Slow SSD speed

[memetootoo]

Hi everyone,

I just bought and installed a Force GT Corsair SSD. Its rated as 555/525 MB/s read write. I just ran the HD tune program, and it's stating that I'm only getting a read of 231 MB/s.

Did I not install something correctly? That's more than half of what I should be getting! Help would be great. Thanks!

[Deleted]

Your motherboard is definitely Sata3 compatable, right? If not, that is probably the issue.

[Limmy]

Not enough information
Are you using a SATA 3 cable?
Do you have SATA 3?

[memetootoo]

Your motherboard is definitely Sata3 compatable, right? If not, that is probably the issue.

Not enough information
Are you using a SATA 3 cable?
Do you have SATA 3?

Thanks for the quick responses! I have a p9x79 motherboard and it's Sata 3 compatible. The sata cable I used does not identify itself as sata 2/sata 3. So it looks like I'm going to have to buy new cables to be sure. I'll report back with test results after getting a new cable.

This is the first time I've put together a computer from scratch, and I'm now concerned that other parts may not be working as intended. Are there any other free tools like HD tune / CPU-Z I can download to benchmark my system, and ensure everything is running smoothly?

[Masark]

Thanks for the quick responses! I have a p9x79 motherboard and it's Sata 3 compatible.

Check that the SSD is plugged into one of the white SATA ports. The blue ports are 3Gbps. The white ones are 6Gbps.

[memetootoo]

There's no difference between cables. SATA is standardised and any variation in results is down to A) The benchmark B) The quality of the cable itself, and NOT C) Whether it's branded as "SATA-3".

Just to confirm that I'm understanding correctly: The quality of sata cable matters? I was always told that the quality of sata cables matter little, and is similar to the $10 generic hdmi cables vs the $100 gold plated monster cables. If this is the case, I'll put off buying a sata 3 cable for the time being, and try using another benchmark.

[Saithes]

I bet its on a SATA 3Gbps port or a Marvell Port.

[lockblock]

Most SSD's rely to much on compression to achieve maximum speeds.
I have 2 force gt in raid 0 and they are lucky to even achieve the max speed of 1 drive most of the time. (both on intel sata 3 ports)
When i first got them i ran the benchmark with them completely blank and it achieved max speeds consistently but soon as i started installing crap it was literally cut in half.

[anb]

ust to confirm that I'm understanding correctly: The quality of sata cable matters?

it doesn't matter in terms of performance. luxury cable will have same speed as cheapest one, however it will be more durable and probably last longer without bending.

[Cûr]

No; cables don't make any difference in general. 90 degree connectors, and locking connectors are nice features.

Check your manual and make sure you're connected to the correct ports as mentioned. I'm running that same motherboard (Pro model) and a couple Intel 520 SSDs and getting the expected speeds.

[Deleted]

Its not like a high quality cable will make it go double as fast. Something is up with your setup and config. Check ports and make sure your BIOS dont have any setting to control the controllers.

[Perderder]

Check that the SSD is plugged into one of the white SATA ports. The blue ports are 3Gbps. The white ones are 6Gbps.

What this guy said. The only non-Intel SATA controller on this board runs the 2 eSATA ports, so you are going to get top performance from your controller. The last thing to check is if you have it set to AHCI. To do this you will need to enter BIOS, click the advanced tab and select SATA Configuration. The top option is SATA Mode. It should be set to AHCI Mode.

[Mythricia]

Changing to AHCI from IDE mode could prevent you from booting into Windows. There are fixes to this that doesn't involve reinstalling, some googling will help you.

Double and triple check cable seating - cables that are attached to a drive / board at high tension (i.e. being pulled aside) can cause i/o issues.