New Hard Drive and Windows 7 = slower?

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  1. Posts : 20
    Windows 7 x64
       #1

    New Hard Drive and Windows 7 = slower?


    Hello everyone,

    I would first like to start off by saying that I do love Windows 7, but I seem to be having some issues with my new internal HDD for my computer. I'll start by giving specs on my computer to give everyone an idea what I'm dealing with here.

    Custom PC:
    MainBoard: MS-7388
    Processor: AMD Phenom x4 9750 (2.4GHz)
    RAM: 8GB DDR2
    Video: ATI Radeon HD 4890 (1GB GDDR5)
    Sound: Onboard Realtek HD Audio
    HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (7200rpm, 32mb cache, SATA, 3GB/s Transfer)

    Last Defragment: 11/09/09
    Last Backup: 11/10/09

    Prior to installing the WD Black, my computer was running a Samsung SP2014N (7200rpm, 200GB, 8MB cache, IDE). While using Windows 7, this HD was very fast at accessing information, but transfer rates seemed low (in my opinion), and I needed much more space since my External HD was crashing.

    After careful consideration, I purchased the new WD Black. Brought it home, connected the new HD, installed Win7, updating all drivers and even updating the BIOS as of yesterday. This new HDD seems slower than my old one, and I cannot seem to find a way to speed it up.

    In BIOS, I have to run the new HDD through IDE settings for it accept it, but the primary and secondary IDE controllers are still showing with nothing running in their place. This also transfers over to Device Manager, where the new HDD shows up under the IDE/ATA/ATAPI Controllers as "ATA Channel 1", with DMA checked under advanced settings.

    All Drivers have been updated prior to checking in here. I know I am not getting anywhere near the 3GB/s transfer rates that WD claims this drive will perform up to.

    If anyone out there has any suggestions at all, I would love to hear from you. I'm just running out of ideas...

    Thanks!
    -Michael
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,685
    Windows 7 Ultimate x86-64
       #2

    Did you connect the hard drive via SATA to SATA_1 on your mobo or SATA_0 on your mobo? What is your psu? That seems to be a mobo problem.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 20
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    It's connected to the 3rd SATA Port, which I am willing to guess is a SATA_1 slot on the board. Device Manager states that it is a SATA_1 slot. I was forced to place this in the 3rd port because of the bulkiness of the GPU, which covers the top two SATA slots.

    Running an 850W Thermaltake Black Widow, so Power is not the issue.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,685
    Windows 7 Ultimate x86-64
       #4

    Try to put it in the first slot. Look in the manual one for SATA_1 on the board or _0.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 20
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    I will attempt this, however, I have a feeling it's going to be a losing battle due to the PCI-E x16 slot covering these two ports. I will report back from my phone if there is any update.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 20
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    As suspected, the GPU placement prohibits use of the SATA 1 location, however, I did move the SATA cables for the BluRay player to port 4, moving the HDD to port 3. I'm testing now to see if there is improvement.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 2,111
    Win7 Build 7600 x86
       #7

    se7ensmatrix121 said:
    I will attempt this, however, I have a feeling it's going to be a losing battle due to the PCI-E x16 slot covering these two ports. I will report back from my phone if there is any update.
    Hi se7ensmatrix121,

    I'm sorry to disappoint you but there's no way in the world you are going to get 3Gbit/s
    That is a theoretical maximum for the Sata II standard, but that applies to the controller, not the disks themselves.

    3gbit/s = 384 Mbytes per second and there isn't a "platter" disk in the world that can go that fast.

    Somewhere between 60 and 80 Mbyte/s is the max sustained throughput you can get with a single platter disk. And about 128Mbyte/s bursts for very short periods when the disk's cache is read instead of the platters.


    Why do they make a 3Gbit/s (384Mbyte/s) standard while no disk can reach that, I hear you think.

    Well, for starters the controller standard always has to be ahead of the disk speeds,
    so the disks have some headroom, and to allow development of faster disks.
    there's no point in making a disk faster than the controller can handle.

    Having said that,

    The Sata II standard is created with SSD disks in mind.
    The newest SSD disks are getting very close to that theoretical maximum.
    The fastest to date reads and writes at 260 Mbytes/s.

    It won't be long before SSD breaks the 384Mb barrier.
    Therefore Sata III is already on it's way, that will be 6Gbit/s (768Mb/s)

    Soon SSD will become more affordable and platter disks will die a slowly disappear, just like the floppy disk.

    I hope this explains it.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 2,685
    Windows 7 Ultimate x86-64
       #8

    I'll buy an SSD when 1TB becomes affordable. Die out? Not for a looooong time.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 20
    Windows 7 x64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    My main issue is not the theoretical 3GB/s, it's that my new HDD is not performing to the speed of the 4 year old IDE HDD that it was replacing. The new HDD is sluggish in spots the old HDD was not. Graphic design programs like Photoshop in 64 bit would load files in roughly a few seconds with swift, on the fly changes made instantly, where the new HDD stutters over itself to keep up on the same files.

    On a side note, in slot 3, the HDD is now listed as ATA channel 0. I am still not seeing a change in the speeds. Slot 1 cannot be used as the GPU sits directly over it, and moving the GPU to the other PCI-E slot will drop it to an x8 performance.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 2,685
    Windows 7 Ultimate x86-64
       #10

    Try SATA_1 if its faster, temporarily.
      My Computer


 
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