What the hell is "optane" memory?

[SamSpade]

I came across a couple of post-Christmas "bargains" advertising optane memory. Near as I can make out, it functions - sort of - like an SSD except not nearly as big.

Should I bother?

I am seriously looking to update my main workhorse in my office, and when I bought the one I have - it kind of WAS the best in my price range.
Now - it's dated.

Last bargain I saw showed a computer with 8 gigs ram and something like 16 "optane" memory. Is this worth my time?

 

[kom526]

I found a couple articles but this one:

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3322499/why-your-pc-shows-ram-and-optane-memory-as-total-memory.html

Gives a good analogy and is easier to digest than the tech article I read on optane.

 

[jazz lady]

Total misnomer. It is not really memory, but storage used to cache your last used data so it is more quickly accessed. Best results are with HDD, but personally I would buy SSD for about the same price and similar performance. And it is an Intel product and only works with their chips.

https://www.pcgamer.com/intel-optane-memory-everything-you-need-to-know/

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3322499/why-your-pc-shows-ram-and-optane-memory-as-total-memory.html

https://www.pcworld.com/article/319...-want-intels-futuristic-cache-in-your-pc.html

 

[kom526]

Here's another reduced jargon article.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...buy-a-pc-with-intel-optane-drive-acceleration

 

[SamSpade]

Ok, then. Pretty sure whatever my next desktop is, it will have SSD.

Does it make a big difference if I have SSD in addition to a large HDD? Does it matter?
I see some affordable systems with SSD, lots of memory - but no HDD.

 

[stgislander]

Ok, then. Pretty sure whatever my next desktop is, it will have SSD.

Does it make a big difference if I have SSD in addition to a large HDD? Does it matter?
I see some affordable systems with SSD, lots of memory - but no HDD.

My system and those of some friends of mine have a smaller SSD for the operating system and programs, and a larger HDD for data storage (documents, photos, etc.).

 

[GURPS]

My system and those of some friends of mine have a smaller SSD for the operating system and programs, and a larger HDD for data storage (documents, photos, etc.).

this redirect the Documents / Downloads / Photos / Videos to the spinning hard disk ...... as well as moving the Page or Swap file as well

I actually moved the web browser cache folders to another drive as well

 

[Clem72]

this redirect the Documents / Downloads / Photos / Videos to the spinning hard disk ...... as well as moving the Page or Swap file as well

I actually moved the web browser cache folders to another drive as well

Your first suggestion is good, your other two are crazy. Move swap file and cache folders from SDD to HDD? Why bother buying an SSD in the first place if you will take the files that benefit the most from fast random read access and stick them on the spinning rust drive?

The only possibly reason I could think of is if you were worried about writing to the same SSD bits too often and causing failed sectors. This isn't an issue on any SSD made in the last 5 years or so as they do both wear leveling (so writing to the same file will actually write to the least used sectors on the drive and map those to the file), as well as over provisioning of the drive so new sectors can be made available when old ones fail.

 

[GURPS]

Move swap file and cache folders from SDD to HDD?

Aye .... my system has 32gb of RAM so I never really touch the swap file

Why bother buying an SSD in the first place if you will take the files that benefit the most from fast random read access and stick them on the spinning rust drive?

From Power Button to Desktop ....... 35 Sec that's why ....

My web Browsing is speedy enough on a 7200 rpm SATA III drive

 

[Clem72]

Aye .... my system has 32gb of RAM so I never really touch the swap file

From Power Button to Desktop ....... 35 Sec that's why ....

My web Browsing is speedy enough on a 7200 rpm SATA III drive

As long as your satisfied then great. But FYI, doesn't matter how much memory you have if you do not disable the swap file it will use the swap file. But it may be less often enough that you don't notice. And 35 seconds is certainly faster than we used to wait, however I have a 10 year old laptop running windows 10 that fully boots in about 8 seconds. My more modern desktop takes about the same amount of time (8-10 seconds), but loads a ton of unnecessary device drivers because I am too lazy to uninstall old equipment I don't use anymore.

Of course my main driver is a 1st gen 11 inch chromebook that refuses to die and basically boots instantly.

 

[stgislander]

this redirect the Documents / Downloads / Photos / Videos to the spinning hard disk ......

When you did that, did you redirect the three AppData folders (Local, LocalLow, and Roaming)? A couple tech sites I looked at mentioned moving these as well.

 

[GURPS]

not that I understood .... you go in the folder properties ' redirect ' it moves the folder when every you set

 

[stgislander]

not that I understood .... you go in the folder properties ' redirect ' it moves the folder when every you set

Understand. Some folks use the term redirect since you actions are being redirected to a drive other than C:. In the folder properties it is called Move.

Original question still stands. Did you move the AppData folders?

 

[GURPS]

Did you move the AppData folders?

I am not home to check, I did this;
[I believe the answer is NO]


Windows 10

1. Click the [Windows] button > choose "File Explorer."
2. From the left side panel, right-click "Documents" > choose "Properties."
3. Under the "Location" tab > type "H:\Docs"
4. Click [Apply] > Click [No] when prompted to automatically move all files to the new location > Click [OK].

More items...

 

[stgislander]

I am not home to check, I did this;
[I believe the answer is NO]


Windows 10

1. Click the [Windows] button > choose "File Explorer."
2. From the left side panel, right-click "Documents" > choose "Properties."
3. Under the "Location" tab > type "H:\Docs"
4. Click [Apply] > Click [No] when prompted to automatically move all files to the new location > Click [OK].

More items...

I'm still running Windows 7, but that sounds like what I did. I don't remember the Click [No] part to automatically move all files prompt though.

 

[GURPS]

I'm still running Windows 7,

Yes Appdata is still on the C Drive