Using part of SSD as L2 Cache
Using part of SSD as L2 Cache
So I am planning on using 60~GB of my 240GB SSD Kingston A400 for my L2 cache as I think using the whole 240GB is kinda stupid ? And can it harm my ssd life in anyway?
Re: Using part of SSD as L2 Cache
If the L2 space you use is too small and is fully populated it can be detrimental, especially if the SSD isn't over-provisioned. I highly recommend over-provisioning the SSD by at least 5%, or 10% if you can give it that much.
You could use the entire SSD as a L2, but it really depends on how much data your computer turns over on the target drive regularly. i.e. if my HDD was 1TB physical size but was only 100GB populated, there'd be no reason to dedicate an entire 240GB SSD as a L2 for it. If it was 500GB populated but you only regularly use 100GB of it's files it would similarly be a waste, though it would give it a lot of 'breathing room' so the SSD never filled up completely (a bad thing on SSDs). It really depends on your usage. If you're running multiple large games for instance, 60GB might not be enough to get them fully cached along with OS files.
Having a L2 which isn't fully populated at all times can be beneficial, just like having a SSD that isn't full all the time. When it's full and it needs to write more info to the SSD (and it hasn't had a chance to TRIM yet or run GC) it gets rather inefficient. Lifespan is less of a consideration when it has ample free space at all times.
Here's Kingston's information on over-provisioning a SSD: https://www.kingston.com/us/ssd/overprovisioning
I haven't owned a Kingston SSD, so I'm unsure if they have a specific tool for the procedure (like Samsung Magician has), or if it's built into the drive by default. For the record, I keep my Samsung SSDs and NVMes at around 10% over-provisioning unless I run them mostly empty, in which case 5% is enough.
You could use the entire SSD as a L2, but it really depends on how much data your computer turns over on the target drive regularly. i.e. if my HDD was 1TB physical size but was only 100GB populated, there'd be no reason to dedicate an entire 240GB SSD as a L2 for it. If it was 500GB populated but you only regularly use 100GB of it's files it would similarly be a waste, though it would give it a lot of 'breathing room' so the SSD never filled up completely (a bad thing on SSDs). It really depends on your usage. If you're running multiple large games for instance, 60GB might not be enough to get them fully cached along with OS files.
Having a L2 which isn't fully populated at all times can be beneficial, just like having a SSD that isn't full all the time. When it's full and it needs to write more info to the SSD (and it hasn't had a chance to TRIM yet or run GC) it gets rather inefficient. Lifespan is less of a consideration when it has ample free space at all times.
Here's Kingston's information on over-provisioning a SSD: https://www.kingston.com/us/ssd/overprovisioning
I haven't owned a Kingston SSD, so I'm unsure if they have a specific tool for the procedure (like Samsung Magician has), or if it's built into the drive by default. For the record, I keep my Samsung SSDs and NVMes at around 10% over-provisioning unless I run them mostly empty, in which case 5% is enough.
Re: Using part of SSD as L2 Cache
but if i keep lots of empty space on ssd i dont need to overprovision yes?Jaga wrote: ↑Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:29 am If the L2 space you use is too small and is fully populated it can be detrimental, especially if the SSD isn't over-provisioned. I highly recommend over-provisioning the SSD by at least 5%, or 10% if you can give it that much.
You could use the entire SSD as a L2, but it really depends on how much data your computer turns over on the target drive regularly. i.e. if my HDD was 1TB physical size but was only 100GB populated, there'd be no reason to dedicate an entire 240GB SSD as a L2 for it. If it was 500GB populated but you only regularly use 100GB of it's files it would similarly be a waste, though it would give it a lot of 'breathing room' so the SSD never filled up completely (a bad thing on SSDs). It really depends on your usage. If you're running multiple large games for instance, 60GB might not be enough to get them fully cached along with OS files.
Having a L2 which isn't fully populated at all times can be beneficial, just like having a SSD that isn't full all the time. When it's full and it needs to write more info to the SSD (and it hasn't had a chance to TRIM yet or run GC) it gets rather inefficient. Lifespan is less of a consideration when it has ample free space at all times.
Here's Kingston's information on over-provisioning a SSD: https://www.kingston.com/us/ssd/overprovisioning
I haven't owned a Kingston SSD, so I'm unsure if they have a specific tool for the procedure (like Samsung Magician has), or if it's built into the drive by default. For the record, I keep my Samsung SSDs and NVMes at around 10% over-provisioning unless I run them mostly empty, in which case 5% is enough.
Re: Using part of SSD as L2 Cache
That's true - if your OS is TRIM-aware (Win8 or later I think) and the SSD remains fairly empty (50% or more just as a guess) then the need for over-provisioning is a lot less. I still have mine over-provisioned even when they're largely empty, as I think it can help with garbage collection routines. Though I'm not really a TRIM/GC expert, so take all of it with a grain of salt. 