Slow data transfer between two fast drives

Inazuma · 18 Oct 2015 at 16:33

Hi
I am currently copying a terabyte of files from my external USB3 Seagate Desktop Expansion to my new Toshiba DT01ACA300. Both these drives are far faster than my older drives, with tests (using Crystal Disk Mark) pitting them at over 150mb/s read and write speeds. The Toshiba in fact is getting nearly 200 mb/s.

However the current transfer has been going at 41 mb/s for five hours now, and it's estimating another five hours to go.

Can anyone make some sense of this for me and suggest things I could do to speed it up?

Computer spec:
Windows 10 64bit
Motherboard: GA-Z68AP-D3 (rev 1), latest BIOS
CPU: Intel Core i7 2700k @ 3.5ghz
RAM: 2x8GB 2133MHz (running at 1600mhz)

biuro74 · 18 Oct 2015 at 18:28

How do you copy files ? Using Windows Explorer ? Try Total Commander. Also, it depends on place - where you copy files to, for example, if you partitioned Toshiba to 3 partitions, and third one is somehow full - you will get the slowest possible transfer then. The same is with USB drive - if files are located at the end, you will get slowest read transfers, where much higher Toshiba writes won't help at all.

breadturbo · 18 Oct 2015 at 18:29

Sounds like usb2 speeds to me, are you sure its connected to the correct usb ports on the back (the ones beside the HDMI apparently the rest are usb2)

**edit you could try updating the bios if not already done, as the latest states 'improved usb3 compatibility'

varkanoid · 18 Oct 2015 at 19:50

Yep usb 2 speed due to external drive. Would have been quicker to connect external drive internally

Inazuma · 18 Oct 2015 at 23:57

It turns out my external drive is indeed currently running at USB2 speeds. I don't understand why it's suddenly decided to do that. I recently changed my RAM and added a new hard drive but I don't think I changed anything in the BIOS that would disable USB3. I even just checked and made sure "enable legacy usb support" is off.