For PC gaming, “DRAM cache” usually refers to the dedicated memory built into some SSDs, not a BIOS setting you can freely allocate to games. An SSD’s DRAM cache stores the drive’s mapping table so it can find game files quickly and handle sustained writes more consistently. The best setup is therefore less about changing a hidden “DRAM cache” value and more about installing games on the right drive, preserving free space, using the correct storage mode, and avoiding Windows or motherboard settings that reduce drive performance.

Prioritize storage health and consistency over aggressive tuning. A DRAM-equipped NVMe SSD can help with large installs, shader-cache writes, patches, recording, and file-heavy games, but it will not replace system RAM or dramatically raise GPU-limited frame rates. In 2026, the practical goal is to prevent long load times, asset-streaming stutter caused by a full or overheated drive, and slow game updates caused by exhausted cache space.

Setting Recommended value Why
Game installation drive DRAM-equipped NVMe SSD, preferably PCIe 4.0 x4 or better Provides strong random-read performance and steadier write behavior during game updates and shader-cache creation.
Free capacity on game SSD Keep 15–20% free; never routinely below 10% Leaves room for SSD cache operations, wear leveling, temporary update files, and Windows maintenance.
Windows write caching Enabled; do not enable “Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing” Normal write caching improves performance without taking unnecessary data-loss risks.
TRIM Enabled Allows Windows to tell the SSD which deleted blocks can be cleaned and reused efficiently.
Power plan Balanced or High performance; PCI Express Link State Power Management set to Off if storage latency is inconsistent Prevents overly aggressive PCIe power saving from causing occasional drive wake-up delays.
M.2 slot selection Use the primary CPU-connected M.2 slot when available Usually provides the cleanest lane routing and avoids some chipset-sharing limitations.
SSD firmware Current stable firmware from the SSD manufacturer Firmware can address compatibility, thermal-management, and stability issues.
Windows page file System managed on the fastest reliable SSD Reduces the chance of application crashes or severe hitching when RAM use spikes.

Setting-by-Setting

Use a DRAM-Equipped SSD for Your Main Game Library: Exact Value—Primary NVMe SSD

What causes it: DRAM-less SSDs use Host Memory Buffer (HMB), borrowing a small amount of system RAM for drive bookkeeping. Many are perfectly usable for gaming, but lower-end models can slow down more sharply during large installs, decompression-heavy patches, or sustained recording. A full drive can make this behavior worse.

How to check: Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc, select Performance, then select each disk to identify the drive letter used by your game launcher. In Steam, open Steam > Settings > Storage to see library locations. Check your SSD’s product specification or manufacturer utility to determine whether it has onboard DRAM; Windows does not provide a reliable “DRAM cache: yes/no” field.

What to do: Install your most-played games, competitive multiplayer games, and large open-world games on your best NVMe SSD. If you own one DRAM-equipped drive and one budget DRAM-less drive, reserve the DRAM-equipped model for Windows, active games, shader caches, video captures, and current downloads. Use the secondary drive for older games and bulk storage.

How to undo: Move a game library back through the launcher. In Steam, use Steam > Settings > Storage, select the game, then choose Move. In the Xbox app, open the game’s Manage menu and choose Files > Change drive.

Keep 15–20% of the SSD Empty: Exact Value—Minimum 15%, Preferred 20%

What causes it: SSDs need spare NAND space to reorganize data, absorb temporary writes, and maintain their fast write cache. Game updates often require both the old game files and new temporary files to exist at once. When a drive is nearly full, update speed and overall responsiveness can become inconsistent.

How to check: Press Win+E, select This PC, and check the free-space bar for the game drive. For a 1TB SSD, aim to leave roughly 150–200GB unoccupied. Do not confuse Windows’ displayed capacity with raw NAND capacity; use the percentage shown by the drive.

What to do: Move inactive games, captured videos, installers, and archives to another drive. Empty the Recycle Bin after removing large files. In Windows, go to Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files and remove items you recognize. Leave enough headroom for the largest game patch you expect to install.

