RAM Disk for Windows XP, 2003, Vista, Seven and 2008
SoftPerfect RAM Disk is a high-performance RAM disk application that lets you have a disk on your computer entirely stored in the memory. As the memory is much faster than physical hard disks, it makes sense to store temporary data on a fast in-memory disk to achieve a higher performance. Whatever your job is, read on to find out what a RAM disk can offer you.
The program creates a virtual disk residing in the computer RAM accessible in Windows Explorer and other applications, allowing you to store any temporary information on this disk. Furthermore, Windows can be configured to use the disk for temporary files, so the system and most applications will use the fast in-memory disk for temporary data. As Windows and third-party applications often create a large number of temporary files for a short time only, using a RAM disk will extend your hard disk's life by sparing it from excessive reading and writing.
Modern computers are equipped with at least 1 GB of RAM, however most of the time there is a lot of unused memory that could be used as a high-performance alternative to the slower hard disk storage. This product lets you create any number of virtual RAM disks limited only by the memory available. You can also work with on-disk images and RAM disks associated with an on-disk file, that ensures your data is preserved between sessions.
Key features of the RAM Disk
- Any number of RAM disks. In practice, up to 26 disks due to the number of drive letters available.
- Any RAM disk size on 64-bit systems. Up to approximately 3.5 GB on 32-bit systems.
- Persistent RAM disks with an associated on-disk image.
- Volatile RAM disks whose content disappears on shutdown.
- Built-in disk image manipulation tools.
Five reasons to use a RAM disk
- Higher PC performance. Using a fast in-memory disk for temporary data boosts PC performance up, provided you have got a sufficient amount of RAM.
- Reduced file system fragmentation. The file system on your disks will be far less fragmented as temporary files are never written to the disk.
- Reduced wear-and-tear of the physical disk. As temporarily files are not written to the disk, there will be fewer read/write cycles, which is especially important for Solid State Drives (SSD) installed in some laptops.
- Less junk on the hard disk. Often software applications create temporary files that remain undeleted although no longer needed.
- Less noise and heat from the hard disk. The system will use the hard disk less intensively as it would storing temporary files on the disk.
Screenshots
The RAM disk application is very easy to use. The main window shows all mounted RAM disks and features controls to add/remove disks, work with image files and access the application's settings. The Add Disk dialog allows you to specify various disk parameters. The third screenshot shows how the RAM disks appear in Windows Explorer.
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