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:
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CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
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* 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)
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:
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CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
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* 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)
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:
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:
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CrystalDiskMark 4.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2015 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
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* 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)
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 post-cleanup (27.8% free):
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:
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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)
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:
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%)
Best Answer
Try freeing up disk space. SSD drives tend to take a big performance hit when they have less than 10% free space.