New External SSD, Low Read/Write

Geekypeaky · 04 Jan 2019

Okay so, I just got a brand new Samsung 860 EVO SSD today. I decided to go with an external setup as it requires less hassle, and while I don't expect the fastest performance in doing so, I am getting absolutely ABYSMAL speeds. Not even half of the Seq Read/Write of my 4 year old HDD(The Random Read/Write speeds are better on the new SSD yet still awful). I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong, as I should be getting FAR better performance than this. I have already cloned and set the new SSD as the default storage. I can format and re-clone if I have to, but it took almost 3 hours and I'd rather avoid that if possible.

It is in a SATA III enclosure, and connected to a USB 3.0 Port.

Attached is two speed tests. The first is the SSD, and the second is the internal HDD.(Also, ignore the Sailor Moon wallpaper, I was too lazy to crop...Sorry xD)

New External SSD, Low Read/Write-ssdspeedtest.png

New External SSD, Low Read/Write-hddspeedtest.png

Thanks for the help!

bro67 · 04 Jan 2019

External is always going to be slower than internal. External enclosures are the worse with USB. Also comparing a internal to a external is not going to do justice, especially with a SSD like the 860evo.

Geekypeaky · 04 Jan 2019

Yes but that's not the issue here. I know it won't be the fastest and I'm fine with that. The problem is, the speeds I'm getting are WAY lower than they should be, even for external. Internal, this SSD can get Seq Read/Writes of over 500mb/s. Sure, external won't be as effective, but should still outpace my HDD easily.

Edit: I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong here, or if the SSD itself is a dud(which I have considered). Not to be judged for my decision to go with an external setup. If you don't want to help, that's fine, but I'm looking for constructive advice, not some rude opinion from someone who is clearly bored.

Here's a link to an article about an external SSD released by Samsung in 2015. Granted, the price tag is much higher, but it is also older: Review: Samsungâ€™s external SSD | Computerworld

Again, I shouldn't get speeds of 450 MB/s, but over 200/s should be a cakewalk, so clearly something is amiss here.

Berton · 04 Jan 2019

When using External USB cases it's quite important to know if it supports USB 2 or USB 3 with appropriate cables plugged into the proper port, speeds are quite different. The USB 2 ports and cables have black centers and USB 3 usually have blue centers. Most time USB 3 devices can "fall back" to USB 2 support.

As a curiosity, I received some USB 3 portable cases for 2.5" Notebook drives today, put a 1TB drive in one, plugged it into my Linux Mint computer to use the included GPARTED to partition and format it. Wanting to know more I chose a single full partition and formatted as FAT32 [which Windows' Disk Management can't do[, worked fine but still has the 4GB single file size of FAT32. After that test I reformatted as NTFS.

One other point, the USB 2 cases I've used required a Y-cable to provide power and data plus extra power from a second port. USB 3 ports provide better power support so an External 2.5" drive needs only 1 cable, but the cases for 3.5" drives require a separate power supply or Self-Powered. Notebook drives need only 5Volts while the 3.5" require both 12Volts and 5Volts.

Geekypeaky · 04 Jan 2019

The cords and the enclosure itself have blue centers, I can confirm it is USB 3.0, so yeah, I should be getting better speeds.

My laptop has 1 USB 2.0 port it seems, and the other USB port I'm currently not using is a USB 3.0. It is possible the port I have the SSD in is in a 2.0 after all. I'll check later after I shut down my PC for obvious reasons.

Berton · 04 Jan 2019

You can right-click the Start button, go to Device Manager, scroll down to USB, click the little arrow on the left end to expand and check for USB 3 entry/s. Should be something showing if the drivers have been installed.

Geekypeaky · 05 Jan 2019

Thanks a ton Berton! Your roundabout way of explaining things proved to be quite effective! Turns out it was another USB 2.0 port after all. I plugged it into the correct port, and got these results:

New External SSD, Low Read/Write-ssdspeedtest2.png

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, bro67!

Compumind · 05 Jan 2019

@Geekypeaky -

Yes, those are the values I would expect from a USB 3.0 port and device.
If you ever buy a new computer ensure that it comes with at least one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) port. That will blow you away!

One more thing...
USB 3.1 (Gen 1) = 5 Gbps. Same as USB 3.0 - so be careful, lol.
USB 3.1 (Gen 2) = 10 Gbps. Big difference, so don't get fooled.

Hope this helps.

Berton · 05 Jan 2019

Geekypeaky said:

Thanks a ton Berton! Your roundabout way of explaining things proved to be quite effective! Turns out it was another USB 2.0 port after all. I plugged it into the correct port, and got these results:

Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, bro67!

You're welcome, glad to have helped.

Geekypeaky · 05 Jan 2019

Compumind said:

@Geekypeaky -

Yes, those are the values I would expect from a USB 3.0 port and device.
If you ever buy a new computer ensure that it comes with at least one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) port. That will blow you away!

One more thing...
USB 3.1 (Gen 1) = 5 Gbps. Same as USB 3.0 - so be careful, lol.
USB 3.1 (Gen 2) = 10 Gbps. Big difference, so don't get fooled.

Hope this helps.

If I get a new computer, I'll make sure it comes with a decent SSD from the get-go, and just migrate everything over!