Scratch disc?

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Second Time Around
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Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 3:05 pm

Scratch disc?

Post by Second Time Around »

I'm having a desktop made for me and was wondering about storage and the pros and cons of a scratch disc.

SecondIy, if I do use a scratch disc what are the pros and cons of having it separate Vs a partition of the main disc?

The current plan is for 32GB of RAM, a 500MB Samsung 980 Pro NvME, plus a 3GB HDD for long term storage.

Thanks.

Steve
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admin
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Re: Scratch disc?

Post by admin »

Hi,

These days there is probably little to gain from having a fixed sized scratch disk.
Most modern 64-bit operating systems create and shrink swap files automatically as needed. Most modern applications rely on the OS to supply enough working memory (or allocate virtual memory via a swap file). With 32GB of RAM you should be good for many applications though more is, of course, always better. :twisted:

If you intend to run Linux, you can configure a bit more. For example, you could have your /tmp folder reside on a RAM drive or Optane drive. This will let StarTools use the faster RAM or Optane memory for storing its Tracking data. This will make Tracking in between modules a bit faster,

Hope this helps!
Ivo Jager
StarTools creator and astronomy enthusiast
Second Time Around
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 3:05 pm

Re: Scratch disc?

Post by Second Time Around »

Many thanks as usual, Ivo!
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