Are you an HDD user? if yes then I know that you are frustrated by that slow read/write speed, right? And that you are thinking of upgrading to SSDs for faster storage. But what if I tell you that there is an even faster storage than SSDs? I know you would be like “Geek, what are you saying, storage faster than SSDs?”, Yes, you heard it right, and today we are going to know more about it.

Welcome, speed enthusiasts! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve deep into the inner workings of RAM drives, exploring their potential, pitfalls, and everything in between. So buckle up, hold on tight, and get ready to ride the wave of lightning-fast storage solutions!

What is RAM?

Let’s start by delving into the essence of RAM drives: Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM is a computer part that has a memory disorder and keeps forgetting, just kidding😂, RAM is your computer’s short-term memory, facilitating swift data access and manipulation. Unlike permanent storage options like hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM temporarily stores data, allowing for rapid retrieval and processing by your system’s CPU.

I said memory disorder because it is volatile, and every time you restart the PC/Laptop, the RAM gets cleared.

Now, what is RAM-Drive?

A RAM drive, also known as a RAM disk, utilizes a section of a computer’s RAM to mimic a hard drive. Due to the faster speed of RAM compared to HDDs or SSDs, a RAM drive provides rapid data access. Keep in mind, that it’s volatile, so all data is erased when the computer is shut down or rebooted.

In simple words, you are telling your computer to use a portion of RAM to be a storage drive. This means, that you can move data or install apps in that drive, only, it will store the data inside RAM, i.e. the portion acting as a storage drive.

RAM drives are like superheroes for your computer—they make everything super fast! Imagine getting to your files and programs almost instantly, without any waiting around. With a RAM drive, that’s exactly what happens. It’s like giving your computer a turbo boost, making it run smoother and faster than ever before.

But, here’s the thing

I know, by hearing the above explanation, you got excited about using RAM drives, but there are some things to keep in mind. Let’s see

1. RAM as I said earlier, has a “memory disorder“, it keeps forgetting, and that’s why, it cannot store data permanently. This means, until the PC is ON, you have access to the data but as soon as you power off your PC, all your data is gone. Woosh!! and you cannot even get it back.
2. Additionally, you can only create drives up to 4-8 GBs, why? because RAMs are available in limits, up to 8-16 GBs, and you also need to leave at least half for RAM itself.

Let’s understand how RAM drives work faster

Knowing all this, a question will arise in your mind, how much speed boost will it give? Well, the answer might not be as you expected.

“What, but Geek, you said it’s faster than SSDs”

Yes I know, let me explain it to you by comparing the working of a program inside the RAM drive with the normal drive.

• In a normal drive when you launch a program, the required processes of the program are loaded into RAM, as normal drives are slow, programs work in RAM only; on the other hand, in a RAM drive, the program is already inside the RAM, as a result, it will load faster
• When working, the OS will move some of the non-active processes, back to the default storage, and are again moved back to RAM when they become active; in the RAM drive also, programs work the same as normal drives.
• After closing the program, in normal drives, its processes will be stored in RAM as “RAM Cache”, and if you restart the program, it will load faster. The “RAM Cache” will be deleted when another program needs RAM; while in RAM drives, the processes will stay inside the RAM, because the whole program is inside the RAM. Deleting “RAM Cache” won’t affect it.

Now, to answer your question about performance boost. As we saw in the above working of the program, A RAM drive will only boost the loading time of a program.

So, what is the use of RAM drive?

I know all the excitement you had for using RAM drive might have died down, but, there are few practical uses of RAM drives. Let’s see.

1. If you are in the Editing field i.e. Video/Image/Audio Editing, then using the editing tools inside RAM drive will be useful and faster.
2. From a security point-of-view, you can move sensitive files, into RAM drive, only if you want them deleted when you shut down the PC.
3. If any program is taking too much time to load, you can use it inside RAM drive.

So, how to create a RAM drive?

I see after a lot of arguing you still want to create a RAM drive, well, no problem, I will explain how you can create a RAM drive.

Some things to keep in mind before using RAM drives.

Before we start

“Oh!! Come on Geek, now just get on with it already”,

Yes, Yes, I know now you are again excited to create a RAM drive, just let me tell you a few precautions to keep in mind before creating a RAM drive.

• As we discussed earlier, RAM is a volatile memory, so keeping your important data/files in a RAM drive is not a good choice.
• A RAM drive creator must be used, to keep a backup of data, in your default storage, as there is a risk of data getting vanished if your system crashes or you accidentally shutdown
• You can only add smaller programs in a RAM drive, as they are limited in size.
• Use RAM drive only on a PC with another power source readily available, or a Laptop with a proper battery.

Let’s create RAM drive

Ok, now, let’s finally create a RAM drive. You have to use a third-party tool to create a RAM drive, there are some tools available such as SoftPerfect RamDisk and Dataram RamDisk. I will show you how to create using both.

Method 1: SoftPerfect RamDisk

This is a nice and easy-to-use application, along with a nice user interface.

Download and install the tool using the above link. After installation, launch the app.

After launching the app, click on the “+” symbol to create a new RAM drive

Then, in the “Disk Information” section enter the size and name of the disk you want to create, the name is optional, you can leave it blank.

Next, in “Mount Options”, you can assign a drive letter, and decide when you want to create the drive, and also select if you want to save the file after shutdown. I recommend leaving it as it is, with only the save file option checked.

Lastly in “File System Options” you can select the file system of the drive (exFat, Fat32, etc)

After entering all the information click “OK“, and “DONE”

Now, you can use this drive as a normal storage drive. If you have selected to save the file then after the next startup, you have to go to the app and select the “Mount Disk” option from the top panel to load it.

Method 2: Dataram RAMDisk

After installation launch the tool

In “when I click start“, select “create a new FAT disk”, you can also create an unformatted drive, or can also load a saved image.

Then select the size of the drive

• Ouick Note: Dataram RAMDisk only lets you create up to 1GB of RAM drive, to create drives of larger size you have to purchase the paid version.

Then you can choose to label it (i.e. name it), and an option to create a “TEMP” directory, again, I recommend leaving as it is.

At last, you can choose whether to save your file or not on shutdown

Finally, click “Start RAMDisk” to create it.

To load a saved drive after shutdown, you have to select “load a saved image”, in the “when I click start” option, to load it again.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it, RAM drives!!. As we saw in this article, as appealing as it sounds, the reality of RAM drives is different.

RAM drives offer speed and efficiency, thanks to their fast read-write speed, but their volatile nature, limited capacity, and energy consumption are a few major drawbacks, However, it is not completely useless, there are some uses for it as we saw. Also, it’s crucial to avoid storing important data in a RAM drive as it will be lost due to its volatility.

Despite this, it is undeniable that RAM drives offer numerous advantages. They provide a level of speed that traditional HDDs and SSDs simply cannot match, making them ideal for tasks that demand high performance, such as gaming, video editing, and large database operations.

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