SSD question

[fractalsponge1]

So, I need more memory, but all my memory slots are full, and swapping 6x2gb ddr3 for 6x4gb ddr3 ecc is jolly expensive. I was considering buying one of the cheap new ~$100 40gb ssd drives and dedicating it to swapfile, and just accepting a lower usable life (the drive itself is will certainly be totally obsolete and replaced in a year or so anyway).

Any thoughts on whether this would make any sense/improve the situation?

[DaveJB]

Assuming you're talking about an internal SSD... that plan might have worked ten years ago, when swapfile performance had more of an effect on overall system performance. However, since about Windows XP the OS has gotten much more efficient at assigning physical RAM to whatever program is running, so you're far less likely to notice the effects of a bigger/faster swapfile than you would previously have done. It probably wouldn't be worth the time and money you'd need to put that plan into action.

If you don't mind me asking... what exactly is it you're doing that 12GB of RAM is insufficient for?

[fractalsponge1]

34 million polygon 3d scene. Right now the highest commit size I've seen is about 18GB (rare, but it happens). Very slow save/file manipulation times. It's definitely using the swapfile, which is on a 7200rpm/16mb cache HD right now. You think it won't matter much if the swapfile is on an SSD?

a new 40gb ssd is ~$100, but to swap all 6 sticks of mine out for 4gb ecc ddr3 would be $700-$800, and leave me with six ddr3 sticks just lying around. The SSD might also help with save times too...

[phongn]

34 million polygon 3d scene. Right now the highest commit size I've seen is about 18GB (rare, but it happens). Very slow save/file manipulation times. It's definitely using the swapfile, which is on a 7200rpm/16mb cache HD right now. You think it won't matter much if the swapfile is on an SSD?

It'll definitely speed things up, especially with all the random writes you're doing.

a new 40gb ssd is ~$100, but to swap all 6 sticks of mine out for 4gb ecc ddr3 would be $700-$800, and leave me with six ddr3 sticks just lying around. The SSD might also help with save times too...

Nooo, for this purpose you'll want one of the higher-end drives (Indilinx-based or Intel) and preferably SLC-based - and that would be expensive.

EDIT: You don't really need an SLC drive but it would increase the lifespan of the drive.

[DaveJB]

If you really want to go the SSD route, you'd be better off saving up for something like an 80GB or 128GB drive and installing the OS onto it. That'd give you the benefit of both faster swapfile speeds, and overall higher performance from your system.

[fractalsponge1]

34 million polygon 3d scene. Right now the highest commit size I've seen is about 18GB (rare, but it happens). Very slow save/file manipulation times. It's definitely using the swapfile, which is on a 7200rpm/16mb cache HD right now. You think it won't matter much if the swapfile is on an SSD?

It'll definitely speed things up, especially with all the random writes you're doing.

a new 40gb ssd is ~$100, but to swap all 6 sticks of mine out for 4gb ecc ddr3 would be $700-$800, and leave me with six ddr3 sticks just lying around. The SSD might also help with save times too...

Nooo, for this purpose you'll want one of the higher-end drives (Indilinx-based or Intel) and preferably SLC-based - and that would be expensive.

EDIT: You don't really need an SLC drive but it would increase the lifespan of the drive.

I was thinking of using the kingston 40GB SSDNow drive, which I think uses the controller in Intel's own cut-down X25-X.

My rationale was that it would be a whole lot cheaper than a new set of ram, and that it'd only need to last until better and cheaper SSD drives are out next year (and by then maybe ddr3 prices will drop). If I don't sink very much money in it, I don't really have to care much about having the drive last 5 years (1-2 is fine, and I imagine I'll be getting a larger SSD as a primary drive in the next two years anyway).

Unfortunately, an SLC Intel drive costs about as much as what the ram upgrade would run anyway. I might just save up for the memory upgrade, and put off the SSD until I can get one for general OS/program installs.

[Starglider]

For absolute maximum I/O performance, there is no substitute for a true RAM drive, e.g. the Hyperdrive 5. I am thinking of getting one for my next computer build (for streaming the AI internal transaction log). However the cost of one of those, populated to 32 Gb, approaches that of an entire low-end workstation.