I'm curious about the relevance of ramdisks for protecting SSDs in 2025. I've been considering creating soft links for cache files from specific programs to a ramdisk (let's say R:), as that could reduce the constant read and write cycles that might wear out the SSD. For example, I used a batch file to change the cache location for Chrome to the ramdisk. I also came across a GitHub project called CefDetector that can help identify cache files for Chromium-based applications. However, I'm unsure how to automate this process—specifically, how to identify the cache file locations and create soft links. Do you think this strategy is worthwhile for SSD preservation? Additionally, what are some creative uses for ramdisks today?
1 Answer
While browsers do use in-RAM caching, RAM disks don’t seem to have many practical uses anymore. Most modern applications are designed to handle caching efficiently without needing a separate ramdisk.
But from what I’ve seen, even when browsers are idle, they still write to the disk quite a bit. I tracked my usage, and my browser writes around 4GB a day, along with other apps. That’s why I thought moving cache files to a ramdisk might help reduce SSD wear. I'm going to test it for a bit and see if there's a difference.