Romex Software Forum

We installed an Intel Optane Memory and the PrimoCache software on two 6th Gen CPU-based platforms, one using a HDD and the other using a SATA SSD, and then measured and compared the application experience before and after using Optane Memory as a cache. To see the detailed results, please read
http://www.romexsoftware.com/en-us/prim ... y-v1.2.pdf

Here are some benchmark results measured by us (Optane Memory 16GB version)
Sequential Read
Sequential Write
Random Read
Random Write

Intel official benchmark values https://ark.intel.com/compare/97544,99742

What driver was used for the writeup? The stock MS driver??

I ask because I know real Intel Optane driver is 'hidden' in Intel v17 platform RST drivers, with an 'incompatible' .inf file, even for Intel systems!
The 'proper' mod+signed driver/s from Win-Raid.com give you an extra 92MB/s in Random 4K Q1T1 alone!

ie:
Up from:
202 to 293 MB/s Read.
162 to 212 MB/s Write.
190 to 257 MB/s 70/30 Mixed.
(AMD Ryzen, X570 chipset system)

That would make a HUGE difference in the results (advertising) you posted..!
https://www.win-raid.com/t2852f25-Hardw ... pdate.html

As far as I remember, at that time the in-box MS nvme driver were used, which is default for most users.

Support wrote: ↑Wed Mar 09, 2022 2:14 am As far as I remember, at that time the in-box MS nvme driver were used, which is default for most users.

Yes it is the "default for most users".
Most users are... uninformed (to put it mildly) and think SSD caching is crap!
Not so the forum users here..!

64% of Windows I/O is Low Que Depth, Random 4K (Q1T1 R4K)
Less than 1% is the large sequential #s advertisers try (very successfully) to scam buyers with!
DRAM stores data in 4KB blocks...
https://www.thessdreview.com/ssd-guides ... ers-bluff/

All NAND based NVME SSDs cant do 92MB/s in total. Most do around half that.
So an extra 92MB/s is not to be sneezed at!

The linked Intel driver (*.sys file) is stock std.
All that has changed is the the text in the associated *.inf file, where missing Hardware IDs are added.
It can be read with a simple text editor like Notepad.

Said IDs are omitted by Intel in an underhanded (IMHO) attempt to get users to upgrade to the latest hardware, where older hardware is perfectly capable..! (and leaves users with money to buy Primocache instead..!)

The *.sys driver even works on AMD systems as they too are added to the said *.inf file.

I remembered that when we do that testing, Intel did provide the nvme driver in its RST driver. But I'm not sure if it had the same performance as the v17 version. Thank you very much for sharing the information!

I have in my system both a nvme drive (PCIe 3.0 motherboard) and a 64GB Optane memory.
I use the Optane drive with PrimoCache as L2 for my HDD. Would it be beneficial to use some of it as L2 cache for the nvme drive?
I am using as L1 cache some of my RAM... for both nvme and HDD.

Attached are the tests.
Note that for the RAM cache test (L1), I enabled Defer-Write.

SoNic wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 1:59 pm Would it be beneficial to use some of it as L2 cache for the nvme drive?

No need.