How to undo: There is no setting to reverse. You can reinstall games or restore files when more storage is available, but avoid filling the active game SSD to capacity again.

Enable Windows Write Caching Safely: Exact Value—Enable Device Write Caching Only

What causes it: Windows can cache some writes before they are committed to the SSD. Disabling write caching may reduce performance during game installs, patches, shader compilation, and content creation. However, disabling buffer flushing can risk filesystem corruption after a crash or power loss.

How to check: Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager. Expand Disk drives, right-click the target SSD, choose Properties, then open the Policies tab.

What to do: Enable Enable write caching on the device if it is available and currently unchecked. Leave Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing on the device unchecked. The second option is not a gaming performance tweak worth using on a typical home PC, even with a surge protector.

How to undo: Return to Device Manager > Disk drives > [your SSD] > Properties > Policies and clear Enable write caching on the device. Restart Windows if prompted.

Verify TRIM Is Active: Exact Value—DisableDeleteNotify = 0

What causes it: Without TRIM, an SSD may not immediately know which deleted blocks are safe to reuse. Over time, this can make write-heavy tasks less consistent, particularly on a drive handling frequent game updates and recordings.

How to check: Open Terminal (Admin) by right-clicking Start and selecting it. Enter:

fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify

If the result for NTFS DisableDeleteNotify is 0, TRIM is enabled.

What to do: If it reports 1, enter:

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

Then search Windows for Defragment and Optimize Drives, select the SSD, and choose Optimize. For SSDs, this sends a TRIM operation; it is not a traditional hard-drive defragmentation pass.

How to undo: Do not disable TRIM for normal SSD use. If you changed it only for testing, restore the recommended state with fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0.

Use the Correct M.2 Slot: Exact Value—Primary CPU-Connected M.2 Slot

What causes it: Some M.2 slots share bandwidth with SATA ports, chipset lanes, or expansion slots. Incorrect slot selection can limit link speed or create conflicts, depending on the motherboard layout.

How to check: Read the motherboard manual’s storage-lane diagram. In Windows, open Task Manager > Performance > Disk to confirm the drive is detected, then use the SSD manufacturer’s utility to confirm negotiated PCIe generation and lane width. A PCIe x4 drive operating at x2 may indicate a slot limitation or lane-sharing issue.

What to do: Install the primary game SSD in the motherboard’s top or primary M.2 slot when the manual identifies it as CPU-connected. Fit the M.2 heatsink correctly, including removal of any protective plastic from the thermal pad. Do not overtighten the retaining screw.

How to undo: Shut down the PC, switch off the power supply, unplug it, and move the SSD back to its prior slot. Recheck whether using that slot disables any SATA ports listed in the motherboard manual.

What causes it: Aggressive PCIe power management can occasionally cause a storage device to take longer to resume from a low-power state. This is more relevant when troubleshooting intermittent drive wake-up pauses than when chasing average frame rate.

How to check: Watch for a pattern: the first game launch, file browse, or download after idle takes unusually long, while later activity is normal. Check Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System for recurring disk or controller warnings before changing power settings.

What to do: Go to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings. Expand PCI Express > Link State Power Management and set it to Off for the active plan. Keep the rest of the plan at default unless you have a specific issue.

How to undo: Return to the same menu and select Moderate power savings or Maximum power savings. Balanced defaults are usually best for laptops when battery life matters.

By Hardware Tier

Low-End Hardware: SATA SSD or DRAM-Less NVMe

What causes it: Budget systems often rely on smaller SSDs, SATA drives, or DRAM-less NVMe models. The main issue is usually limited free space rather than the absence of onboard DRAM itself.

How to check: Confirm the game drive has at least 15% free capacity and check whether Windows is installed on an SSD rather than a mechanical hard drive.

What to do: Keep the operating system and current games on the SSD. Set the Windows page file to System managed through System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced > Virtual memory. Move recordings and inactive games elsewhere. Do not buy extra system RAM solely to “increase SSD DRAM cache”; HMB behavior is controlled by the SSD firmware.

