Problem
An editor places application caches on NAS because of local SSD constraints, turning a high-IOPS local workload into network metadata traffic.
Solution
Root Cause / Diagnostic:
NLE render caches, optical flow vector files, and waveform peak data generate high-frequency, low-latency random small-block read/write operations (thousands of IOPS). Redirecting these cache directories to an SMB network share floods the network stack with metadata requests, congesting bandwidth and freezing the timeline UI.
Actionable Fix:
1. Local High-Speed Scratch SSD Reallocation: Open NLE preferences (DaVinci Resolve / Premiere Pro) and explicitly set Media Cache, Scratch Disks, and Optimized Media to a dedicated local PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD.
2. Network Cache Purge: Purge all existing cache directories from the network NAS share to eliminate unnecessary network metadata traffic.
3. Timeline Scrubbing Latency Benchmark: Scrub through a complex 4K timeline with waveforms enabled to verify that playhead response is instantaneous and network traffic drops to near zero.
Pro Tip:
Never put your NLE render cache or waveform files on a network drive; keep your cache files on a blazing-fast local NVMe SSD and use the NAS strictly for source video footage.
NLE render caches, optical flow vector files, and waveform peak data generate high-frequency, low-latency random small-block read/write operations (thousands of IOPS). Redirecting these cache directories to an SMB network share floods the network stack with metadata requests, congesting bandwidth and freezing the timeline UI.
Actionable Fix:
1. Local High-Speed Scratch SSD Reallocation: Open NLE preferences (DaVinci Resolve / Premiere Pro) and explicitly set Media Cache, Scratch Disks, and Optimized Media to a dedicated local PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD.
2. Network Cache Purge: Purge all existing cache directories from the network NAS share to eliminate unnecessary network metadata traffic.
3. Timeline Scrubbing Latency Benchmark: Scrub through a complex 4K timeline with waveforms enabled to verify that playhead response is instantaneous and network traffic drops to near zero.
Pro Tip:
Never put your NLE render cache or waveform files on a network drive; keep your cache files on a blazing-fast local NVMe SSD and use the NAS strictly for source video footage.