SSD upgrade underperforming

Question

I upgraded my Windows 7 PC from a Samsung Spinpoint F4EG HD204UI HDD to a SanDisk Pulse SDSSDP-128G-G25 SSD but, unlike seemingly everyone else in the world, I have never noticed a performance increase - system or program startup, etc.

A 5 1000MB CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 3.0.3.b test on the SSD:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
                           Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

           Sequential Read :   244.966 MB/s
          Sequential Write :    33.956 MB/s
         Random Read 512KB :   177.489 MB/s
        Random Write 512KB :    10.441 MB/s
    Random Read 4KB (QD=1) :    11.718 MB/s [  2860.9 IOPS]
   Random Write 4KB (QD=1) :    10.086 MB/s [  2462.4 IOPS]
   Random Read 4KB (QD=32) :    27.991 MB/s [  6833.8 IOPS]
  Random Write 4KB (QD=32) :     6.606 MB/s [  1612.7 IOPS]

  Test : 1000 MB [C: 91.6% (109.1/119.1 GB)] (x5)
  Date : 2015/06/16 20:03:27
    OS : Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

SSD CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 3.0.3.b output

Even though those stats aren't terrible, it really doesn't seem like the system is operating at that capacity and, according to Kingston SSDNow V300 PCSTATS Review - SSD Benchmarks: CrystalDiskMark 3, AS SSD, others have had significantly better results than I have with SSD performance.

Comparatively, a 5 1000MB CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 3.0.3.b test (same as above) on the HDD:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
                           Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

           Sequential Read :    85.479 MB/s
          Sequential Write :    81.741 MB/s
         Random Read 512KB :    27.918 MB/s
        Random Write 512KB :    40.336 MB/s
    Random Read 4KB (QD=1) :     0.319 MB/s [    78.0 IOPS]
   Random Write 4KB (QD=1) :     0.670 MB/s [   163.6 IOPS]
   Random Read 4KB (QD=32) :     0.445 MB/s [   108.7 IOPS]
  Random Write 4KB (QD=32) :     0.568 MB/s [   138.8 IOPS]

  Test : 1000 MB [D: 98.4% (1833.4/1863.0 GB)] (x5)
  Date : 2015/06/16 20:18:05
    OS : Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

HDD CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 3.0.3.b output

In answer to the most common questions:

"Was Windows reinstalled?"
I don't recall. The SSD order acknowledgement email is dated 2012/11/23 and wmic os get installdate reports 20130117141810.000000+000 so that would suggest so but I am one for imaging (of which I usually use Acronis True Image) and I doubt imaging would change that date but I will answer imaging-related questions too just in case.

"Were the sectors aligned by 1024?"
No, but I believe it's too late now.

"Is SATA in AHCI mode?"
It wasn't for a long time but I enabled it in the BIOS and tweaked the registry to force the install of compatible drivers in Windows a few months ago and it didn't made a difference.

"Is TRIM enabled?"
Yes. fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify reports 0.

"Is the defragsvc (Disk Defragmenter) service disabled?"
Yes.

"Is indexing disabled?"
No, but I believe that wouldn't cause a performance decrease (or lack thereof) like this.

"Are there any related Error or Warning System events?"
Not that I can see or have ever noticed.

"Was it a cheap / bad SSD?"
It was £44.15 ($69.09) and is generally rated ~9/10. See Sandisk Pulse 128GB 2.5inch SSD - Ebuyer

"Has it degraded?"
A scan with SSDLife Free version 2.5.82 says it's absolutely fine but is missing a few details:

SSDLife Free version 2.5.82 output

Update 2015/06/16 22:34: In response to @Jet, @Paul, and @JulianKnight.

"Is the SysMain (Superfetch) service disabled?"
No, but, from what I've read, doing so can be counterproductive, even with an SSD.

"Did the performance decrease as storage usage increased?"
If I recall correctly, there has never been a performance increase, even when Windows was freshly installed and, therefore, barely using any of the available storage. It currently has 10.1GB of 119GB free (8.5%).

