The Complete Guide to SSD Speed Test and How It Can Improve Your Performance

Why Testing, The Ssd Speed, Is Important?

The term SSD refers to a solid-state drive. It is characterized by mechanical drives in the absence of moving parts. A robotic arm holds a read/write head that moves around to access data on a hard disc drive.

The SSD gives speed increase to your system, which translates to quicker boot times, faster large-file copying, large-file reading/writing done within a bit of time spare, virus scans taking fewer minutes, and video game loading times decreased to a limit in the real world. These cases can benefit from the faster speeds that large and tiny files provide. This is why the SSD speed test is so important. As we say, time is money. 

SSD Performance Analysis and Comparison of Different Models and Methods of Testing

There are three ways mainly to analyze the performance of the SSD/ SSD speed test.

1. SSD Performance With Built-In Applications

On most operating systems, testing your hardware is simple. Fortunately, specific operating systems allow you to test your hardware without downloading a separate tool. These built INS programs do work for windows and Linux disk speed tests. However, unfortunately, MAC does not support this built-in performance analysis.

2. Using Third-Party Applications to Analyze SSD Performance.

There is definitely no need to worry about whether we can test our SSD performance with or without additional software because there are numerous freeware applications that can do the same thing. Furthermore, some are cross-platform, making them more accessible to many people.

3. Using Cross-Platform Software to Test SSD Speeds

ATTO Disk Benchmark is cross-platform for individuals who use more than one operating system. Although this is officially freeware, there is a commercial edition with additional capabilities. Despite this, the tool allows you to test a range of hardware components on your computer and check the speeds of your storage drive. This is the external SSD speed test.

Different models of SSD:

Here is the comparison of different models/types of SSD. Some of the various models of 

1. SATA SSD
2. PCIe SSD
3. M.2 SSD
4. U.2 SSD
5. NVMe SSD (read more : NVMe vs SATA)

SSDs are typically divided into two categories: memory chips and interfaces. The above mentioned are some interfaces of SSD.

Compare Your Drive Performance With This Standard Results

When evaluating an SSD’s performance, there are three main variables: throughput, latency, and IOPS.

The actual data transfer rate, or throughput, is the second parameter used to assess a storage device’s performance. Even more crucial is the time it takes to begin a data transfer, known as latency. The number of IOPS reflects how frequently the storage device can move data. IOPS and latency are essential performance indicators for businesses and data centers.

The Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), the estimated elapsed time between intrinsic failures of a system during operation, is another critical parameter.

The user interface and form factors

The most prevalent interface types now available are SATA, mSATA, M.2, and PCIe. The actual dimensions of your gadget and the sort of interface utilized determine the form factor.

• SATA SSD:

Various types of Serial ATA interfaces currently dominate the SSD industry. The latest version of SATA allows for data transfer rates of up to 6Gbps. However, not all SSDs support the SATA III interface.

To receive the claimed speed, you must also check that your computer is SATA III compliant. Even if your computer does not support SATA III, the SSD will still work because all SATA versions are backward compatible. However, the data transfer rate is limited in this case.

• mSATA:

The mSATA or mini-SATA interface is equivalent to SATA in the data transmission rate. mSATA SSDs are great for notebooks and laptops due to their smaller form factor. The mSATA interface, on the other hand, is being phased out in favor of the M.2.

• PCIe

Theoretically, transfer rates in PCIe SSDs can range from 1.5GB/s to 3GB/s. The disadvantage is that these SSDs are incredibly costly. PCIe SSDs come in sizes ranging from 4.3 inches to 12.3 inches.

SSD Productivity Tips & Best Practices

Suppose you want to keep your external or internal SSD storage’s speed and performance. Follow the instructions below to maintain and extend the life of your Solid State drive beyond its typical lifespan.

1. Upgrade the firmware on your SSD.

There are numerous reasons why firmware updates are required. An essential purpose is to preserve overall performance. Monthly, quarterly, or yearly upgrades are possible. I usually advise people to check and update the firmware on their SSDs. It’s done to boost your SSD’s speed and functionality.

2. Do Not Defragment SSDs

It’s pointless to defragment an SSD if you’re using it as a boot drive. Defragmenting magnetic disc drives improves performance by merging files with physically contiguous data into a single file. This is the case because the disk’s head can access contiguous data faster than non-contiguous data. However, an SSD has no authority. Defragmenting the Solid State Drive is pointless because it contains no moving parts.

It’s also worth noting that defragging a Solid State Drive won’t make it faster, and it can even shorten its lifespan.

3. TRIM Enabled or Disabled

The 2009 version of the SATA standard included TRIM. . On Solid State Disks, it’s a valuable feature (SSDs). The TRIM allows the operating system to tell an SSD which data blocks are no longer used. This prevents the SSD from zeroing out specific sectors unnecessarily, which can help it last longer, among other things.

4. Don’t store all you have.

When a large capacity of SSD is used, some issues arise. Transfer performance suffers because there is less free space to write in, and error warnings appear during writing, primarily if your PC is used for gaming. You might also experience sluggish performance when the system starts up or shuts down and system instability.

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Conclusion: How to Use the SSD Speed Test Tool to Get Better Results

Here is the method to use the ADATA speed test tool as numerous tools are available in the market.

The ADATA SSD Toolbox is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10, but only with ADATA SSDs. If you have an ADATA SSD, you can use this utility to accelerate it and extend its life.

The following is a guide on using ADATA SSD Toolbox:

1. Download and install ADATA SSD Toolbox from its official website.
2. Open ADATA SSD Toolbox, and the following window will appear. The ADATA  SSD Toolbox’s Drive Info tab shows all connected drives, including non-ADATA products. The capacity, utilized space in the industry, drive temperature, drive health, and drive lifespan are all displayed on this tab.
3.  Go to the Diagnostics tab and scan the drive’s surface with Quick Diagnostics Scan or Full Diagnostics Scan. Using these features, you may check whether the ADATA SSD has any faulty blocks.
4. Go to the Utility page and check out these four features: Export Log, Security Erase, Firmware Update, and Toolbox Upgrade. Security Erase will erase all data from the drive and reset it to factory settings. However, there are certain caveats:
   1. Before executing Security Erase, please remove all partitions. 
   2. Using Security Erase will shorten the SSD’s lifespan.
   3. Unplugging the SSD while Security Erase is active will cause the SSD to become security locked.

5. Go to the System Optimization tab and look for the SSD Optimization and OS Optimization features.

Trim is a service provided by SSD Optimization for free space on a selected drive.