RAM Disk in OS X

lucaluca
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
I have heard you can get a utility that lets you use a RAM disk in OS X. I have 768 MB of RAM, definitely enough to devote 50-100 MB to a RAM disk. However, I want to make it useful - how can I maximize the use from a RAM disk? I heard that putting a browser's cache files in it will speed things up, but I use Chimera and I couldn't find where it stores cache files. Any suggestions?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    wmfwmf Posts: 1,164member
    You don't need a RAM disk; OS X automatically caches files in RAM.
  • Reply 2 of 5
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Yeah, I don't think this would be too great an idea. Mac OS X already caches files to RAM and is already VERY RAM-hungry. I wouldn't feel conformable taking a chunk of RAM away for a RAM disk (if it's even possible) unless you have well over a Gig of RAM.



    Anyway, are you *sure* some 50-100 MB isn't being used? I think some realtime memory utilities like 'top' might tell you otherwise, especially if you run more than two or three apps at once.
  • Reply 3 of 5
    overhopeoverhope Posts: 1,123member
    I have a very real use for RAM disks: when I'm doing overnight 3D renders, I just set my Mac to render it all into a RAM disk in OS 9.



    For why?



    My Cube lives under my bed, and having the hard drive switched off means there's no noise to disturb my beauty sleep...



    A RAM disk in X would be handy for me, seriously!
  • Reply 4 of 5
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    OS X's memory management is light years ahead of OS 9's...if you run top you'll probably see that OS X is utilizing nearly all of your RAM almost all of the time. It's most efficient not to leave any RAM free and OS X doesn't.



    If you had a Tower, the fan would cover up the noise of the HD and lull you to sleep, alas, the cubes have a more annoying sound with that of the HD thrashing. If it were my cube, I'd just put it across the room from the bed and see if that works. Alternatively, some new HDs are VERY quiet. My IBM Desktar 65gxp is a stealth HD next to the WD Caviar that my Powermac came with.



    Here's that RAM Disk you're looking for. Give it a try if you want, but I don't recommend it:



    Rambunctiious:



    <a href="http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=14621&db=mac"; target="_blank">http://www.versiontracker.com/moreinfo.fcgi?id=14621&db=mac</a>;
  • Reply 5 of 5
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Just move your computer out of your bedroom. Don't you have better things to do in there anyway?
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