How You Can Use Your Storage Device as a RAM on PC
Many people do not know that they can use their storage devices (flash drive, memory card, etc.) or any one of your choice as a RAM. Firstly what is RAM incase you do not know. Radom accessing memory (RAM) is somewhere in your computer where data, applications, program which is currently running on your computer is kept so that they can be used by the device processor. If you need to install some applications or software’s on your company it may be needful your RAM is up to the specs usually 4GB. Software’s like adobe premiere pro supports a 4GB ram before you can install on your PC. Also if you want to enjoy gaming on your pc your RAM needs to be high. Multitasking I.E performing multiple task at a time, if your RAM is not big enough your computer will hang take for example you open a browser like Firefox and Photoshop is also opened I can tell you that your system will not work fine because of the two apps, Photoshop shop will make it slow and your browser may even crash. Let’s get back to the talk. There are two ways I will be sharing with you that you can use to increase the RAM of your system using external storage device as I highlighted earlier. Using the system utility and also using third party applications.
How to increase RAM using external storage device in windows (no application needed)
Step 1. Insert the device you want to use to increase RAM I will be referring to it as flash drive. Open my computer, you can do that quickly by pressing the windows key and E on your keyboard simultaneously then right click on an empty space and select my computer. If you are using windows 8 and above you will see the system properties at the navigation pane above. Click advanced system settings from the left side and choose settings button in the performance tab.
Step 2. A new window will appear again then click on the advanced tab.
Step 3. In Advanced Tab there is an option of the Virtual Memory box, then click on Change Button.
Step 4. Now uncheck the box of Automatically Manage Page size feature. Then in Custom Size, add your Flash drive current same in below format. Now Add same Value in both boxes and click on Apply button.
N:B If Your Flash drive is of Size 8 GB then always add 10Mb less from currently available size. It is needful you reboot your PC and the flash drive will now serve as the RAM remember it is a virtual RAM
Using ReadyBoost in Windows 7, 8, 10
Step 1. Firstly, insert your Flash drive then you right click on your flash drive and Open Properties and we did in the first method
Step 2. Now you need to browse to the ReadyBoost tab, move to Use this device and reduce your current memory space. If your current device place is5000, then you can reduce it with approximately 400-500MB, then click on apply button and all is good
Using third party Software
RAM disk: One thing about this software is that it is a high-performance RAM disk application that lets you have a disk on your computer entirely stored in its memory. As the memory is much faster than physical hard disks, storing temporary data on a fast in-memory disk achieves a higher performance. Whatever your job is, read on to find out what a RAM disk can offer you.
It helps you create 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 RAM disk for temporary files, so that the system and most applications would use the fast in-memory disk for their temporary data. As Windows and other 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 4 GB of RAM, and most of the time there is a lot of unused memory that could be used as a high-performance alternative to the slower HDD 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.
Some of the key features includes:
- 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.
- It is a very easy to use software once installed and launched just follow the on screen instructions to get it done for you.
Using eBoostr
eBoostr speeds up your PC and improves application responsiveness by using flash memory and free RAM as an extra layer of performance boosting-cache. eBoostr is compatible with both USB and Non-USB removable storage devices, as well as all “Enhanced for Readyboost” devices. It also supports up to 4 devices simultaneously, ensuring that eBoostr can keep up with increasing demands on systems
Some of its key features is not limited to the below
- eBoostr tracks the use of applications on your system and can pre-cache data of the ones most frequently used, this reduces load delays and optimizes performance
- Easy to use drag-and-drop interface allows you to selectively enhance applications on your system as well as prioritize applications enhanced by eBoostr
- Reduced load times and less hard drive access help prolong battery life of laptops and netbooks using eBoostr
- Uses Hidden RAM
- eBoostr 4 can utilize this RAM in the creation of an intelligent cache, boosting your system’s performance
N:B 32 Bit version of Windows 7 cannot use RAM disc
This is just a brief post on how you can use your external storage be it flash drive or any preferred one as RAM.
hw will I knw if d ram work when avd follow up d first step wit my flash…?
Hello, segun thanks for reading, the truth is that there will be slight changes in performance of of your laptop. Not t to be compared to the real RAM. It still helps when things get choked up on your system performance