I've been using a 4TB Samsung 990 Pro as my main boot drive for about a year now, but I've started experiencing some annoying stuttering while downloading large files. After running benchmarks with CrystalDiskInfo and Samsung Magician, I found that my random read/writes are running over three times slower than expected—about 400,000 avg. compared to the normal 1,400,000 speeds. I've already tried a bunch of fixes that have worked for others, except the ones that could have negative effects. I'm at a loss for what might be causing these slowed speeds. Here's what I've checked or fixed:
- It's plugged into a PCIe 5.0 x4 slot.
- The last full wipe was around three months ago.
- I'm certain there are no viruses.
- Virtualization is on (disabling it has dropped speeds even lower).
- Disk caching is enabled.
- Overprovisioning is set, giving me an extra 100k.
- I've moved most non-essential programs to my HDD.
- The PCIe slot has been tested and works fine, as my previous SSD scored 800k on it. Any ideas?
3 Answers
Keep in mind that SSDs can slow down as they age. The Samsung PRO series SSDs (up to the 970 model) have better endurance, but the 980 and 990 series have had issues with premature wear. I’d suggest looking into high-performance options like the Seagate Firecuda 530R or 540 for those demanding tasks.
Have you changed anything else in your setup that might affect airflow to the SSD? It might be overheating, even if the heatsink looks good.
Heat isn't the issue. My motherboard has a solid heatsink, and I’ve monitored the temperature during large transfers—it never exceeds 40°C. Thanks for the suggestion!
Did you check for any firmware updates? And is BitLocker turned off? Those can sometimes mess with speeds.
I’ve checked both, and everything’s up to date and disabled.
So you think mine might be one of the problematic ones? That’s frustrating—I bought it at full price and can’t really afford a replacement right now.