SSD running at SATA 2 speeds (SOLVED)

[ryanlaw1234]

I have browsed the forum and found similar topics but none of the solutions have worked thus far.

System:
Intel Core I7-3820; socket 2011
MOBO: Asus P9X79
SSD: Kingston svp200s3240g
Memory: 8gb Kingston DDR3 1600

My main drive is the Kingston svp200s3240g (V+200 240g Sata III) and the firmware is currently 501ABBF0 (up to date according the Kingston's website).

My boot times have been slow lately so I ran a few checks on my SSD and according to Crystal Disk I am only getting Read 221 Mb/s and Write 153.0 Mb/s

Crystal Disk Results

The drive advertises:
Max Sequential Read
Up to 535 MB/s (SATAIII)
Up to 280 MB/s (SATAII)

Max Sequential Write
Up to 480 MB/s (SATAIII)
Up to 260 MB/s (SATAII)

I have tried the following:

1.) Confirmed the firmware is up to date

2.) Confirmed I am using a SATA 3 cable (the one included with the MOBO)

3.) Checked the SSD's health using SSD Life Pro and it said the drive was healthy
SSD Life Pro Results

4.) Updated the BIOS

5.) Confirmed in the BIOS that the SSD was plugged into a SATA 3 port and confirmed on the MOBO too

6.) Confirmed AHCI mode was enabled

7.) Confirmed the SSD was the priority boot drive

8.) Tried the SSD in both SATA 3 ports


Another Test: ATTO

ATTO

UPDATE: found a newer firmware and updated (507KC4), but the problem is unchanged

I really do not know whether the SSD is defective or may the SATA controller?

 

[ryanlaw1234]

Any help will be appreciated as the problem is continuing

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, Ryan.

It really seems like you've tried most of the basic troubleshooting. You could try the drive with a different computer though. This would confirm if it's some sort of incompatibility issue or if the drive's having problems. You could also try resetting the BIOS/UEFI and see if anything changes. Also check if the motherboard drivers are up to date. Try another SSD if possible, to see if it's able to reach its optimal speed and eventually rule out a bad SATA controller or a different mobo issue.
Finally if you don't have the option to try those suggestions or if they're not getting you anywhere closer to figuring out what might be the problem, I'd recommend that you get in touch with the SSD manufacturer's customer support, to see if the guys there could help out with a possible solution.

Hope that helps. Please keep me updated.
Boogieman_WD

 

[ryanlaw1234]

Thank you, I am going to give that a try. I will update accordingly.

 

[ryanlaw1234]

Update: It was my Kingston SSD

I was able to borrow a Samsung Evo SSD and I ran Crystal Disk on it. The results were that the Samsung drive performed as advertised:

Read: 547 mb/s Write: 520mb/s

Looks like my SATA controller on my MOBO is working just fine and its an issue with my Kingston SSD.

SSD's are at a great price right now so I might just buy a Samsung Evo as every program I run on my Kingston SSD says its healthy and it is up to date.

Anyone have any thoughts about what the issue with the Kingston SSD might be? I know its an older drive

 

[Boogieman_WD]

I see. Good job with the troubleshooting. Sometimes when there might be minor incompatibility issues which prevent the device to run at its optimum speed. If you've upgraded the firmware of the drive and the BIOS/UEFI of the computer and you keep getting lower results than you should, I'd recommend that you contact the SSD manufacturer's customer support and ask if you can RMA it, if it's still under warranty. I could be a faulty unit as well.