I've got a Crucial BX500 that's about 6 years old, and recently its performance has tanked. My write speeds have dropped drastically from between 500-900 megabits per second to less than 2 megabits per second. Now, I can't even open applications or my operating system smoothly—when I press the Windows key in Windows 11, it only shows the outline of the menu. Even trying to download a small 900 MB update is a struggle; it starts at 0 or 1 megabit per second and only occasionally bumps up to about 60 megabits before freezing again. Is my SSD on its last legs?
2 Answers
Dramless SATA drives tend to become super slow as they get filled up. You might want to try deleting some files and also run the SSD optimization tool in Windows to see if that helps. It can sometimes clear up performance issues!
I recently experienced a similar issue with my boot drive. It took me ages to confirm with CrystalDiskMark, but in the end, my drive was failing. If you're still under warranty, I suggest contacting support ASAP. I had trouble with my replacement drive request; it took way too long. So if you can, make that call early!
I'm out of warranty, sadly! This SSD has served me for 6-7 years, so it looks like I’ll have to save up for a new one.
I feel you—waiting 19 hours for a less than 1 GB update sounds rough. It’s usually so quick!
I’ve got around 300 GB free, so I’ll definitely run the SSD optimization.