A 3 1GiB (default) CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 4.0.3a test on the SSD:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 4.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2015 hiyohiyo
                           Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 bytes/s [SATA/600 = 600,000,000 bytes/s]
* KB = 1000 bytes, KiB = 1024 bytes

   Sequential Read (Q= 32,T= 1) :   262.641 MB/s
  Sequential Write (Q= 32,T= 1) :   134.803 MB/s
  Random Read 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) :    33.444 MB/s [  8165.0 IOPS]
 Random Write 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) :    14.342 MB/s [  3501.5 IOPS]
         Sequential Read (T= 1) :   242.868 MB/s
        Sequential Write (T= 1) :   125.209 MB/s
   Random Read 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) :    13.668 MB/s [  3336.9 IOPS]
  Random Write 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) :    13.472 MB/s [  3289.1 IOPS]

  Test : 1024 MiB [C: 91.5% (109.0/119.1 GiB)] (x3)
  Date : 2015/06/16 22:36:35
    OS : Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

SSD CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 4.0.3a output

Update 2015/06/17 18:57: In further response to @Paul.

WinDirStat version 1.1.2.80 scan of the SSD pre-cleanup (~8.8% free):

WinDirStat version 1.1.2.80 scan of the SSD pre-cleanup

WinDirStat version 1.1.2.80 scan of the SSD post-cleanup (27.8% free):

WinDirStat version 1.1.2.80 scan of the SSD post-cleanup

Update 2015/06/18 00:46: In response to @Bigbio2002 and @CarlB.

msinfo.exe > Components > Storage > Disks reports the SanDisk SDSSDP128G ATA Device's Partition Starting Offset value as 105,906,176 bytes. 105906176 / 512 = 206848. 206848 / 8 = 25856. So, as it's a whole number, the sectors are aligned?

I will try a new SATA cable tomorrow.

I will also time my initial system and program startup to get a more specific idea of the performance.

Update 2015/06/18 19:00

I have replaced the SSD's SATA cable.

Here are the times:

00:00:00: Power button pushed.
00:00:42: Logon screen loaded. Logged on.
00:00:53: Desktop available. Opened Google Chrome.
00:02:10: Google Chrome open. Opened Photoshop CS6 64-bit.
00:02:35: Photoshop CS6 64-bit open. Opened Outlook 2013 (2 email accounts between 1 GB and 2 GB each).
00:03:25: Outlook 2013 open. Opened iTunes.
00:03:42: iTunes open.

Admittedly, I do have quite a few startup items and Google Chrome extensions. Each program does open much quicker after the startup has completed but I still wouldn't say lightning quick.

Update 2015/06/25 16:09:

Today, as part of work, I cloned a Samsung ST1000LM024 1TB HDD to a Crucial CT1000MX200SSD1 1TB SSD in a Lenovo B5400 80B6 running Windows 8.1 Pro which was plagued with problems but after fixing the boot records I ran a 3 1GiB (default) CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 4.0.3a test:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 4.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2015 hiyohiyo
                           Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 bytes/s [SATA/600 = 600,000,000 bytes/s]
* KB = 1000 bytes, KiB = 1024 bytes

   Sequential Read (Q= 32,T= 1) :   496.050 MB/s
  Sequential Write (Q= 32,T= 1) :   490.690 MB/s
  Random Read 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) :   359.141 MB/s [ 87680.9 IOPS]
 Random Write 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) :   346.611 MB/s [ 84621.8 IOPS]
         Sequential Read (T= 1) :   301.568 MB/s
        Sequential Write (T= 1) :   490.550 MB/s
   Random Read 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) :    27.512 MB/s [  6716.8 IOPS]
  Random Write 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) :    82.835 MB/s [ 20223.4 IOPS]

  Test : 1024 MiB [C: 22.6% (210.2/930.2 GiB)] (x3)
  Date : 2015/06/25 15:50:28
    OS : Windows 8.1 Pro [6.3 Build 9600] (x64)

SSD CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 4.0.3a output

These are the kinds of speeds I expected.

