Show us your SSD performance

[bbinnard]

Kingston 64GB SSD-Now+ with Windows 7-64

Kingston 64GB SSD-Now+ with Windows 7-64

 

[fatedquest]

I don't understand why my 4k random read is so slow. Any idea?

 

[bbinnard]

My best guess is it has to do with the cluster size used to format the SSD. A small cluster size means the SSD firmware has to chase more pointers to get to the next cluster. Large cluster sizes reduce this, but then force small files to take up more space.

 

[DaGooN]

just updated the firmware to 20HD on my X-25M 80GB G2

 

[fatedquest]

My best guess is it has to do with the cluster size used to format the SSD. A small cluster size means the SSD firmware has to chase more pointers to get to the next cluster. Large cluster sizes reduce this, but then force small files to take up more space.

My cluster size is pretty standard. 512 bytes per sector, 8 sectors per cluster. So 4096 bytes per cluster.

I'm really puzzled my only my 4k random access is affected.
-----------------------------
Fixed my problem. I didn't install the Intel Chipset Driver. Now it's all good

 

[bbinnard]

Maybe the problem is the benchmark software

Here are 2 benchmarks I ran on my Kingston 64GB SSD wiht #2 immediately following #1:

Capture.JPG

 

[ggrrttdd]

Intel 80gb ssd 2nd gen. On vostro 1310, mobile 965 chipset.
As SSD.

 

[apuntsel]

Here are my screenshots from my Dell Studio 17 ... so what does 40162 K -Bad mean?

 

[whs]

Hmm, the HD Tune picture is not all that bright. I have the same SSD but as G1 and the nums are a lot better. What happened?

 

[apuntsel]

Hmm, the HD Tune picture is not all that bright. I have the same SSD but as G1 and the nums are a lot better. What happened?

I'm not sure. I received the drive today from Zip Zoom Fly, upgraded the firmware, cloned the drive and swapped them out. I did check to see if trim was on, both crystal disk info and command line fsutil showed that it was on.

 

[whs]

But something is not right. My first suspect would be the firmware. Trim should not make a difference. The HD Tune numbers are reads and on a brand new disk even writes would run at top speed.

 

[apuntsel]

Any suggestions as to what troubleshooting steps i should take?

 

[whs]

I would first snoop around at the Intel forum or ask Intel directly whether there is a known problem with your level of firmware. Testing firmware is probably beyond our capability.

 

[apuntsel]

Thanks ...

 

[K3VL4R]

Intel X25-M G2 80GB. I just copied the screen shot from another forum as I do not have the pic anymore.

 

[Gildor]

Any suggestions as to what troubleshooting steps i should take?

You could also try posting your results over at the Anandtech forum. Lots of knowledgeable SSD folks over there as well.

 

[K3VL4R]

Here are my screenshots from my Dell Studio 17 ... so what does 40162 K -Bad mean?

It could mean the 4KB speeds are out of normal range for that drive. You should be getting around what I posted above with your SSD. I have not read this whole thread to find out your specs or the issue but here are some suggestions.

Make sure your firmware is up to date. 1.5 (02HD) is the newest. You need at least V1.4 with the Intel drives for TRIM to be enabled. Install Intel SSD toolbox to find out firmware version

   Note

How to update Intel SSD Firmware

1. burn Intel SSD update firmware image (file.iso) to disc using imgbrn or similar application
2. Reboot computer and Enter BIOS and make sure SATA controllers are set to IDE (I think F12 for Dell)
3. Also check that boot from CD/DVD listed in boot priority section (may need to be listed first)
4. Insert firmware update cd into computer and select to save changes to BIOS and reboot.
5. Let cd boot up and follow instructions to update firmware.
6. Once firmware flash completion is confirmed you can remove the CD and reboot again

Now this is where it can be tricky depending on your current set up.

