I'm trying to figure out why SanDisk's dashboard indicates that my SSD is running at Gen 3 speeds when both my laptop (Dell Precision 5540) and the SSD (WD SN580) are supposed to support Gen 4. I was updating the firmware on my SSD because I had some issues with data corruption during Windows 11 updates. On the dashboard, it says "Capability: Gen4 (4 Lanes), Connection: Gen3 (4 Lanes)." There's no option in my BIOS to change any settings related to this. Does anyone know why it's running at Gen 3 speeds instead? Is this normal?
4 Answers
You've got to be careful when messing with BIOS settings and hardware specs. It's always a good idea to back up your data before making changes. And yeah, it seems like your laptop was just marketed as Gen 4 compatible without actually being able to utilize those speeds—classic marketing move!
Haha, I totally get where you're coming from. I did some digging too and realized I was misinformed. Turns out our laptops are built for Gen 3, despite what our SSDs are capable of. It's a bummer, but at least now you know!
Looks like you may have fallen for some marketing hype! The dashboard says it’s compatible with Gen 4, but that doesn't mean it runs at those speeds. The confusion often comes from how marketing phrases things. Unfortunately, if your laptop’s chipset (like the CM246) only supports Gen 3, that's all you're going to get!
That makes sense! I get that now. I appreciate the clarification!
It looks like your laptop's specifications might be the limiting factor here. From what I researched, while your SSD is Gen 4 capable, the Dell Precision 5540 motherboard may only support PCIe 3, which would explain the Gen 3 speeds. I found a detailed spec sheet that doesn’t mention PCIe 4 support. Double-check your motherboard specs to confirm!
So true! They really need to be clearer about what that compatibility actually means.