SLOW Force GT 120 GB

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 © 2007-2010 hiyohiyo

Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Motherboard - ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z (Z68 chipset)

Been using my Force GT 120 since last Nov. as an SSD cache, using the Intel SRT. And it worked fine. Got the bright idea today to switch over to using it as the C drive and running Win 7 from it.

So I clean it up, made the bios changes, put the latest firmware on it and put a fresh copy of Win 7 on it. Spent the day updating, loading, updating, rebooting to get all my software up to the latest rev. and it just seemed slow. The Windows experience shows the drive as a 5.4 rating. Seems like my old spindle drive with the SSD as a cache drive was much faster.

Not impressed. Ready to switch back.

* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [sATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 53.273 MB/s

Sequential Write : 49.231 MB/s

Random Read 512KB : 23.118 MB/s

Random Write 512KB : 22.100 MB/s

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.311 MB/s [ 76.0 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.620 MB/s [ 151.3 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.641 MB/s [ 156.6 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.611 MB/s [ 149.1 IOPS]

Test : 1000 MB [C: 51.5% (57.6/111.8 GB)] (x5)

Date : 2012/09/11 22:08:01

OS : Windows 7 Ultimate Edition [6.1 Build 7600] (x64)

1. Put it on a RED SATA port for SATA III. You have it on a SATA II port.

2. Test with ATTO.

 

So I clean it up, made the bios changes,

What do you mean by "clean it up"?

score of 5.4 is not bad...I've got 3.4 and ATTO test showing 20 mb/s

I guess our SSD is failing.

I'm guessing that I need a new hard drive. SSD vs fast HD.

nothing lasts forever but 1 year kinda sucks.

score of 5.4 is not bad...I've got 3.4 and ATTO test showing 20 mb/s

 

I guess our SSD is failing.

 

I'm guessing that I need a new hard drive. SSD vs fast HD.

 

nothing lasts forever but 1 year kinda sucks.

Different SSD, different SATA controller and MOBO, different circumstances. Your issues are not likely related. Please don't agitate other threads that do not relate to yours.

* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [sATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

 

Sequential Read : 53.273 MB/s

Sequential Write : 49.231 MB/s

Random Read 512KB : 23.118 MB/s

Random Write 512KB : 22.100 MB/s

Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.311 MB/s [ 76.0 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.620 MB/s [ 151.3 IOPS]

Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.641 MB/s [ 156.6 IOPS]

Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.611 MB/s [ 149.1 IOPS]

 

Test : 1000 MB [C: 51.5% (57.6/111.8 GB)] (x5)

Date : 2012/09/11 22:08:01

OS : Windows 7 Ultimate Edition [6.1 Build 7600] (x64)

What is that? Did you write down what you feel or can you name whatever tool you took to measure this? But, wait it doesn't matter, because you HAVE TO choose Atto, I won't comment any other except of: Don't.

Edit: Oh i see its crystal disk and you put your message somewhere in the middle. xD

Note: Running benches on and on again does not improve anything but permanently decreases speed.

1. Check if cables are SataIII or try a different one.

2. Check if Sata-Controller supports SataIII or try a different one.

3. Check if in BIOS Sata-Mode is set to AHCI, don't try a different one.

- If you had different before, make sure you completely reinstall Windows.

4. Install latest sata-drivers by motherboard or try "Sandard Microsoft 1.0 AHCI".

5. Upgrade to latest firmware and after that secure erase the drive.

In your case another point could be the windows auto-detection of SSD. On win-install it determines if primary boot and install drive is SSD and if yes it deactivates certain windows-services that might harm the drive.

Since you installed on a HDD, used the SSD as cache and wrote that "you throw a fresh copy of windows" i assume that you copied an image-file of your early state HDD-installation. Re-Install Windows from scratch.

BTW: Looks like SATA300 (SATAII) or doesn't it?

@Yb: I guess he means "remove the caching-array" with "clean it up", since he used it as a cache-drive with Intel SRT. Im not familar with that, maybe thats causing problems... or he just means he cleaned it of traditionally from dust. :D

@mistborn: Yeah, your problem might be because of a different reason but you can try this trouble-shoot-out too, because it nearly addresses all non-hardware related problems.

Sorry if my info was incomplete / confusing - it was a long day fooling with the SSD, and I was a bit disappointed at the end.

Anyway, answering everyone's questions:

I am on port 1, which is SATA III, 6 Gb / sec. The cable is supplied by ASUS and has 6 Gb / sec printed on it.

Bios is indeed set to AHCI.

Loaded all the drivers from the ASUS motherboard disk. Perhaps my SATA controller driver is not current?

Windows is a fresh install - not an image.

"Clean it up" does mean to remove the cache array, and reformat as one partition. However, I did not do a secure erase. I see where others here have been told to do that, and it seems to have had no effect - their drives are still slow...

I have not yet tested with ATTO - but won't that just reconfirm what I already know?

I try to copy large batches of data (2Gb) - back and forth (to other HDD) to watch the speed. Even copying to itself, 20 to 30 Mb / sec is where it stays. A few times it will start and 120, even 150 Mb / sec, but slowly throttles back to 30ish. When it was a cache drive, it was consistently in the 50 to 100 Mb range at the minimum. Frequently used programs would launch almost instantly. Launch a program now, sometimes it is fairly quick, but usually it thinks about it for a few seconds. Like an old clunky spindle drive.

