Super Slow Read and Write speeds

[Hi-imBOB121]

Ever since I bought this laptop (brand new from best buy) almost 2 years ago, I have had slow data transferring speeds usually averaging around 138MBs per second. I didn't realize this was an issue until I installed my new Samsung 990 pro 4tb ssd. The advertised read and write speeds are 7k read and 6k write. My CDM (Crystal Disk Mark) benchmark test results show such speeds. The test results on Samsung Magician ( the official Samsung software for their SSDs) show read and write speeds of around 5.5k+ which is lower but still acceptable for me. I have not damaged the laptop in any way, never dropped it or slammed it close. There are no scratches anywhere. I have tried running CDM benchmarks on fresh windows installs in the and have seen the similar differences in benchmark speeds and actual data transfer speed. The results pictured in the attached photos were done on my current windows installation which is quite fresh from just a few hours ago and with very little installed applications. The drive is nearly brand new, why is there such a huge difference in speeds between the benchmarks and my actual usage? The log 1 photo shows the Samsung Magician drive health test. The file being copied is the file I've tested on every windows install. Its being copied from an external ssd that is plugged directly into the laptop.These are speeds that I see when I'm copying files from one folder to another on the laptop alone. External hdd link > https://a.co/d/3R4h0YGTest file that I acutally want to transfer

CDM Benchmark results

Samsung magician drive health test

Samsing magician dashboard

[Max3Aj · Accepted solution]

@Hi-imBOB121, Hello and welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for posting your question. I'm here to help you get things back on track.

Based on your description and the Samsung 990 Pro SSD benchmark results, here's a breakdown of the situation and steps to help resolve the discrepancy between benchmark speeds and actual file transfer speeds:

Understanding the Issue

Benchmark Speeds (CrystalDiskMark & Samsung Magician):
Your SSD is performing well in synthetic benchmarks — over 7 GB/s read and 6.8 GB/s write, which is close to the advertised specs.

Real-World Transfer Speeds:
You’re seeing ~138 MB/s during actual file transfers, which is significantly lower than expected.
 

Why This Happens

Benchmarks measure sequential performance under ideal conditions. Real-world transfers depend on:

1. Source Drive Speed: If copying from an external SSD, its speed may be the bottleneck.
2. File Type & Size: Small files or many files slow down transfers due to overhead.
3. Interface Limitations:
   • External SSDs over USB 3.0 or SATA may max out at ~150–500 MB/s.
   • Internal SSDs over PCIe Gen 3 or Gen 4 can reach several GB/s.
4. Thermal Throttling: SSDs slow down if they get hot, though your drive is at 43°C, which is fine.
5. Background Processes: Antivirus, indexing, or Windows Defender can affect speeds.

Steps to Diagnose and Improve

1. Check External SSD Interface

• Visit the product page of your external SSD
• Confirm if it supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) or Thunderbolt. If it's USB 3.0, expect ~150–450 MB/s max.

2. Test Internal Transfers

• Copy a large file (e.g., 10GB+) within the Samsung 990 Pro SSD (e.g., from one folder to another).
• If speeds are high (e.g., 1–2 GB/s), the SSD is fine and the bottleneck is the external drive.

3. Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor

• During file transfers, open Task Manager > Performance > Disk to monitor throughput.
• Check if CPU or disk usage spikes.

4. Update Drivers & Firmware

• Ensure latest Samsung NVMe driver is installed. HP Support Assistant | HP® Support
• Update BIOS and chipset drivers from HP Support: 

5. Enable High Performance Mode

• Go to Control Panel > Power Options and select High Performance or Ultimate Performance.

6. Disable Background Services Temporarily

• Turn off Windows Search, Defender Real-Time Protection, and OneDrive Sync during tests.

Additional Tips

• Use FastCopy or TeraCopy for more accurate transfer speeds.
• Format external SSD with exFAT or NTFS for better performance.
• Avoid copying to/from drives formatted with FAT32 (limited file size and slower).

I hope the information shared has been useful and resolves your concern.

Wishing you a smooth and hassle-free experience ahead!

If this solution helped, please click “Accepted Solution” so others can benefit too. Don’t forget to hit the “Yes” button if you found this helpful!

Warm regards,

Max3Aj

HP Support

[Hi-imBOB121]

I was recently made aware of how the size of files being transferred can impact the speeds of said transfers. Outside of that almost all of the other info and tips you've given are brand new to me. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. 

[Max3Aj]

@Hi-imBOB121,  A huge thank you for marking this post as the 'Accepted Solution'! We're thrilled that we could help resolve your issue. 

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help! 

Thanks again for your confirmation, and we wish you an amazing day ahead! 

Regards, 

Max3Aj