Can You Use SSD as RAM?

Scenario: Is it possible to use SSD as RAM?

“I was wondering whether I could utilize my SSD as RAM. I operate a couple of PCs with 400GB+ SSDs and 32GB RAM, and I've been thinking about upgrading to 64GB RAM, but because SSDs are solid-state RAM, can I use my extra capacity as RAM?”

In this case, the user is hesitant to use SSD as RAM. Both components are storage tools on the computer, but it is possible to use SSD as RAM? To answer this question, first, let’s learn some basics about RAM and SSD.

RAM vs. SSD – Difference between RAM and SSD

▶ About SSD

As the most popular disk type, here we will give a brief introduction.

SSDs are a new generation of computer storage devices. Solid-State Drives are related to flash memory and as a substitute for hard disk drive storage for computers. They contain no mechanical or moving parts. SSDs, like DRAM, are built using transistors.

However, SSD is non-volatile memory, which means that data is retained even when power is turned off. The CPU of the computer seeks data from the motherboard, which forwards the request to the hard drive.

The data is then transferred into and out of the SSD one bite at a time. A controller also gets information from the drive or stores it on the numerous flash memory chips it contains, but it cannot be accessed directly by the computer's processor.

▶ About RAM

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is the primary memory of a computer, and it is located closer to the CPU, nearly directly connected to it. A memory controller drives RAM chips, which are synced to the CPU's clock so that they may supply or accept data exactly when the processor requires it. In reality, all data flow to and from a hard disk passes through the computer's RAM.

They are two different components, the usages are also different. To explain simply, there’s another name you need to know: virtual memory.

Virtual memory is a memory management approach that combines hardware and software. It gives the application the impression that it has contiguous and accessible storage or address space. However, virtual memory is typically partitioned into numerous physical memory fragments, some of which are kept on external disk storage and may be utilized to exchange data as needed.

If your computer is operating slowly due to a lack of free RAM space, you can solve the problem by increasing virtual memory. Your computer, on the other hand, can read data from RAM considerably faster than from a hard disk. Increasing RAM capacity is thus a preferable approach.

Suggest: You’d better not use SSD as RAM

After you know more about RAM and SSD, now, the answer to our problem "is it possible to use SSD as RAM” is theoretically possible but absolutely not recommended.

1. Reading/writing speed

SSD has a maximum throughput of around 400 to 600 MB/s but the most common low-cost RAM chips these days are DDR3/4. These have throughputs ranging from 10 to 30 GB/s. Can you imagine your PC being tens of times slower than now?

2. The latency

The latency indicates how quickly the processor responds to a CPU request. It only measures how fast data can be read/written after the chip has "woken up" for the specific command sent to it by the CPU. At the current state of contemporary disk technology development, no SSD provides lower latency than even the cheapest DDRs. As a result, the tens of times slower situation would rise owing to latency.

3. Usage difference

Some users may search online and say that they’re some SSDs are faster. But the most important reason is not the speed.

SSDs do not have the ability to address individual bytes as RAM does. Because they are block devices, you can only work on blocks. They're powered by NAND flash modules that can only read/write single pages. You can't change a single byte without first reading and rewriting the entire page. Each page is significantly larger than the CPU's cache line.

Furthermore, to function as RAM, you must not only be able to read/write single bytes but also have the memory controller/support. MMU's Mapping of the address space is ineffective if the memory controller does not understand how to interface with the device. Because memory controllers currently only interact with RAM modules, you must utilize the same RAM interface for anything intended to be used as RAM, regardless of memory type.

Should I upgrade RAM or SSD to speed up my PC?

According to all contents we showed above, we don’t suggest you use SSD as RAM if you raise this idea because your computer is running slow. Then, we advise you to choose one of them to upgrade. However, if you insist to use SSD as RAM, you can skip to the steps of how to set SSD as RAM part.

Option 1. Upgrade RAM

◤ For 32-bit system

If your system is a 32-bit operating system, and the installed RAM is 4GB, then the only thing you can do is to add RAM that cannot be larger than 4GB.

