Here is a list of 10 computing common tasks, can you anybody specify what is read, write or sequential?

Bruno Vincent

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Trying to understand read and write for SSD, NVME vs Sata SSD, but not clear about benefits of high read, writes or sequential?

So here is a list of tasks:

1. Compress Files
2. Decompress FIles
3. Open/close huge slow opening programs like Adobe illustrator
4. Copy data
5. Paste data
6. Use VirtualBox to run guest OS
7. General PC responsiveness
8. Browsing the web, many tabs open
9. Save humongous graphics files (Vector Illustrator)
10. Have tons of programs and applications open, and alternate between them

Bit list I know...but just trying to get an idea!
 
Solution
It's pretty easy to understand read vs write and random vs sequential. Read the file and not modify it in anyway. Write to have new data. Sequential is like reading/writing a sentence; you are doing it in order one after the other and could be done when files are one after the other or a large file. Random is like taking different books spread out all over a library which is more common considering file sizes and structures.

1/2. Depends if that is 1 large file (sequential assuming not fragmented) or many small files(random). It will be reading the uncompressed file and writing the compressed file/s. Opposite for decompressing. It could be limited by cpu instead of storage depending on the compression used.
3. Read random when opening...
It's pretty easy to understand read vs write and random vs sequential. Read the file and not modify it in anyway. Write to have new data. Sequential is like reading/writing a sentence; you are doing it in order one after the other and could be done when files are one after the other or a large file. Random is like taking different books spread out all over a library which is more common considering file sizes and structures.

1/2. Depends if that is 1 large file (sequential assuming not fragmented) or many small files(random). It will be reading the uncompressed file and writing the compressed file/s. Opposite for decompressing. It could be limited by cpu instead of storage depending on the compression used.
3. Read random when opening. Closing does not use storage unless the ram is having to page. It could also be deleting cache on storage which is still neither.
4/5. Copy off the ssd, it's just reading. Depending on the data again, could be sequential or randoms. Copy onto the ssd, that's writing.
6. This doesn't matter if it's a virtual or native os. They both are running the same. Virtualbox may keep it contained in a "single" file on the host but it's virtual so it's still all the same files all separate like the native os. But this is read and write, random and sequential depending on what you are doing.
7. Access times is responsiveness. But most tasks you are not creating new data so you are reading. You are never getting near top speeds for most tasks so this is not different from ssd to ssd because access times are so short relatively to a slow human or comparatively to a hdd.
8/10. Generally this doesn't matter for storage. Any open programs and files are running from ram. You may need files from storage as everything isn't loaded in ram or working files get fetched or cache gets written. Or with browsing, already downloaded temp files being read and you click and it downloads on those files and write those new temp files. But that all goes to ram first so you aren't feeling the ssd speed.
9. Single large file is sequential. Saving is writing new data.
 
Solution

Bruno Vincent

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Mar 23, 2015
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Thanks for great answer, clearer now