Performance issues with SSD.

arc@css · 2 May 2011 at 19:46

Hi,

Am I right in thinking that Windows 7 automatically formats the SSD so nothing else is required in the way of a format? Thinking I was correct, today I installed Windows 7 on this brand new drive, an OCZ Agility 120gb SATA 2. Everything has been perfectly fine, though I wouldn't say I saw as much of an improvement over my Velociraptor as I had expected.

Anyway, I started to realise I had problems when I boot up and as the desktop image appears there is a bit of stuttering, like a slow down. When I attempt to run a game a message appears mentioning slow performance and that it advises I use Windows basic colours. In the game, Cryostasis, there is stuttering every few seconds, once back to desktop the problem continues with the mouse skipping every couple of seconds.

A re-boot solves most of these issues, until the next time.

What have or haven't I done correctly? Thanks.

hideki · 2 May 2011 at 20:04

A quick indicator of hd performance can be seen in the windows experience index. Top score for a mechanical drive is 5.9, an ssd should be a few points above that. If there is some kind of problem you may see lower numbers.

Although to me, the slow performance part sounds more related to GPU/memory limits. Might also want to check the paging file configuration.

arc@css · 2 May 2011 at 20:18

Thanks for the reply, hideki. I have run the windows experience index a few times today, the last score being 7.1 .

You think I may actually be hindered by 4gb of ddr3 ram and an overclocked 480gtx?

Update : Just tried running the game again, this time no issues at all. I 'think' on my other drive when starting up the game, I had to disable nvidia audio drivers in device manager, where as this time it seems strange that I had issues when they were disabled. I simpy enabled them, did a restart, and so far so good. I'll do another re-boot to make sure the desktop loads ok, then try the game again. I'm pretty sure there was a sound issue with my Velociraptor when attempting to play that title, just seems odd that it was resolved in reverse (that is if I am in the right ball park) and have found the cause of the problem.

Krislord · 2 May 2011 at 20:23

Is your SATA port configured as AHCI?

I'm looking at SSD's and a number of threads on here indicate that having the port set as IDE can lead to slower than expected performance and/or stuttering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface

arc@css · 2 May 2011 at 20:26

I don't know is the honest answer. I simply plugged in the SATA cable in to the SATA 2 port. How do you configure the SATA ports? Device manager?

Ah, looks like a BIOS job, and if I'm right, possibly indicating the likelyhood of a reinstall...

shuzzbutt · 2 May 2011 at 20:30

in your motherboards bios settings

arc@css · 2 May 2011 at 20:32

I'll have a look at the bios later, if it wasn't already configured then I'll have no choice but to make the change and reinstall. The information linked a few posts up suggests there might be problems if I don't do a reinstall.

Sida · 2 May 2011 at 20:37

Yeah, setting to AHCI after install can cause all kinds of ****. See how things go after a format with it enabled.

Krislord · 2 May 2011 at 21:03

Before reinstalling you can try changing the registry settings and then the bios to see if you can get it working correctly. You've nothing to lose!

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=313676

arc@css · 2 May 2011 at 21:07

Thanks, Krislord, and to everyone else, too.

hideki · 2 May 2011 at 21:09

Your WEI number is fine, so I don't think you need to potentially worry too much about the SSD.

Unfortunately there might not be a noticeable speed-up compared to the old velociraptor (which itself was a high-end drive), and least none detectable outside a benchmark.

On the plus side its a heck of a lot more quieter

mp3duck · 2 May 2011 at 21:10

I can confirm that this trick worked, as I did the same thing.
After doing the BIOS trick, my SSD hit the expected performance.

arc@css · 2 May 2011 at 23:00

Ok, performing surgery now.

Thanks.

It seems to have worked, I've never seen the taskbar icons loads so quick! The desktop picture still shakily comes to life, but apart from that everything is good. Thanks to all.