Even if it has degraded, I would have expected the performance to be at least the same as when it was a cache drive.

"Clean it up" does mean to remove the cache array, and reformat as one partition. However, I did not do a secure erase. I see where others here have been told to do that, and it seems to have had no effect - their drives are still slow...

.

This is most likely the problem. You need to do a secure erase as outlined in our HOW TO section using Parted Magic.

This is most likely the problem. You need to do a secure erase as outlined in our HOW TO section using Parted Magic.

Ok - I will create an image, secure erase, and slap the image back on there. Hopefully that will do it...

As requested - ATTO data.

Is this with the drive as attached storage or running the OS?

Hi red454

Did you update motherboard Bois to last version 3402?

As it improve compatibility and stasility ove system

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_GENEZ/#download

Try Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver from Intel website

As Asus is not up to date, sata3 SSD run with driver version 11,X.XXXX Intel last update is 11.2.1006

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=487&DwnldID=21730&keyword=%22raid+11%22&lang=eng

As for the SSD firmware, is it version 5.03?

Hope this help

Sincerly yours

Is this with the drive as attached storage or running the OS?

With the OS.

Hi red454

 

Did you update motherboard Bois to last version 3402?

As it improve compatibility and stasility ove system

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_GENEZ/#download

 

Try Intel® Rapid Storage Technology driver from Intel website

As Asus is not up to date, sata3 SSD run with driver version 11,X.XXXX Intel last update is 11.2.1006

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=487&DwnldID=21730&keyword=%22raid+11%22&lang=eng

 

As for the SSD firmware, is it version 5.03?

 

Hope this help

Sincerly yours

I'm using BIOS 0403. Seen some horror stories when people changed, so I am not planning on changing for now... And yes on the firmware - 5.03.

I used the SSD with the Intel RST and it worked fine. If I can't get this figured out, I will switch back to the OS on an HDD and use the SSD as a cache drive.

It may not be 100% of the problem but it certainly can't hurt. If you can, bench it with ATTO as an attached drive before you put the OS back on it.

Do you still have the OS image on the other drive? If yes, can you bench the SSD AFTER a secure erase and as attached storage?

Try it with a different SATA cable.

Try the other Intel SATA 3/6Gb port.

Also, describe how you did the secure erase. Unless you have a faulty cable, faulty SSD, or faulty SATA controller, there is no way the drive should be that slow.

Do you still have the OS image on the other drive? If yes, can you bench the SSD AFTER a secure erase and as attached storage?

 

Try it with a different SATA cable.

 

Try the other Intel SATA 3/6Gb port.

 

Also, describe how you did the secure erase. Unless you have a faulty cable, faulty SSD, or faulty SATA controller, there is no way the drive should be that slow.

Already tried with a different cable and on port 2 (also SATA III). Didn't notice any difference. I can bench it this evening - another day on the road for me.

It is certainly confusing, as it worked fine as a cache drive. I suppose the only real variable is that I flashed the new firmware before I put the new OS on it. When it was a cache drive, I could hammer data back and forth to the storage partition and it was screamin' me-me fast.

On more odd thing - unrelated I will assume. This morning it had rebooted after a Windows update. But the bios was scrambled - it tried to boot from the old HDD, and all the settings were set to default. The NIC and audio hardware were disabled, etc. I reconfigured everything and I am running now - other than the SSD speed issue...

PLEASE DESCRIBE HOW YOU DID THE SECURE ERASE.

This is important.

I'm using BIOS 0403. Seen some horror stories when people changed, so I am not planning on changing for now... And yes on the firmware - 5.03.

 

I used the SSD with the Intel RST and it worked fine. If I can't get this figured out, I will switch back to the OS on an HDD and use the SSD as a cache drive.

Witch Intel RST driver do you use 10.6.0.1002, 10.8.0.1003 or 11.2.0.1006?

Because you nead driver version 11 to run sata3 SSD

And for your bios Asus suggest bios version 3305 with driver 10.8.0.1003

If you said that Bios update and driver 11.2.0.1006 don't run you SSD at least at 500MB/s read. Then you have to wait for ASUS to make a Bios compatible with Intel RST 11 serie driver.

Sincerly yours

Not using it as a cache drive at all right now. It has the OS on it now and that is how I am using it.

Here is what I have done to it.

Disabled it as a cache drive - benched it - removed the cache partition. Formatted with one big partition. Installed the OS, which is what I am now using.

Haven't made the image or secure erased yet. Planned on that tonight, but had to work late again. Maybe tomorrow. I have been using Macrium Reflect, but I will try HDClone 4.1.

So, (correct me if I am wrong) the plan is to:

1. Use HDClone (or similar) to make an image.
   
2. Store the image on another HDD.
   
3. ATTO it on the bench.
   
4. Secure Erase.
   
5. Format.
   
6. Transfer image back to SSD.
   

Then make this face - :D:

And of course, if it works properly, there is no need for a cache drive, Intel RST or related drivers.

PLEASE DESCRIBE HOW YOU DID THE SECURE ERASE.

 

This is important.

<crickets> ;):