How to undo: Restore a custom page-file configuration only if you had one for a specific professional workflow. Otherwise, leave it system managed.

Midrange Hardware: 1TB–2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe

What causes it: Midrange systems are commonly held back by a nearly full primary drive, excessive background downloads, or poor cooling rather than raw SSD speed.

How to check: During a large game update, open Task Manager > Performance > Disk and watch active time, transfer rate, and available capacity. Check SSD temperature in the manufacturer utility if the drive is under a GPU or lacks a heatsink.

What to do: Use the primary CPU-connected slot, keep 15–20% free, enable normal write caching, and install the motherboard M.2 heatsink. Pause launcher downloads while playing if disk use is high.

How to undo: Re-enable downloads after gaming, and restore the previous power setting if disabling PCIe link-state management increases laptop heat or reduces battery life.

High-End Hardware: PCIe 5.0 NVMe and Multiple Drives

What causes it: High-end systems can still suffer from lane-sharing, thermal throttling, and placing every workload on one fast drive. A faster SSD does not help if it overheats or if game files compete with recording and large downloads.

How to check: Consult the motherboard lane map and confirm each drive’s negotiated link. Monitor drive temperatures during sustained installs, captures, or file transfers.

What to do: Dedicate the fastest cooled NVMe drive to Windows and active games. Use a second SSD for recordings, editing scratch files, downloads, and archives. Ensure PCIe 5.0 drives have the cooling solution specified by their manufacturer or motherboard.

How to undo: If adding drives reduces GPU or storage lane availability on your platform, move secondary storage to chipset-connected slots or remove the least-needed drive.

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Looking for a “DRAM cache size” setting in BIOS. What causes it: Confusion between SSD onboard DRAM, system RAM, and motherboard memory settings. How to check: If the menu is under overclocking, memory timing, EXPO, XMP, or DRAM voltage, it controls system RAM, not SSD cache. What to do: Leave SSD cache management to the drive firmware and focus on free capacity, cooling, TRIM, and proper slot placement. How to undo: Load BIOS optimized defaults if you changed memory settings without understanding them.

Mistake: Disabling write-cache flushing for a tiny perceived gain. What causes it: Old tuning guides present it as a universal performance setting. How to check: Inspect Device Manager > Disk drives > Properties > Policies. What to do: Keep buffer flushing enabled. How to undo: Clear the “Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing” box and restart if required.

Mistake: Running third-party RAM-disk or cache software for installed games. What causes it: RAM caching sounds faster than SSD storage. How to check: Look in Settings > Apps > Installed apps and startup programs for cache utilities. What to do: Use normal SSD storage unless you understand the software’s persistence and recovery behavior. How to undo: Disable the utility’s cache, move files back to standard storage, then uninstall it.

FAQ

Can I manually increase my SSD’s DRAM cache?

No. Onboard SSD DRAM is physical memory chosen by the drive manufacturer and managed by firmware. Adding system RAM does not convert into more dedicated SSD DRAM cache, although some DRAM-less NVMe drives can use a limited amount of system memory through HMB.

Does SSD DRAM cache increase FPS?

Usually not in a direct, measurable way during a GPU-limited game. It can improve storage consistency during installs, patches, shader-cache generation, asset loading, and background file activity. For frame-rate problems, check GPU settings, CPU load, system RAM capacity, temperatures, and background tasks first.

Should I use XMP or EXPO for better DRAM cache performance?

XMP and EXPO configure system RAM speed, timings, and voltage; they do not configure an SSD’s DRAM cache. Enabling a stable memory profile can improve overall PC performance in CPU-sensitive games, but it is a separate task from SSD optimization. If instability appears, revert to BIOS defaults or use a lower validated memory speed.

How do I know whether my SSD is throttling?

Look for performance that starts normally during a large install or file copy and then falls sharply while the drive is hot. Check the SSD manufacturer utility for temperature and health information, confirm the heatsink is installed properly, and ensure the M.2 area has airflow. If temperatures remain high, improve case airflow or use the board’s included M.2 heatsink rather than changing cache-related settings.

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