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tsrnc2

Member

Registered: 2018-06-10

Posts: 10

Best way to maximize usage of SSD

The goal is maximum (in game) performance possible. I have a system built on HDDs. I am adding a 80Gb SSD. My understanding is performance drops off around the 50% fill mark, so that's only 40Gb to play with. I want to leave 20Gb for at least one game. That leaves only 20Gb for system files. What files should I cache on the SSD?

My starter list
/var  except /var/cache/pacman  3.9Gb
/usr/lib 7.7Gb
/usr/lib32 0.5GB
/usr/bin 1.4Gb
/usr/include 0.5Gb

Thats 14Gb already

Also
I have Periodic TRIM enabled, what other setting should I use? Are my numbers way off? Am I just doing it wrong?

sabroad

Member

Registered: 2015-05-24

Posts: 242

Re: Best way to maximize usage of SSD

Rather than trying to manually manage the cache, might be worth considering lvmcache.

Last edited by sabroad (2019-06-11 13:54:00)

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saint_abroad

V1del

Forum Moderator

Registered: 2012-10-16

Posts: 23,981

Re: Best way to maximize usage of SSD

Unless the SDD you are adding is like - 10 years old, you shouldn't be the one to have to worry about fill rates. Most moderns ones do either handle it fine or have hidden additional storage space they use for wear leveling

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: Best way to maximize usage of SSD

Put everything on the SSD and then symlink your document/media folders in ~ to directories on the HD. If it's Steam games that we're talking about then you can set up multiple libraries and choose where you want to download each game.

Ignore what you've read about SSD usage, it's irrelevant to modern drives.

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

aur - dotfiles

tsrnc2

Member

Registered: 2018-06-10

Posts: 10

Re: Best way to maximize usage of SSD

Gaming is not the typical workload its the exception, so a full drive always on lvmcache wouldn't work.
As it is now Im using the original list.
+ /boot
+ ~/.steam except /.steam/steam/steamapps/common
+ current fav game.

+ a 6Gb cache with lvmcache for /

Alternatively I could make it all lvmcache and enable and disable the lvmcache only when I play the game.

@V1del it is a older Intel DC S3500. Its about maximum performance in one game at a time no other considerations like longevity. My understanding is performance drops off around %50 even on new overprovisioned drives, I could be wrong please correct me.

Put everything on the SSD and then symlink your document/media folders in ~ to directories on the HD. If it's Steam games that we're talking about then you can set up multiple libraries and choose where you want to download each game.

Ignore what you've read about SSD usage, it's irrelevant to modern drives.

If the drive was much larger I would do just that mounting it as root. As it is I would have to symlink dozens of directories to make it fit. It would end up being the same thing configured in reverse. I ultimately would have to make the same decisions. What stays and what goes?

Update:
After testing to see any noticeable performance drop off with a 50% vs 90% full drive. I found no noticeable decrease in performance, You guys were right I was wrong.
Also I decided to just drop the cash and get a normal sized SSD and set it up as Slithery suggested and just use this drive as a game drive,

Last edited by tsrnc2 (2019-06-13 14:05:29)