How do I set a cache drive? / Do I need a separate M.2 SSD for cache?

BlankFrames wrote on 11/19/2018, 3:35 AM

I saw people using a separate M.2 SSD for storing cache while editing videos. Is this possible in Vegas Pro? If so, how can I enable this?

And the people at r/buildapcvideoediting are saying that I MUST need a M.2 SSD for storing scratch/media cache. Does that importance also apply to Vegas users? (The people there are mostly using Adobe Premiere Pro or Davinci Resolve.)

Here's my current part list for info:

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/33H79J
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/33H79J/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg Business)
Storage(for scratch/media cache): ADATA - XPG SX6000 Pro 256 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage(for mass storage): Seagate - BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 570 4 GB Gaming 4G Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H17 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($35.67 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: 2x Geil EVO SPEAR DDR4-3000 8GB CL16 PC4-24000(in dual config, 2x8 16GB) ($120.00)
Storage(for OS and apps): Samsung OEM 256GB SSD (Purchased)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home OEM(unused) (Purchased)
Total: $655.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-19 04:33 EST-0500

Comments

klt wrote on 11/19/2018, 4:57 AM

I'm not aware of a way so that Vegas could handle a faster drive as cahche automatically.

Still you could make use of such a fast drive.

Copy your current projects contents to it, work with it on that drive.

Also, if you use prerenders, in project properties you can specify a prerender directory pointing to that drive somewhere.

And when you finished, move all contents to the slower, but bigger backup drive.

j-v wrote on 11/19/2018, 5:38 AM

I think you need enough RAM, at least 8 GB , but better is 16 and for 4K video 32 GB.

Besides that put in your Windows Systems your virtual memory all to your fastest drive if it has enough empty space.

It suites me and work like a charm (for me 😉).

Former user wrote on 11/19/2018, 6:01 AM

I use primocache (not free- $30) Whenever I load media from media drives the media is cached to SSD. I use a 256gb SSD as cache. Primocache basically works as a speed booster for local mechanical hard drives, usb drives, etc. When you first open the media in vegas you are working with media from original locations, but as soon as you save and open project again you are working from SSD cache.

This is also handy for games that you may only have on mechanical media. Ofcourse things are all changing now that SSD prices are so cheap. It now is affordable to keep your raw media on SSD.

klt wrote on 11/19/2018, 6:23 AM

Besides that put in your Windows Systems your virtual memory

Having at least 16GB RAM this is not certainly necessary. I have 16GB, and swap disabled.

Works well so far. When I had only 8GB, I also needed swap, and my computer had some temporary slow-downs whenever doing the swap.

If affordable, I'd recommend against using swap and get well enough physical RAM.

john_dennis wrote on 11/20/2018, 12:43 PM

"I saw people using a separate M.2 SSD for storing cache while editing videos. Is this possible in Vegas Pro?"

Ensure this location is on your fastest drive and/or the disk with the lowest contention.

You can direct Vegas Pro to write Pre-rendered files to any location as defined in the Project Properties if you're inclined to throw disks and money at it.

As you can see, I just leave mine on my SATA SSD boot disk. My source files are on an NVMe disk at the start of projects. As the project progresses, it's duplicated on to spinning disks and deleted from the work disk. If I work on an old project, I rarely move it back to the NVMe work disk.

john_dennis wrote on 11/20/2018, 1:01 PM

"M.2 SSDs are designed to enable high-performance storage in thin, power-constrained devices, such as ultrabook and tablet computers."

Since I have a full sized workstation motherboard, I don't feel the need to cram high heat density electronics into a slot on the motherboard buried deep under other high heat density electronics. My NVMe disk resides in a PCIe slot where air can flow over it.

I also think it's important for everyone to state whether the M.2 slot is populated with a SATA or NVMe disk. It matters to the discussion, but little at all to Vegas Pro performance unless one is doing a multi-camera project or using high bit rate intermediate codecs.