New SSD - bad performance

[pafkata90]

New SSD - Working in SATA 1.5G, not 3G?

I just installed a fresh SSD on my laptop - Samsung 470 128GB
I have set the BIOS to AHCI mode (it was by default), and I've disabled System Restore which I hear causes problems with TRIM to run properly. I've used the software from Samsung to "optimize" the disk performance also. I checked with CMD and it says TRIM is ON.
The problem is that when I run AS SDD benchmark I get two times lower (or even more) results than what other reviews show, and what Samsung give as specifications. Same results I get with Samsung's software benchmark - Samsung Magician.

The drivers for the laptop should be fine. It's a fresh Windows installation but I noticed that the Defragment schedule wasn't turned off bu default. I hear Windows should detect that it's installing on an SSD and it should set some things (like defrag schedule) the proper way.

I haven't done any manual alignment because as far as I know it isn't needed when you make a fresh Windows installation.

I have also updated to the latest firmware.

Any help on this would be great I'll post the benchmark results of some program if you want.

 

[Beta]

Try installing the intel drivers. They seem to help the speed of SSD drives.

 

[pafkata90]

Which Intel drivers do you mean? I've got the latest chipset drivers, I believe.

 

[Beta]

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=19607

 

[pafkata90]

Okay, it didn't raise the speed but it showed up a problem - it looks like something is restricting the connection to SATA 1.5... How can I see who's the bad guy in the system and possibly change that?

Could it be because of this Intel RST power saver feature Link power management? I found this document explaining how to disable it through the regedit http://mbforum.gigabyte.de/forumdownload//Software/OEM_Technical Guide RST_rev1_0 10 0 Release.pdf

Here's a quote:
"3. Go to the below mentioned location to insert or configure the registry keys for LPM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parame
ters\Port0\

4. Now add the following registry keys under the registry location mentioned in step3,
if they are not available (These registry keys are not available by default, they can be
added by using automated scripts, .reg files, executable utilities, etc). If you find the
below registry keys already available, you can modify the values for desired support.
Values are modified on a port by port basis so modify all ports that you wish the
changes to be supported on

“LPM”=dword: 00000001 {dword: 00000000->Disable; dword: 00000001-
>Enable} [default = Enabled]
“LPMSTATE”=dword: 00000000 {dword: 00000000->Partial; dword: 00000001-
>Slumber} [default = Disabled] (Note: the driver ignores this key when the LPM key’s
value is not set to 1. So when LPM value is 0, this value is N/A.)
“LPMDSTATE”=dword: 00000001 {dword: 00000000->Partial; dword: 00000001-
>Slumber} [default = Enabled]
“DIPM”=dword: 00000001 {dword: 00000000->Disable; dword: 00000001-
>Enable} [default = Enabled]"

The thing is that I don't have a "folder" called Port0 (or any "folder" at all) under "Parameters". Maybe it's worth trying? But I need some assistance

PS: Nope, I didn't need one. The bad news is it's still SATA 1.5G. Any suggestions? I'm contacting Dell to ask them if it was their deed and if there's a way to enable 3Gb/s. Also emailed Samsung but I don't expect much there.

 

[DGLang]

First of all, verify exactly what speed (SATA, SATA II, or SATA III) do your motherboard controllers run at. Also, what SATA type is your SSD, is it SATA, SATA II, or SATA III?

Running a SATA III SSD on a SATA (I) controller throttles the SSD to SATA I speeds no matter what the drive is capable of. Likewise, running a sata III drive on a SATA II controller also reduces it's speed.

Second, check if your SSD is on the same controller as a much slower device such as a CD/DVD device. If it is sharing a controller with a slow device, that may be the problem.

Finally just because you have a SSD drive, that doesn't mean that it is as fast as the newer SSD Drives.

I an running a single Patriot Pyro 60 GIG SSD which I bought for $109.00 at Newegg on a Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5 motherboard and I am getting very respectable read and write scores which are as follow:

 

[GeneO]

Okay, it didn't raise the speed but it showed up a problem - it looks like something is restricting the connection to SATA 1.5... How can I see who's the bad guy in the system and possibly change that?

Could it be because of this Intel RST power saver feature Link power management? I found this document explaining how to disable it through the regedit http://mbforum.gigabyte.de/forumdownload//Software/OEM_Technical%20Guide%20RST_rev1_0%2010%200%20Release.pdf

Here's a quote:
"3. Go to the below mentioned location to insert or configure the registry keys for LPM

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parame
ters\Port0\

4. Now add the following registry keys under the registry location mentioned in step3,
if they are not available (These registry keys are not available by default, they can be
added by using automated scripts, .reg files, executable utilities, etc). If you find the
below registry keys already available, you can modify the values for desired support.
Values are modified on a port by port basis so modify all ports that you wish the
changes to be supported on

“LPM”=dword: 00000001 {dword: 00000000->Disable; dword: 00000001-
>Enable} [default = Enabled]
“LPMSTATE”=dword: 00000000 {dword: 00000000->Partial; dword: 00000001-
>Slumber} [default = Disabled] (Note: the driver ignores this key when the LPM key’s
value is not set to 1. So when LPM value is 0, this value is N/A.)
“LPMDSTATE”=dword: 00000001 {dword: 00000000->Partial; dword: 00000001-
>Slumber} [default = Enabled]
“DIPM”=dword: 00000001 {dword: 00000000->Disable; dword: 00000001-
>Enable} [default = Enabled]"

The thing is that I don't have a "folder" called Port0 (or any "folder" at all) under "Parameters". Maybe it's worth trying? But I need some assistance

PS: Nope, I didn't need one. The bad news is it's still SATA 1.5G. Any suggestions? I'm contacting Dell to ask them if it was their deed and if there's a way to enable 3Gb/s. Also emailed Samsung but I don't expect much there.

Your chipset predates LPM I think.

What kind of speeds are you seeing and with what are you measuring it? Post a benchmark. But anyhow, you can create a key called port 0 and populate it, if you are comfortable with that. But if you are not seeing any difference between the Intel and Microsoft SAT controller drivers, it probably isn't LPM.

 

[pafkata90]

The SSD is SATAII and I've tested it on another laptop. It's running properly there with very high scores. I tried another SATAII HDD in my laptop and it was ALSO running only on SATAI. Also after contacting Dell they told me that there is no reason that my computer should not use SATAII, but I'm starting to think that the operator I spoke with wasn't right. I also spoke with Intel support (or whatever it was called) and they concluded that it's probably incompatibility with this SSD and my mother board. Also excluded the option of LPM being the reason for all of this.

As for the benchmarks – I used almost every piece of benchmarking tool and all of them gave pretty much the same results. Read/Write speeds were around 130 MBps. I'm attaching an AS SSD test, ran in safe mode with the SSD as a system drive.

So what do you think? Could it be something that needs software solution, or maybe a hardware that's not working properly and needs replacement, or is it just a total incapability of the motherboard/the whole laptop to run anything higher than SATAI, despite what DELL are trying to convince me?