If you had your SATA controller originally set up to AHCI (which you need for TRIM) in the BIOS then you can enter the BIOS again and set it back to AHCI. If you did not have it like that before then you will need to back up your files or image your OS to another drive (both methods should be here in the tutorial section) and format the SSD with AHCI enabled and reinstall Windows 7. I know this sucks but the drive needs to be formatted with AHCI enabled to have the benefits that come with AHCI. Now that is if you can use AHCI at all as some dells may not have this feature or not allow you into the BIOS at all (you can Google how to get into the BIOS. If you are locked out or some features are hidden, ie. may need to do something to enable advanced settings)

Another thing that can hold back TRIM is if you install your Motherboard AHCI drivers over top of the default Microsoft ones. Note: Chipset drivers are different from AHCI drivers. If you do not know what that means or you just installed Windows 7 and nothing else for drivers (besides audio, graphics and peripherals) then you are already using the Microsoft ones.

With those three components (well actually four because you need Windows 7 also): AHCI enabled, V1.4 or V1.5 (latest firmware) and Microsoft AHCI drivers then TRIM is automatic and needs no intervention from you. As soon as you delete a file (read: delete file and empty recycling bin) then the TRIM command is sent to the SSD and it will be performed once the drive is idle (for efficiency and performance reasons)

Another thing that can affect performance is how full the drive is. The more free space the drive has the better the drive can perform because even though most SSDs have cache, they still use the free space as kind of a kind of buffer. HDDs that are 80GB are actually 74GB once formatted. SSDs that are 80GB are still 80GB but only show the 74GB as free space and use this remaining space as the buffer space because SSDs need to move files around due to the way they write to the drive. I would recommend having at least 20-30% free space (no particular reason for that number, just a recommendation) to help keep performance up. That is why you will see people recommending (depending on the SSD size) to install games and other large files on another hard drive to free up space on the SSD. Games really only benefit from faster level loading having them on the SSD, so having them on another drive so that the OS and apps can benefit from the SSD is better for the user.

 

[fatedquest]

You can still pass TRIM in IDE mode. Maybe the default IDE drivers won't do this automatically, but you can always use the SSD toolbox to do it. It will take seconds if you've disabled Windows Restore, or and hour or two depending on the size of your restore points. The more points you have, the longer it will take. TRIM however will not make your read speeds any faster. TRIM only affect writes, and hardly ever will you need blazingly fast writes.

You main problem is your alignment is out. Google up all the topics you can find about fixing your alignment. The best way is to delete all the partition. Create a new partition that is aligned, then reinstall Windows. Your sequential reads will improve 20-30% and your random reads will double. Trust me. It took me two month to realize the problem with my SSD was the alignment.

 

[DaGooN]

i dont think you need to format if you install win7 in ide, there is a simply Reg edit you can make and then switch to AHCI in bios. ive done this and it works. TRIM,SMART,NCQ all works.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

also follow this guide to get your SSD if Cloned from a HDD Alignment right.

How to setup Core V1/2, Solid, Apex, Vertex SSD with aligned partitions using USB (if available on the drive) or SATA. Updated to show how to use Vista recovery disk

or

Guide Partition alignment importance under Windows XP (32-bit and 64-bit)..why it helps with stuttering and increases drive working life.

he also has a video on youtbe on how to do this. works a treat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUu9InlfD_c

 

[zrtom]

Here are my screenshots from my Dell Studio 17 ... so what does 40162 K -Bad mean?

View attachment 56649
View attachment 56650

The C:\ partition is not aligned. The only way to get it aligned is to create a new partition. If you use W7 to create the new partition, W7 will create it properly aligned.
If you create an image of the current partition with Acronis True Image, more times than not, Acronis will apply the image to the new partition properly aligned, particularly if you give attention when deciding whether to restore MBR and Track 0.

The OCZ forums mentioned are a good place for information. There are conflicting posts regarding the Tutuorial/YouTube video regarding whether or not to restore MBR and Track 0 when restoring a misaligned partition to a newly created aligned partition. You could always try it both ways and see what diskpar.exe (or AS SSD) reports. The first time through, I'd restore the image without restoring MBR and Track 0.
Tom