The reason why the SSD does not reach the speed as announced by the manufacturer

SSDs with superior data access speeds compared to traditional HDDs have become an indispensable part of modern computers.

Manufacturers often publish impressive SSD numbers in terms of read and write speeds. However, many users find that, when used in practice, this speed does not reach expectations and below are some reasons.

The reason why the SSD does not reach the speed as announced by the manufacturer Picture 1

1. Ideal testing conditions

SSD drives are often tested by manufacturers for speed in an ideal environment, without the impact of interfering factors including: controlled room temperature, optimal hardware configuration, no running tasks. background.

For example, the Kioxia Exceria Pro product under ideal conditions can achieve read/write speeds of up to 7300/6400 MB/s. But when running in reality, due to many different factors, this speed may decrease.

2. Connection protocols and standards

Protocols and connection standards also affect SSD performance. Therefore, if the user's system only supports the old standard, the speed of the SSD will be limited.

For example, Kioxia's Exceria Plus G3 NVMe SSD is equipped with NVMe standard and PCIe 3.0 or 4.0 protocol to help optimize bandwidth and reduce latency. But if the user's system only supports PCIe 3.0 instead of PCIe 4.0, the speed of the SSD will be limited.

3. Realistic performance and temperature management​

When operating continuously, SSDs can generate high heat, so to protect the internal components, they will automatically slow down, called throttling.

4. Actual write and read performance​

In daily user tasks, SSDs often have to handle mixed workloads that require alternating random and sequential data access, which is not always ideal conditions as shown in the speed test. The level does not reach the maximum level as announced.

In addition, when the SSD is nearly full or data is fragmented, performance will also decrease.

Differences between NAND types (SLC, MLC, TLC, QLC) also affect performance.

5. Firmware and Driver​

SSD firmware and drivers, if not updated, also significantly affect performance.

Lesley Montoya

Update 22 June 2024