If you are using a fast SSD, butyour system is slow, improper connections, firmware/driver issues, or high system resource usage are usually the culprits.
So, if you want to speed up your slow SSD, firstcheck its type to understand the usual speedit should provide. If it doesn’t show the necessary speed,check connectionsandupdate firmware and drivers.
you may alsolower system resource usage,scan for malware,andchange power settingsto boost system performance.
First, Check the SSD Type (and Health)
Different types of SSD (M.2, NVMe, SATA) offer different read/write speeds depending on the type of motherboard connection.
In general, you’ll find the following speeds for the SSD drives:
The large range for the speeds of the same types of SSD drives is due to the difference in the quality and the cell memory level in the SSD.
You may even find a slight variance between quality and performance between the same SSD models.
So first,check the type of your SSD. If you are using an M.2 NVMe SSD, check thePCIe generationsupported byyour motherboardas well.
Your SSD will use the lowest possible speed among those supported by the SSD and the motherboard.
Then, use a benchmark or testing application like CrystalDiskMark, SSD-Z, and so on totest the read/write speed. Then,
Note: If the SSD benchmark shows enough read/write speeds, but you are experiencing performance issues, it may be a result ofother problems instead of the SSD.
In such cases, I recommend you check out following articles on our platform depending upon your issue:
Change Connection Ports or Slots
Improper connection of the SSD with its port or slot may also bring about lags. This issue usually occurs due to faults in the port or the slot, sotry changing themand see if it helps.
you may also check out ourHow to Install SSDguide for the detailed steps.
Update Firmware and Driver
An SSD with outdated firmware or driver may not be fully compatible with the latest motherboard or operating system.
So, it’s best toupdate the firmware and driversto the latest available versions as soon as possible.
you may do so through themanual Windows update, as it also provides driver and firmware updates.
For that,
you may check the official website of your SSD for firmware/driver updates or any update application.
Lower CPU, RAM, and Disk Usage
If the SSD needs to perform a lot of read-write operations during the same period, it will run into performance issues. you may check the current disk usageon the Task Manager’sProcesses tab.
If it is high, lower the usage bydisabling background processesthat are consuming the most disk resources.
Also, if your CPU Usage or RAM usage is high, these components may be bottlenecking your SSD.
In such cases, you need tofree up memoryand CPU resourcesby closing unnecessary programs in a similar manner.
If such background processes result from many startup apps,disable all unneeded apps from the startup.
you may also go through your app list anduninstall thoseyou no longer need.
Also, your SSD will show latency and other performance issues if it is nearly full.
So, I recommend youhave 20-25%storage space freefor optimal performance. But if you have larger drives (1-2TB), you may lower this number to 10-15%.
Scan for Malware
A malware infection can also severely affect SSD performance. Some malware may use up a lot of the system resources, including the Disk read/write cycles.
Conduct a full scan of your systemto prevent such issues. you may do so usingWindows Settingsthrough the steps below:
Change Power Settings
The power saving mode on Windows limits your SSD and CPU performance to lower the power consumption.
If you want a faster system,setting the mode to High Performance or Balancedis best.
To do so,
Some computers may have additional power settings that work separately from the Windows power settings.
For instance, my Lenovo Legion 5 laptop allows setting the power mode to Performance, Balanced and Quiet modes. So, change those settings as well.