My colleague ran the same test on his SSD at home and although it wasn't as fast as this SSD it was still miles ahead of mine.

http://www.pc-specs.com/storage/SanDisk/SDSSDP-128G_128GB/448, http://www.scan.co.uk/products/128gb-sandisk-pulse-25-ssd-7mm-slim-sata-iii-6gb-s-mlc-flash-read-490mb-s-write-350mb-s-8000-iops-pc, and http://www.dabs.com/products/sandisk-128gb-ssd-sata-6gb-s-2-5--solid-state-drive-870X.html all say that my SanDisk SDSSDP128G features read speeds of 490 MBps and write speeds of 350 MBps and is well-reviewed.

All of this is making me think that my SSD is faulty. I very much doubt it but I will see if it has any kind of extended warranty.

Update 2015/06/25 19:38:

According to http://www.sandisk.co.uk/about-sandisk/warranty-and-user-guides/warranty-table/#Table5, SanDisk Solid State Drives have a warranty period of 3 years. Today is 2015/06/25 and I bought it 2012/11/23 so I still have a good couple of months of warranty left. As advised by SanDisk's Twitter team I have contacted their customer care and am currently awaiting their response.

Also, a Speccy 64-bit version 1.28.709 scan on the SSD:

Speccy 64-bit version 1.28.709 scan on the SSD

SanDisk SDSSDP128G ATA Device
Manufacturer    SanDisk
Heads   16
Cylinders   15,566
Tracks  3,969,330
Sectors 250,067,790
SATA type   SATA-III 6.0Gb/s
Device type Fixed
ATA Standard    ACS2
Serial Number   123917400287
Firmware Version Number 2.0.0
LBA Size    48-bit LBA
Power On Count  1562 times
Power On Time   404.1 days
Speed   Not used (SSD Drive)
Features    S.M.A.R.T., APM, NCQ, TRIM, SSD
Max. Transfer Mode  SATA III 6.0Gb/s
Used Transfer Mode  SATA II 3.0Gb/s
Interface   SATA
Capacity    119 GB
Real size   128,035,676,160 bytes
RAID Type   None
    S.M.A.R.T
        Status  Good
            S.M.A.R.T attributes
                    05
                        Attribute name  Retired Block Count
                        Real value  0
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   0000000000
                        Status  Good
                    09
                        Attribute name  Power-On Hours (POH)
                        Real value  404d 3h
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   00000025E3
                        Status  Good
                    0C
                        Attribute name  Device Power Cycle Count
                        Real value  1,562
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   000000061A
                        Status  Good
                    AB
                        Attribute name  Program Fail Count
                        Real value  0
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   0000000000
                        Status  Good
                    AC
                        Attribute name  Erase Fail Count
                        Real value  0
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   0000000000
                        Status  Good
                    AD
                        Attribute name  Wear Leveling Count
                        Real value  237
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   00000000ED
                        Status  Good
                    AE
                        Attribute name  Unexpected Power Loss Count
                        Real value  113
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   0000000071
                        Status  Good
                    BB
                        Attribute name  Reported Uncorrectable Errors
                        Real value  0
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   0000000000
                        Status  Good
                    E6
                        Attribute name  Life Curve Status
                        Real value  790
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   0000000316
                        Status  Good
                    E8
                        Attribute name  Endurance Remaining
                        Real value  0
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   5
                        Raw Value   0000000000
                        Status  Good
                    EA
                        Attribute name  Vendor Specific
                        Real value  1,037
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   000000040D
                        Status  Good
                    F1
                        Attribute name  Lifetime Writes to Host
                        Real value  7,715,083,148
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   00CBDAD38C
                        Status  Good
                    F2
                        Attribute name  Lifetime Reads from Host
                        Real value  10,210,604,495
                        Current 100
                        Worst   100
                        Threshold   0
                        Raw Value   00609975CF
                        Status  Good
    Partition 0
        Partition ID    Disk #2, Partition #0
        File System NTFS
        Volume Serial Number    94976081
        Size    99 MB
        Used Space  34.1 MB (34%)
        Free Space  65 MB (66%)
    Partition 1
        Partition ID    Disk #2, Partition #1
        Disk Letter C:
        File System NTFS
        Volume Serial Number    829CF24F
        Size    119 GB
        Used Space  87 GB (73%)
        Free Space  31.8 GB (27%)

