I built my PC back in December 2023 and started experiencing issues with my SSD shortly after. Occasionally, when I boot up my PC and try to download games from Steam, my speeds plummet to between 1 to 15 Mbps, when they should be around 300 Mbps. I've tried multiple restarts, leaving the PC off for 20 minutes, and it's frustratingly inconsistent. I've even opened up the case to clean things out and reseated the SSD, but nothing seems to help long-term. Now, I habitually check my download speeds by installing a random game after booting. I'm using a Lexar NVMe NM790 SSD on a Gigabyte B650M GAMING X AX motherboard, and I'm starting to wonder if I should have gone for a more reliable brand.
5 Answers
Double-check that Steam or any other launchers aren't auto-updating in the background. That can really drag down your internet and drive speeds.
Have you tried moving files between your drives or running a local speed test? It might help narrow down if it's an SSD issue or related to Steam.
How much free space do you have left on your SSD? That can affect performance, too!
Make sure to check the SSD temperatures using HWinfo or CrystalDisk. Overheating can definitely impact speeds.
Are you sure the SSD is the culprit? You can check Task Manager to see if it’s running at 100% utilization.
I can't test it right now since it's working fine, but I've noticed slow speeds with Epic Games, too. So, it might not just be a Steam problem.