority of 16 GB owners, who might then have a reason to justify the excess 8Gb.    :He He:

[denali 74]

 

 

particularly the majority of 16 GB owners, who might then have a reason to justify the excess 8Gb

 It's my whole reason for having 32GB, that and a bunch of VMs I run for tests.

[stampee 8]

How do you get your files onto the ram disk. That I do not understand, other then manually copy them over, and then change all the links in your cfg file.

-Stampee

[denali 74]

primocache will cache your most frequently or currently used files onto the RD.  It keeps track from start to start.   The first load of P3D is normal speed, as well as a first load of a particular scenery area, but subsequent loads are lightning fast.

[Appliance 51]

 

 

manually copy them over

 

Yes Stampee, that's what you do ... once.  That's the whole idea of an auto RamDisk.  It 'remembers' the files you need, copies them to physical disc as you Shutdown, loads them automatically when you Boot.  The entire process is seamless, at least with the MSI RamDisk.

[hesynergy 67]

Yes Stampee, that's what you do ... once. That's the whole idea of an auto RamDisk. It 'remembers' the files you need, copies them to physical disc as you Shutdown, loads them automatically when you Boot. The entire process is seamless, at least with the MSI RamDisk.

... But as I recall, quite slow upon boot up, cause you have a boot driver that has to copy the specified files from disk to RAMDISK.. a hell of a lot faster than writing to disk, but a significant slow down from just reading the drive....BUT... ONCE THE RAMDISK is loaded, remember it is just volatile ram programed to appear as a hard drive....what is on the RAMDISK will be accessed lightning fast.

 

...but as opposed to a cache whose function is to assure its data to be wholly written or Wholly backed out, a RAMDISK WILL BE CORRUPTED if power is lost, or your program LOCKS UP or YOUR PC CRASHES....my UTXUSA, once copied to RAMDISK, didn't require any writing to the data, so even if I had a crash, only "access, open, read" was going on with the RAMDISK, so worst case, was I had to re-load it.

 

 

That is my memory of the reason I BOUGHT, and practical use of, a RAMDISK.

 

...AND the making me think about doing it again...depending on the costs of the software and more and faster RAM.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Chas

[stampee 8]

Thanks much to everyone. I am trying primocache now. So far, so good.

-Stampee

[beep 11]

Can I ask: is it possible to use it only for P3D?

 

jos

[stampee 8]

Primo cache only works on a complete harddrive. I happen to have Prepar3d on a separate harddrive, so it is helping me. I also have a ton of other stuff on there as well, which will hurt things because it also will cache things I do not need cached, like movies and pictures etc.

I wish I could find one that caches only certain files or directories.

Still so far it is helping and makes loading prepar3d a LOT faster. Not instant, but around 8 seconds when it used to be 30 to get to the menu screen, then another 30 to load a flight, Now it takes about 10 to load the same exact flight a 2nd time. I dunno why it is not faster, but prepar3d may be doing a lot of crap in the background actually setting up the mission.

-Stampee

[Lorby_SI 2,036]

Hi,

 

I'm using the dataram ramdisk. It installs itself just like any other drive and you can copy whatever you like on it. It keeps a shadow copy on your real harddrive, where data is stored when the ramdisk is shut down, and loaded from when booting.

 

I moved some folders there, like Effects, Textures and the UT2 Aircraft, either changing the path in the cfg or creating Symlinks as reference point. Seems to work ok, no more texture blackouts or grey/black ai planes.

[beep 11]

Thanks for the info.

I'll give ramdisk a try.

 

Jos