Samsung SSD 850 Pro Under-performing

gridironcj

Honorable
Dec 23, 2012
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10,710
Hey folks,

So it seems as if my Samsung SSD 850 Pro (256GB) is extremely slow compared to what I've seen as standard. Using Samsung Magician, here are my performance numbers:

Sequential Read: 403 MB/s
Sequential Write: 353 MB/s
Random Read: 52,416 IOPS
Random Write: 33,305 IOPS

I also have an OCZ Vector 512GB which had the following using Magician:

Sequential Read: 406 MB/s
Sequential Write: 351 MB/s
Random Read: 43,982 IOPS
Random Write: 31,739 IOPS

Are both of these under-performing? Is it just the Samsung? I have OS Optimization set to "Maximum Performance" in Magician, AHCI mode in on, and both SSDs are each plugged into a SATA 6GB/s port.

Could my Samsung SSD be defective? My PC has been a bit sluggish lately as well. I started fresh earlier today and it seems a little better, although I won't be sure until I have all apps installed again. For reference, here is the rest of my relevant hardware:

CPU: i7 3930K @4.3GHz
Mobo: Asus Rampage IV Formula
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1866MHz
GPU(s): 2x GTX Titans
 
Solution
You are using the red SATA ports correct?

Intel® X79 chipset :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), black
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
ASMedia® ASM1061 controller :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
2 x eSATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
Very strange indeed. Yes both drives are underperforming. They should be getting somewhere around 550MB/s Read, 520MB/s Write, Up to 100,000 IOPS Read, and up to 90,000 IOPS Write.

It seems like both drives are getting similar performance, which leads me to think that it is not the drives, but that there is another cause for the lower than normal results.
 


What could it be? The mobo? The CPU? I can't imagine it being anything else. This is using a clean install of Windows 8.1.
 


I'm using whatever is on Asus's recommended downloads for my Mobo:

http://www.asus.com/ROG_ROG/RAMPAGE_IV_FORMULA/HelpDesk_Download/

The two for SATA are:

Asmedia SATA Controller Driver V2.0.8.0 for Windows 7/8/8.1 32bit & 64bit.(WHQL)

Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology Driver Software V12.8.0.1016 for Windows 7/8/8.1 32bit & 64bit.(WHQL)
Intel(R) AHCI/RAID Driver for Windows 7/8/8.1 32bit & 64bit.

Is this sufficient or is there something else I should be downloading?

I'll also note that in Intel Rapid Storage Technology, the only drive that appears is my slow 1TB drive that I use for music, videos, etc. However, my SSDs show up in Magician and are obviously functioning.
 
You are using the red SATA ports correct?

Intel® X79 chipset :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), black
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
ASMedia® ASM1061 controller :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
2 x eSATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
 
Solution


Correct. Only the slow HDD is in a black port. I'll also note that my SSDs don't slow up in my BIOS under SATA devices. Only my slow HDD and blue ray drive show up there.
 
Ah, I had the SSDs in the wrong red ports apparently. I had them in the SATA6G E1 and E2 ports instead of the 1 and 2 ports (no E). The new stats are

Sequential Read: 562 MB/s
Sequential Write: 535 MB/s
Random Read: 93,748 IOPS
Random Write: 80,994 IOPS

The OCZ still outperforms the Samsung in Random Read and Write, ties in sequential write, and loses by 7 in sequential read. Thanks for the help!