33MB/s write speed is tooo low for SSD... my old HDD has 50MB/s write speed — Jet, Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 19:33
Can you try with a smaller size, 50MB for example. Also switch to the latest release (4.03) of CDM. I'm getting between 4 and 50 times the performance on my Surface Pro 3. — Julian Knight, Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 20:58
run AS SSD Benchmark (alex-is.de/PHP/fusion/downloads.php?cat_id=4&download_id=9) and post a picture. Maybe you run in IDE mode instead of AHCI. — magicandre1981, Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 4:47
Try changing the SATA cable. Have had issues with what looked like a good one, but turned out a new cable fixed the issue. — Carl B, Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 18:34

Paul · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-16 21:11:37Z

2

Try freeing up disk space. SSD drives tend to take a big performance hit when they have less than 10% free space.

answered Jun 16, 2015 at 21:11

Paul

2301 silver badge5 bronze badges

1

Just read into it a bit more and it seems the bar is even at 25% free space. It will also depend on the drive firmware if the performance will improve again after freeing up space. This might also take time. The problem is that the data on the drive needs to be rearranged so that writes to the drive no longer need to go through a read-modify-write cycle for each write.
– Paul
Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 21:18
My SSD only sees a performance hit ~5% free space, but another one I have really works best ~20%. Unfortunately this is really going to vary on the model and firmware.
– BlueBuddy
Commented Jun 17, 2015 at 18:50

Add a comment |

Bigbio2002 · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-17 19:56:12Z

If your partitions aren't aligned to a 4KB boundary, the unaligned sectors will cause your random reads and writes to suffer, as they appear to be doing. There exist utilities to align your partitions, but be careful; the alignment operation usually can't be cancelled partway through without data loss.

To check proper alignment: open msinfo32, then go to Components > Storage > Disks. Scroll to the bottom and look for the entries named Partition Starting Offset. Typically, the first one will be 1,048,576, but more specifically, here's what you should be looking for... Take the number shown, divide by 512 (sector size in bytes), then divide again by 8 (8 512b sectors in a 4KB sector). If the resulting number is a whole integer, your partitions are aligned! If there's a decimal or fraction, there's your problem.

mythofechelon · Accepted Answer · 2016-10-25 19:36:23Z

On ~2015/07/23, SanDisk replaced the SSD under warranty which I imaged but there was no discernible difference.

However, I recently formatted Windows 7 and installed Windows 10 and it has made the world of difference.

Although, a scan using CrystalDiskMark 64-bit version 5.0.2a with default settings () on the SSD reports that the performance has a marginal improvement in most areas and actually slightly worse in some areas, as you can see below:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 5.2.0 x64 (C) 2007-2016 hiyohiyo
                           Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 bytes/s [SATA/600 = 600,000,000 bytes/s]
* KB = 1000 bytes, KiB = 1024 bytes

   Sequential Read (Q= 32,T= 1) :   257.278 MB/s
  Sequential Write (Q= 32,T= 1) :   177.682 MB/s
  Random Read 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) :    33.500 MB/s [  8178.7 IOPS]
 Random Write 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) :    13.418 MB/s [  3275.9 IOPS]
         Sequential Read (T= 1) :   256.690 MB/s
        Sequential Write (T= 1) :   165.267 MB/s
   Random Read 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) :    13.358 MB/s [  3261.2 IOPS]
  Random Write 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) :    12.835 MB/s [  3133.5 IOPS]

  Test : 1024 MiB [C: 43.8% (51.2/116.9 GiB)] (x5)  [Interval=5 sec]
  Date : 2016/10/25 20:35:09
    OS : Windows 10 Professional [10.0 Build 14393] (x64)

Oh, well. I'm not really complaining.

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