My NVMe drive used to be faster than my SATA SSD, but it has recently become noticeably slower in CrystalDiskMark. CrystalDiskInfo still reports around 95% health, so I'm unsure whether the drive is actually failing. I've also noticed occasional problems such as missing game shaders, audio cutting out, games crashing, and the drive sometimes disappearing until I restart the computer. Download speeds from game platforms haven't changed. Could the SSD be corrupted or failing, and what should I check before opening up my PC?
2 Answers
First check the NVMe’s actual link speed and negotiated PCIe lanes. A drive can be rated for PCIe 3.0 or faster but run at a lower speed if it is in the wrong slot, has a BIOS setting issue, or is sharing lanes. Also check the manufacturer’s firmware and make sure the drive has reasonable free space and isn’t overheating. CrystalDiskInfo’s health percentage mainly reflects reported wear, so it doesn’t rule out controller, connection, or data errors.
The drive disappearing, causing game data problems, and recovering after a reboot is more concerning than the benchmark result. Back up anything important immediately, then check SMART details and the Windows event logs for disk, controller, or reset errors. Check temperatures as well, since an overheating NVMe can throttle heavily. If the errors continue after checking the slot, firmware, and connection, replace the drive rather than trusting the 95% health reading.
A health score is not a complete failure diagnosis. It usually reports endurance remaining, while intermittent disconnects or controller problems may not lower that number. I’d avoid storing anything irreplaceable on the drive until it has been tested or replaced.
It’s a budget KingSpec NVMe drive, and I’m not completely sure whether it is negotiating PCIe 3.0 correctly. I’ll check the link information and firmware before assuming the health percentage means everything is fine.