Windows 10: When switching to a SSD, is there a way to shunt caching to a USB3 flash drive or excess...

To the Brilliant Software Engineers of Microsoft,


I recently bought a newer refurbished PC (Optiplex 760 to 9020), and to further improve things I bought a SSD and the units full capacity of RAM. I then applied a system image of my old PC, after stripping off the added programs and apps as installation .exe files on a flash drive, to the new PC on the SSD then updated Windows to the most recent version that my old PC wouldn't accept a full year ago, then applie the .exe files on the flash drive. A tad bit of work. It all, so far, seems to be working pretty good since the update re-tuned Windows 10 to match the new PC. Now that things were moving like it was supercharged instead of at a snails pace (I was spending more time waiting on my PC than I was working on it), I started checking out my new ware. First thing I discovered was that I had more RAM than the PC and the NVIDIA video card could possibly use combined. Whoops... Then after starting to educate myself on my new SSD on the vendors website, and discovered that SSDs actually do wear out. Not the unlimited lifetime that had been mentioned in previous years. And with the Image transfer that I made, my PC was caching on the SSD. Effectively shortening its longevity.


So after some deep thought, I began to wonder if I could not only turn off caching on the SSD. But also could I somehow use a high speed USB3 flash drive for caching like we used to in Windows 7 with Ready Boost like it was a disposable/replaceable portion of the SSD. OR, somehow shunt the caching operation of the SSD to the unused portion of RAM installed. Yes I've heard that caching is obsolete with a SSD, but if that is true, then why are we still caching so much data in the RAM when using a SSD? Not to mention, you never know until you try.


You may be operating at a higher speed with a SSD that is faster than caching with a HDD, but if you were caching at a higher speed, especially if the caching was self limiting so that it wouldn't overwhelm it self like with the HDD model. Why wouldn't that be even that much faster? Especially when the Cloud Platform fully kicks in, downloading super extended complex XML data sets at break neck speeds of a minimal of 200 Mbps? (just questionary food for thought)


SO, is there in any way form or fashion a way to do anything remotely similar to this? And if not, is there a way for me to change the settings so that I can extend the use of my SSD? And furthermore, if the previous is not yet possible, could it be a thought for future possibilities?


I'm really looking forward to hearing some positive reflection on this.

And Thank You Everyone in advance on this.


Humbly Yours

Jabber Yakker

:)

 

When switching to a SSD, is there a way to shunt caching to a USB3 flash drive or excess installed RAM?

To the Brilliant Software Engineers of Microsoft,

I recently bought a newer refurbished PC (Optiplex 760 to 9020), and to further improve things I bought a SSD and the units full capacity of RAM. I then applied a system image of my old PC, after stripping off the added programs and apps as installation
.exe files on a flash drive, to the new PC on the SSD then updated Windows to the most recent version that my old PC wouldn't accept a full year ago, then applie the .exe files on the flash drive. A tad bit of work. It all, so far, seems to be working pretty
good since the update re-tuned Windows 10 to match the new PC. Now that things were moving like it was supercharged instead of at a snails pace (I was spending more time waiting on my PC than I was working on it), I started checking out my new ware. First
thing I discovered was that I had more RAM than the PC and the NVIDIA video card could possibly use combined. Whoops... Then after starting to educate myself on my new SSD on the vendors website, and discovered that SSDs actually do wear out. Not the unlimited
lifetime that had been mentioned in previous years. And with the Image transfer that I made, my PC was caching on the SSD. Effectively shortening its longevity.

So after some deep thought, I began to wonder if I could not only turn off caching on the SSD. But also could I somehow use a high speed USB3 flash drive for caching like we used to in Windows 7 with Ready Boost like it was a disposable/replaceable portion
of the SSD. OR, somehow shunt the caching operation of the SSD to the unused portion of RAM installed. Yes I've heard that caching is obsolete with a SSD, but if that is true, then why are we still caching so much data in the RAM when using a SSD? Not to mention,
you never know until you try.

You may be operating at a higher speed with a SSD that is faster than caching with a HDD, but if you were caching at a higher speed, especially if the caching was self limiting so that it wouldn't overwhelm it self like with the HDD model. Why wouldn't
that be even that much faster? Especially when the Cloud Platform fully kicks in, downloading super extended complex XML data sets at break neck speeds of a minimal of 200 Mbps? (just questionary food for thought)

SO, is there in any way form or fashion a way to do anything remotely similar to this? And if not, is there a way for me to change the settings so that I can extend the use of my SSD? And furthermore, if the previous is not yet possible, could it be a thought
for future possibilities?

I'm really looking forward to hearing some positive reflection on this.

And Thank You Everyone in advance on this.

Humbly Yours

 

When switching to a SSD, is there a way to shunt caching to a USB3 flash drive or excess installed RAM?

Hi Jabber Yakke

SSD drives these days do not wear out like the older SSD drives, the technology has moved on hugely over the last few years.

I have SSD drives that have been working full pelt for over 5 years and never had an issue or a failed drive

You can still set up a flash drive to use ReadyBoost in Windows 10, though that technology was actually a failure

Ideally on a system with an SSD the best method to prolong the life of the SSD and minimize read/write cycles is to also have a separate HDD for your data.

Then you just store your OS and main applications on the SSD and everything else on the HDD, this is the ideal and best possible set up, rather than caching to some other location . . .

 

Which SSD for Hard Drive Cache?

I have. Show some current evidence that the problem still exists such that all Samsung SSDs are "absolute crap".

True. But logic also dictates that unless specific requirements (including budgets) are made clear by the OP in the opening post, they should be open to other suggestions that were sincerely presented - suggestion that perhaps they had not considered. Instead of lashing out with puerile insults and tirades.

You are the one who keeps harping over this. I said once and only once that I would take the plunge on a 1TB SSD. I did not suggest it again - especially after you came with your little tirade. And it is you still having cows over something that was dropped.

In fact, I suggested a $36 Mushkin alternative which you totally ignored and then continued your little rant.

So good luck with your cache SSD.