Assistance - Calling all Samsung EVO owners

I`ve been "messing around" a little more this morning. I tried another secure erase and put a different Windows 7 image onto the SSD. I tested with HD Tune and AIDA64, similar results to the customers Windows install.

Here are the conclusions I`ve come to.

Both AIDA64 and HD Tune show erratic performance before the secure erase.

Checking and realigning partions does not correct the problem, and neither does running Samsung Magician's Performance Optimization.

After the secure erase and restore, HD Tune shows better performance, but on this 120GB EVO, the area where there's data on the drive shows "spikey" performance. AIDA64 shows better performance, and it appears much more even.

I have been quite thorough, and tested several times, before and after the secure erase. I`ve also tried two different images. The results are consistent each time.

Despite the strange results being shown with HD Tune after the "repair", it does appear that a secure erase then restore does bring back the performance of these Evos. The question still remains, why did they lose their performance, and how long will this repair last ?

I've got another customer to see on Monday. His is a PC I built a couple of weeks ago, and it has a 250GB Evo installed. I'll report on what I find. I`ve just seen your mention of an IOPS test. I'll make sure that's done before and after. I know for sure that Samsung Magician's performance test showed an decent improvement in write IOPS on my own Evo after the erase.
 
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I`ve just tested and "fixed" the PC I built a couple of weeks ago.

Before......







After........








When I built the machine, I created a new partition using Windows Disk Management. I then recovered a "default" Windows 7 image that I'm currently using for the machines I build. Since then, the PC had only moderate use, but the benchmarks already show a drop in performance.

Now the performance is restored, I'll monitor it over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, my own PC still continues to provide good benchmark results after it was secure erased over a week ago, despite having had a fair bit of use.

It's starting to look like all that is required is to secure erase a brand new Evo before use. What I need is an order to come in and I can try it !
 
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Spoke to Samsung SSD support (0080080108011 option 0, mon-fri 7:30-4), and they're able to replace the drive without having to send back the box or any other stuff, next day pick up etc. but I'm not sure how long they can offer that. Guy did confirm that the 840 EVO 120/250 models are being very troublesome for them, and that the Magician's benchmark isn't capable of picking it up reliably.
 
Dervious said:
When I built the machine, I created a new partition using Windows Disk Management. I then recovered a "default" Windows 7 image that I'm currently using for the machines I build. Since then, the PC had only moderate use, but the benchmarks already show a drop in performance.

Now the performance is restored, I'll monitor it over the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, my own PC still continues to provide good benchmark results after it was secure erased over a week ago, despite having had a fair bit of use.

It's starting to look like all that is required is to secure erase a brand new Evo before use. What I need is an order to come in and I can try it !
Click to expand...

this is what im thinking too, i set my one up that way because i wanted to enable over provisioning and it wouldnt let me unless there was a 'volume' on the drive or whatever, and you need to do it before installing afaik

but anyway this time i just did secure erase (i used the secure erase built into asus bios as samsung's was being a b...) and installed windows straight after
ive just got home so havent used it much yet but all looked good

i believe like you its a setup thing, i cant believe its wear/degrading or even firmware changes because mine was a brand new drive hardly used and i think it even came with latest firmware
if it is that they need to work on their setup instructions/software so more arnt kicked back at them, i couldnt even get their secure erase thing to work with the frozen errors, annoying thing, just glad i had a asus board
 
Just took this off my HTPC running on Z97 with a 4770k @ 4.2GHz. I think there is about 60GB free.

First run:
hZBErlj.png

Second Run:
UPdN2U9.png


I'll test it tonight in the 250GB Evo in my gaming PC. I think it is down though as it seems to be taking longer to load BF4, so much so I am no longer one of the first people to spawn and get all the shiny kit :( :( :(
 
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Mei said:
this is what im thinking too, i set my one up that way because i wanted to enable over provisioning and it wouldnt let me unless there was a 'volume' on the drive or whatever, and you need to do it before installing afaik

but anyway this time i just did secure erase (i used the secure erase built into asus bios as samsung's was being a b...) and installed windows straight after
ive just got home so havent used it much yet but all looked good

i believe like you its a setup thing, i cant believe its wear/degrading or even firmware changes because mine was a brand new drive hardly used and i think it even came with latest firmware
if it is that they need to work on their setup instructions/software so more arnt kicked back at them, i couldnt even get their secure erase thing to work with the frozen errors, annoying thing, just glad i had a asus board
Click to expand...

I create a parition on a brand new SSD, more as a force of habit than anything else. In fact, I'm not sure if I even need to if I'm cloning a Windows image onto the drive. I think I do it because EaseUs Todo doesn't "see" the SSD unless it has a drive letter assigned to it. The PC I worked on yesterday didn't need a partion creating after the secure erase, as I was using an EasusUs boot disc to carry out the restoration.

