Best setup for ploting

Your system configuration is similar to what I have. Here is what I’d recommend:

  1. Install PrimoCache (it is free for 30 days). Make a 50 GB RAM (51200 MB) L1 cache for the fastest SSD you have. Let’s suppose your fastest SSD is going to be mounted on disk T:

  2. Install MadMax plotter for Windows (as other people recommended above). You will need to know your farmer public key and pool public key (just read documentation)

  3. Let’s suppose your second best SSD is mounted on disk U:, and final destination is HDD mounted at J:

  4. In the MadMax plotter for Windows, there is already a file plot_with_log.cmd - copy it and modify to recommended settings.

Since your CPU is 8-cores, I recommend you to use 8 threads. Some people recommend to use 16 (because the CPU has 16 threads) - while this will load your CPU harder, on my setup I make plots faster when setting = number of cores

For the PrimoCache L1 task, the reason for assigning it to T: is that this will be most write-intensive (75% writes). Allocating 50GB RAM allows you to save a lot of writes. Not as good as RAM disk (if you had 128GB, it would be possible), but still better than nothing. For the cache task, choose block size 64KB (and also format your T: disk as NTFS with 64k block size). Make sure to choose “Enable Defer-Write”, latency 300s or “infinite”.

Finally, the command for running plotting would be something like this:

chia_plot.exe -n 10 -r 8 -u 512 -v 128 -t U:\tmp\ -2 T:\tmp\ -d J:\plots\ -p <your pool key> -f <your farmer key>

-n - number of plots to create in a batch
-r - number of threads, should be = number of cores
-u - number of buckets phase 1-2 (?)
-v - number of buckets phase 3-4 (?)
-t the SSD drive where 25% writes will be
-2 - the SSD drive where 75% writes will be (you will cover some of that with 50GB RAM)

Oh also you should regularly run TRIM command on your SSDs. Create a shortcut to cmd.exe as follows:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /K "defrag T: /L /O /V"
C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /K "defrag U: /L /O /V"

Just run these commands before a new batch or once a day

I agree, the RAM disk may slow you down a bit (if your RAM is not as fast), but saving 75% writes from SSD is a benefit that’s hard to pass.

many thanks,…with these settings can I produce how many plots por a day? in two days I will get another 64 GB DDR4 Ram … first SSD disk will be corsair MP600 CORE 4TB M.2 and second Patriot Viper VP4100 1TB m.2…

Nobody will be able to tell you that… Results may vary :slight_smile:

Once you have 128GB, the setup completely changes. Instead of using PrimoCache, you create a RAM disk size of 110GB and use it for “-2” (75% writes), and then you will need only 1 SSD (the fastest you have)

probably i will use INTEL DC SSD S4610 3.8 TB 6.35 cm 2.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 3D2 TLC

yesterday i try
K-32
15 plots in parallel / 3390 RAM /2 threads / on SSD 4TB

now is running 20h and still is not finish

on normal Chia program

SATA is too slow, doesn’t make sense using S4610 for chia plotting. It is better to buy a smaller drive, but U.2 form factor:

It is a PCIE 3.0 x4 and supports NVMe (but you need to have an U.2 motherboard header or buy an expansion card)