◤ For 64-bit system

• 1. Installed RAM: 4GB
If your PC memory is less than or equal to 4GB, then upgrade RAM. You can choose any suitable RAM larger than 4GB.

• 2. Installed RAM: 8GB
If you are utilizing a mechanical hard disk (HDD), and the memory is greater than or equal to 8GB, then you’d better select to upgrade to SSD. By the way, if your 64-bit system memory has low frequency and small RAM, for instance, 4GB DDR3 RAM, then we suggest that you upgrade to 8GB DDR4 RAM.

First, you should check your computer.

Step 1. Open “Settings”, click “System”, and choose ”About”.

Step 2. In this window, please pay attention to” Device specifications”.

you may view all of your Windows statistics and alter your RAM from a small to a higher size provided your PC meets the requirements. Some laptops may require you to send your computer to see if there are any more memory slots.

Step 1. Buy a suitable RAM for your computer, if your PC only has one slot, you need to substitute the small RAM with a large RAM, if you can install more RAM, you should purchase a new RAM that is the same as the old one.

Step 2. Press “Windows"+ "R” at the same time, input “cmd” and press” Enter”.

Step 3. Type the command "wmic ” then hit “Enter”.

Step 4. Input "memorychip” and press "Enter”.

In the window, you can see the information on memory, such as speed, capacity, interface, etc.

Now you can turn off your PC, open the panel and replace the old one with your new one or put it in the extra slot. Make sure the RAM is inserted steadily.

Option 2. Upgrade SSD

If your computer has sufficient memory, then you can upgrade your SSD to a new one with a larger size. To transfer data to your SSD in a secure manner, you can choose a handy third-party program such as AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, which is your finest personal disk manager and is an efficient choice. You may move your data from one MBR/GPT disk to another without the worry of data loss or damage.

Step 1. Please insert your new SSD into your PC, after your machine detected your SSD, run AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Step 2. In the top menu, select the “Clone Disk” feature under the "Clone" column and click “Next” to continue.

Step 2. Select a copying method you need from "Clone Disk Quickly" and "Sector-by-Sector Clone". Here we select “Clone Disk Quickly” as an example.

Step 3. Select the Windows system disk as the source disk and hit on “Next”.

Step 4. Then select the SSD drive as the destination disk and click “Next”.

Step 5. Now, you can also resize partition just being created on the SSD drive.

Step 6. Read the subsequent boot note, click “Finish” and then click “Apply” to execute the pending operation.

You can try to boot your PC to check if the SSD is workable.

Steps of using SSD as RAM

Although we don’t advise you to do it, if you really want to try, you can follow the steps in this part.

Since there is no precise answer as to how much virtual memory is the optimum option, the quantity of virtual memory you require is primarily determined by your real needs.

Step 1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del or typing Task Manager into Windows search, and click on this desktop app from the search result.

Step 2. Shift to the Performance tab and then select Memory from the left pane.

Take a look at the value under Committed which is the total of your RAM and virtual memory. The number on the left side is how much is in use and the number on the right is how much is available at most. If the left number is close to the right one, you have to increase your virtual memory.

Step 1. Open Control Panel > System Security > System.

Step 2. Click on the Advanced system settings from the left side.

Step 3. In the Advanced tab, click on the Settings button under the Performance area.

Step 4. Shift to the Advanced tab and click on the Change… button in the lower right.

Step 5. Now, you can let Windows Automatically manage paging file size for all drives or type an accurate value into the textboxes following the Initial size and Maximum size.

Step 6. Click on the OK button in all the opening windows to confirm.

Step 7. Click on the Restart Now button in the prompt window to apply these changes.

Conclusion

We don’t suggest you use SSD as RAM. They are quite different two parts on your PC. But you can upgrade either RAM or SSD to upgrade your computer for better performance. And AOMEI Partition Assistant is a reliable friend to help you safely and conveniently manage your PC.

Additionally, this tool also has other helpful functions like converting the disk to MBR/GPT without data loss, testing disk speed, moving folders and installed programs, allocating free space, and so on. If you’re using a Windows Server system, you can turn to the Server Edition for your devices.