I`ve carried out three secure erases in the past couple of weeks. All seemed to work fine. Two were carried out using a bootable USB mem stick created by Samsung Magician, the other was done from within Windows itself, using Magician. Each time the SSD was "frozen", and I simply removed and replace the power lead to the SSD to unfreeze (defrost ? :D) it.

I keep testing my own PC on a daily basis, and still there is no sign of a drop in performance. According to Samsung Magician, I've gone from 2.4 TB to 2.95 TB written since I carried out the erase/restore. That's more than the relatively new PC I repaired yesterday. As I said before, at the moment it looks very likely that a secure erase/restore does fix the problem. The thing I'd like to find out is if secure erasing a brand new Evo before it's used prevents the issue in the first place.
 
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Xs_ said:
Spoke to Samsung SSD support (0080080108011 option 0, mon-fri 7:30-4), and they're able to replace the drive without having to send back the box or any other stuff, next day pick up etc. but I'm not sure how long they can offer that. Guy did confirm that the 840 EVO 120/250 models are being very troublesome for them, and that the Magician's benchmark isn't capable of picking it up reliably.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, but also a bit confusing.

I'd like to know what problems Samsung are having with these Evos, as I`ve had no problems, apart from this benchmark issue, which has only recently been brought to our attention.

If Samsung will simply replace an Evo if a user reports this problem, have they already fixed the problem ? If they have, it sounds like it's more likely to be hardware than firmware (otherwise they'd just issue a firmware update).
 
Hanaro - who are great - got back to me to say Samsung have not yet received the drives as it is a national holiday tomorrow but they will update me if Samsung have anything to say
 
Dervious said:
I create a parition on a brand new SSD, more as a force of habit than anything else. In fact, I'm not sure if I even need to if I'm cloning a Windows image onto the drive. I think I do it because EaseUs Todo doesn't "see" the SSD unless it has a drive letter assigned to it. The PC I worked on yesterday didn't need a partion creating after the secure erase, as I was using an EasusUs boot disc to carry out the restoration.

I`ve carried out three secure erases in the past couple of weeks. All seemed to work fine. Two were carried out using a bootable USB mem stick created by Samsung Magician, the other was done from within Windows itself, using Magician. Each time the SSD was "frozen", and I simply removed and replace the power lead to the SSD to unfreeze (defrost ? :D) it.

I keep testing my own PC on a daily basis, and still there is no sign of a drop in performance. According to Samsung Magician, I've gone from 2.4 TB to 2.95 TB written since I carried out the erase/restore. That's more than the relatively new PC I repaired yesterday. As I said before, at the moment it looks very likely that a secure erase/restore does fix the problem. The thing I'd like to find out is if secure erasing a brand new Evo before it's used prevents the issue in the first place.
Click to expand...

lolz i thought it was the data cable not the power cable i guess thats where i went wrong :o
the asus secure erase is pretty nice tho it powers the pc off and unfreezes it for you

the magician software says it wont secure erase in windows8, duno about other versions, but yeh sounds like was my user error with the usb bootable then :) still they could make it easier i think
a little bit of memory with tools built in would be sweet
 
The Magician software will not secure erase from Windows 7 either. It won't allow the operating system it's running from erase itself ! That's why you have to create a boot disc/usb stick.

You can erase a non-OS SSD from within Windows, if one is installed in the system.

To be fair, secure erasing shouldn't be something you have to do very often, or ever (although that rule seems to have changed at the moment ;)). The few times I`ve done it, it has been easy and has worked OK.
 
Dervious said:
That's interesting, but also a bit confusing.

I'd like to know what problems Samsung are having with these Evos, as I`ve had no problems, apart from this benchmark issue, which has only recently been brought to our attention.

If Samsung will simply replace an Evo if a user reports this problem, have they already fixed the problem ? If they have, it sounds like it's more likely to be hardware than firmware (otherwise they'd just issue a firmware update).
Click to expand...

I would love to badger them for more info, but all they can really say is that they've been having more reports about the specific models than they've ever had about the others, as they're a 3rd party company thats just been hired to take the phones in Europe, they don't have any knowledge outside of the general tech support stuff. They also have a real problem with spelling emails over the phone :p

Also if you want a lol, this is what my magician reports every time http://i.imgur.com/3YxzxmE.png, seems like a reliable benchmark to me
 
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Dervious said:
The Magician software will not secure erase from Windows 7 either. It won't allow the operating system it's running from erase itself ! That's why you have to create a boot disc/usb stick.

You can erase a non-OS SSD from within Windows, if one is installed in the system.

To be fair, secure erasing shouldn't be something you have to do very often, or ever (although that rule seems to have changed at the moment ;)). The few times I`ve done it, it has been easy and has worked OK.
Click to expand...

lol i meant it doesnt allow when plugged in as 2nd drive obv!
wow im not that stupid :)
ok mabe when drunk
 
Just tested my 250GB evo out and same problem here. Motherboard is GA-P55-UD3 (SATA 2, intel SATA ports), I only have games installed on that drive and have 35GB left.

What is the best way of doing a secure erase i.e. which software, do I need to remove other drives etc.?

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