Information about the Intel® Optane™ Memory M Series
Additional information about system acceleration with Intel® Optane™ memory can be found below.
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| Note | Support for Error Codes and Messages While Using Intel® Optane™ Memory System Acceleration. |
About Intel® Optane™ Memory
Intel® Optane™ memory is a system acceleration solution installed between the processor and slower storage devices (SATA HDD, SSHD, SSD), which enables the computer to store commonly used data and programs closer to the processor. This allows the system to access this information more quickly, which can improve overall system responsiveness.
It enables faster task completion and reduces the wait time, compared to a computer with a hard disk drive alone.
- Responsiveness refers to how quickly the PC completes end user requests, such as:
- Start or boot
- Search and find files
- Save large files
- Launch applications
- Compared to the same PC with only a hard drive, yes, Intel® Optane™ memory makes the PC feel faster, more responsive, and accelerated.
How is Intel® Optane™ memory different from other NAND caching and caching solutions?
Intel® Optane™ memory is built to address the need for non-volatile, high-performance, high-endurance, low latency, and Quality of Service (QoS). The combination of these attributes in a memory technology sets it apart from anything else.
Intel® Optane™ memory is different from other NAND caching solutions for the following reasons:
- Revolutionary, new Intel® Optane™ memory media performs well even in low capacities (16 GB).
- Endurance to withstand multiple reads and writes to the module.
- Leading-edge algorithm in the Intel RST driver creates a high-performance solution.
- Its user-friendly, intuitive installation, and easy set-up process helps you automatically configure a solution to match your needs.
What is the difference between Intel® Optane™ memory and DRAM? Does it replace DRAM?
Intel® Optane™ memory uses non-volatile Intel® Optane™ memory media with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver to accelerate your PC's accesses to non-volatile data. In your PC, non-volatile data is your computer's "long-term memory" that persists even when the PC is powered off. A PC user's personal documents, pictures, videos, music, and application files are examples of non-volatile data.
DRAM, or Dynamic Random Access Memory, is a volatile memory technology that serves as your computer's "short-term working memory". DRAM temporarily stores the inputs and results of calculations performed by the Processor. When the PC is powered off, the data in the DRAM disappears.
The two memory technologies serve different purposes in the PC memory hierarchy so, Intel® Optane™ memory complements DRAM, rather than replacing it entirely. A computer with both Intel® Optane™ memory and DRAM can access programs and data faster, providing additional performance and responsiveness.
Hardware and Software
What is the difference between the Intel® Optane™ memory module and the Intel® Optane™ memory M10 module?
The Intel® Optane™ memory M10 modules add the capability of low power support for Mobile platforms and Modern Connected Standby.
Is Linux* supported when using Intel® Optane™ memory for system acceleration?
No, Intel® Optane™ memory requires the Windows 10 64-bit operating system and the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) driver software. Using the device with other software for caching is is not supported or validated.
I intend to have multiple operating systems on my system across multiple drives. Can Intel® Optane™ memory boost the performance of multiple drives?
No, Intel® Optane™ memory can accelerate one drive.
Questions Related to Various Usage Cases
Can I disconnect the drive being accelerated from the system after it's enabled with Intel® Optane™ memory and move it to another computer?
No, you have to disable Intel® Optane™ memory before you can move it to another computer. You can disable it via the Intel® Optane™ memory or Intel RST applications. Refer to the Intel Optane Memory User and Installation Guide for more information.
What happens if I remove the Intel® Optane™ memory module from my system after I enable it?
The volume (module + drive being accelerated) will go offline to protect user data. You won't be able to use this volume until the module is placed back in the system.
What happens to my data on the drive being accelerated if I lose or damage the Intel® Optane™ memory module?
When you create an Intel® Optane™ memory volume (drive being accelerated + Intel® Optane™ memory module pair), if one is missing from the system, the other disk goes offline, the OS doesn't see it, and it can no longer be used.
We recommend to using third-party software to recover data on the associated disk.
| Related topics |
| How to Disable System Acceleration with Intel® Optane™ Memory |
| More Information on Intel® Optane™ Memory |
