Intel Optane memory - would this work?

[DoubleCheese]

I'm thinking of a new build based on Z370 platform or Z390 depending on when I get round to it.

Anyway, storage wise I'm thinking of using a fast NVME M.2 drive for OS and applications and possibly my Lightroom catalogues. The main images would be on a fast conventional HGST drive and working files on a SATA SSD.

Would a 32GB Optane module improve the performance of accessing the files off the spinning drives?

Cheers.

 

[FredFlint]

It probably would speed loading a bit but not by much unless they are big and used often. May be better setting the 32GB drive as a scratch disk if the software supports that.

 

[Minstadave]

Optane like any caching tech relies on frequently used rules being held in the cache. So if you had frequently used apps on the spinning disc they’d all be cached and load quickly.

However if you’re using the mechanical drive for a huge catalogue of LR photos however wouldn’t work anywhere near as well. Firstly you’d be only loading the files once or twice as you work on them so not much opportunity for caching and secondly even if the caching software was clever enough to recognise your work pattern and start loading the entire catalogue you’d soon run out of space with 32GB.

Personally for the £50-£60 quid you’d spend on the Optane module you’d be better off buying a secondary SATA SSD for your frequent files. You’d easily get 250 and even 500GB drives aren’t much more.

Optane is a solution looking for a problem.

 

[Journey]

If you are buying anything Optane, just shoot straight for the Intel Optane 900P, 480GB, the rest of the range isn't worth bothering with. In fact the 900P is the next step in the SSD wars, and Intel have first move advantage, just waiting for the newer Samsung Z-NAND drives to be widely available, and then we'll get some semi-sensible pricing hopefully.

 

[JasonM]

Would a 32GB Optane module improve the performance of accessing the files off the spinning drives?

If your accessing regular accessed files it could make a huge difference. If your only accessing files that are hardly ever accessed it will make little to no difference.