Disk usage caps at 50%

[ado010]

Hello!

I'm having an issue where my disk usage caps at 50%. When I tried to transfer Fallout 4 from my HDD to my SSD, in task manager the disk usage just stops at 50% and never goes higher.

After Googling, I checked the SMART analysis, and ran chkdsk, everything turned out fine. I'm not really sure what's going on.

Specs:
HDD: 7200 RPM Sata 2 Hitachi 1TB (HDS721010CLA332)
SSD: PNY XLR8 120 GB
Mobo: m5a78l-m lx plus
GPU: GTX 970
CPU: FX 6300
PSU: Corsair 750 Watt

--edit--

Here's a video of it happening. My F drive is the HDD, whereas the C drive is the SSD. Once it hits 50% like that, my system slows to a crawl, I have trouble even using word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs1cxtT09Ww

My apologies for the system watermark on the bottom left, I didn't realize this would be included in the recording.

If I need to provide any other information, please let me know and I'll do so asap.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, ado010!

I'm afraid that you won't be able to transfer the game to the SSD like that. I'd advise you to re-install it and set the destination to the desired location.
Indeed the transfer speed of the drive looks concerning, I'd advise you to check the connections inside your rig. Make sure everything is plugged properly, even reseat the SATA and power cables connecting the drive. If you have a spare SATA cable lying around somewhere, try swapping it with the current one. Another thing you should check is the SATA controller drivers for your motherboard from the manufacturer's website. If there are any new drivers or BIOS firmware, I'd suggest to update them!

Hope this helps. Keep me posted!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[ado010]

Hey there, ado010!

I'm afraid that you won't be able to transfer the game to the SSD like that. I'd advise you to re-install it and set the destination to the desired location.
Indeed the transfer speed of the drive looks concerning, I'd advise you to check the connections inside your rig. Make sure everything is plugged properly, even reseat the SATA and power cables connecting the drive. If you have a spare SATA cable lying around somewhere, try swapping it with the current one. Another thing you should check is the SATA controller drivers for your motherboard from the manufacturer's website. If there are any new drivers or BIOS firmware, I'd suggest to update them!

Hope this helps. Keep me posted!
SuperSoph_WD

Ugh crap, I accidentally clicked "Select as best answer" in my e-mail. That bright green button and early mornings do not mix, lol. Sorry about that.

After checking some benchmark scores, I was pretty shocked at how low the write speeds are. The read speeds aren't terrible, but the write speeds are incredibly low, and much worse than the write speed of my HDD.

After some Google searching, people kept mentioned to enable TRIM and AHCI for the SSD. I did so, but unfortunately that write speed remained. I'll be doing as you suggested and will report back. Thank you for the reply!

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, ado010!

I just checked the specs of your motherboard and seems like you've got only SATA II (3 Gb/s) ports available. Unfortunately, that means that the maximum speed of your SSD can be ~ 300 MB/s. I'd consider upgrading your mobo with a model that incorporates SATA III ports.
However, you could also try to fix the writing speed by upgrading the SSD's firmware from the manufacturer's website. Here's something that could help as well: http://www.storagereview.com/how_upgrade_ssd_firmware

Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[ado010]

Hey there again, ado010!

I just checked the specs of your motherboard and seems like you've got only SATA II (3 Gb/s) ports available. Unfortunately, that means that the maximum speed of your SSD can be ~ 300 MB/s. I'd consider upgrading your mobo with a model that incorporates SATA III ports.
However, you could also try to fix the writing speed by upgrading the SSD's firmware from the manufacturer's website. Here's something that could help as well: http://www.storagereview.com/how_upgrade_ssd_firmware

Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

So, I've tried updating the firmware of my ssd, updating my mobo's bios, changing the SATA cables as well as the SATA port used with the SSD, etc. Nothing has helped this SSD run how it's supposed to.

Luckily, I just read through my warranty, and the SSD is still covered, so to RMA it goes.

Thank you for your help, Soph, it's much appreciated.

---------

For anyone who comes here from Google:

- My "50% cap" issue doesn't seem to be an issue with cap at all. From what I've gathered, it seemingly caps at 50% simply because I have a SSD and a HDD. When the SSD is being utilized 100%, the disk usage reads 50%. If the HDD were to be utilized at 100% at the same time, the disk usage would also be at 100%, instead of just 50%. In other words, the disk usage is a total % of the SSD + HDD usage.

The reason I run into 100% SSD utilization (and thus 50% disk usage) so quickly is because of my SSD's obnoxiously low write speed (3 MB/s). The only way to solve this seems to be replacement.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there again, ado010!

I'm glad you've sorted things out with all your troubles with the system. Indeed, RMA-ing the SSD is the best thing to do here since nothing else worked. I'd recommend you to backup any important data from it beforehand, though.
If you plan any updates on the system in the future, I'd recommend you to consider the mobo. You will get a much better performance with a motherboard that incorporates SATA III ( 6Gb/s) ports, and you'd be able to get the maximum of your SSD's speed advantages as well.

Best of luck with everything!
SuperSoph_WD