Test Methodology
Testing is carried out in the Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise x64 Build 10586 operating system, which correctly recognizes and maintains modern solid state drives. This means that in the process of passing the tests, as in normal everyday use of the SSD, the TRIM command is supported and actively involved. Performance measurement is performed with drives in a "used" state, which is achieved by pre-filling them with data. Before each test, the drives are cleaned and maintained using the TRIM command. Between individual tests, a 15-minute pause is maintained, allotted for the correct development of garbage collection technology. All tests, unless otherwise noted, use randomized, incompressible data.
Applications and tests used:
- Iometer 1.1.0
- Measuring the speed of sequential reading and writing data in blocks of 256 KB (the most typical block size for sequential operations in desktop tasks). Estimates of speeds are performed within a minute, after which an average is calculated.
- Measurement of random read and write speed in 4 KB blocks (this block size is used in the vast majority of real operations). The test is carried out twice - without a request queue and with a request queue with a depth of 4 commands (typical for desktop applications that actively work with a forked file system). The data blocks are aligned with the flash memory pages of the drives. Speeds are evaluated for three minutes, after which an average is calculated.
- Establishing the dependence of random read and write speeds when the drive is working with 4-kilobyte blocks on the depth of the request queue (in the range from one to 32 commands). The data blocks are aligned with the flash memory pages of the drives. Speeds are evaluated for three minutes, after which an average is calculated.
- Establishing the dependence of random read and write speeds when the drive is working with blocks of different sizes. Blocks from 512 bytes to 256 KB are used. The depth of the request queue during the test is 4 commands. The data blocks are aligned with the flash memory pages of the drives. Speeds are evaluated for three minutes, after which an average is calculated.
- Measuring performance under a mixed multi-threaded load and establishing its dependence on the ratio between read and write operations. The test is carried out twice: for sequential reads and writes in 128 KB blocks, performed in two independent threads, and for random operations with 4 KB blocks, which are performed in four threads. In both cases, the ratio between reads and writes varies in 20 percent increments. Speeds are evaluated for three minutes, after which an average is calculated.
- Investigation of SSD performance degradation when processing a continuous stream of random write operations. Blocks of 4 KB and a queue depth of 32 commands are used. The data blocks are aligned with the flash memory pages of the drives. The duration of the test is two hours, instantaneous speed measurements are taken every second. At the end of the test, the ability of the drive to restore its performance to its original values is additionally checked due to the operation of the garbage collection technology and after the TRIM command has been processed.
- CrystalDiskMark 5.0.2
- Synthetic benchmark that returns typical SSD performance measured on a 1 GB disk area "on top" of the file system. From the entire set of parameters that can be evaluated using this utility, we pay attention to the speed of sequential read and write, as well as the performance of random reads and writes in 4-kilobyte blocks without a request queue and with a queue of 32 instructions deep.
- PC Mark 8 2.0
- A test based on emulating real disk load, which is typical for various popular applications. On the tested drive, a single partition is created in the NTFS file system for the entire available volume, and the Secondary Storage test is carried out in PCMark 8. As test results, both the final performance and the speed of execution of individual test traces generated by various applications are taken into account.
File Copy Tests
This test measures the speed of copying directories with files of various types, as well as the speed of archiving and unzipping files inside the drive. For copying, a standard Windows tool is used - the Robocopy utility, for archiving and unzipping - the 7-zip archiver version 9.22 beta. Three sets of files participate in the tests: ISO - a set that includes several disk images with software distributions; Program - set, which is a pre-installed software package; Work - a set of work files, including office documents, photos and illustrations, pdf files and multimedia content. Each of the sets has a total file size of 8 GB.
We did not expect any performance records from another drive based on TLC memory. Three-bit memory is slower than the usual MLC NAND, and therefore SSDs using it cannot compete for places in the upper or middle market segment. However, in favor of the fact that the Crucial BX200 could turn out to be a very remarkable new product in the lower price range, several circumstances spoke at once. And it was especially encouraging that this drive replaced the very successful Crucial BX100 model, and its official specifications indicate very competitive characteristics. Therefore, preparing to get acquainted with the BX200, we expected to see another attractive and inexpensive SSD model, which the Crucial brand is famous for. It seemed more than real also because we had to meet more than once with TLC drives capable of delivering good speed. Such, for example, SanDisk Ultra II or Samsung 840 EVO. In other words, there was no reason to expect some kind of dirty trick from Crucial.
But in reality, everything turned out differently and the Crucial BX200 turned out to be a real disaster. Not only did it deliver astonishingly slow random and sequential write speeds, it also outperformed all other consumer drives in random read tests. We saw a more or less acceptable result only with sequential reading and with a mixed load, but this is clearly not enough for the Crucial BX200 to be seriously recommended for at least some PC configurations.
The main problem of the BX200 lies in the new Silicon Motion SM2256 controller, which, due to its low power, works extremely inefficiently with the TLC NAND array. As a result, all accesses that go beyond the SLC cache are processed very slowly. And what's more, freeing a once-filled cache takes a significant amount of time, which additionally reduces the speed of all subsequent operations.
All this means that Crucial's new budget SSD model is so weak that even low prices are unlikely to save it. Over the past few years, Crucial has delighted us with their brilliant products time after time, but the BX200 is a real failure. And there is no doubt that the vast majority of other cheap SSDs on a controller other than the SM2256, even if they are stuffed with TLC NAND, will be able to offer noticeably higher performance.
In conclusion, it should be said that such an unsuccessful debut of the Crucial BX200 drives Micron into an extremely difficult situation. The popular and sought-after BX100 model is being discontinued in order to give way to a new product that is more profitable for the manufacturer. However, it is clear that sales of the BX200 will be low anyway. Micron, meanwhile, has already launched a large-scale production of 16-nm TLC NAND, which now runs the risk of remaining unclaimed. Therefore, in the near future we will either witness a serious drop in the price of the BX200, and especially for capacious versions, or some other TLC drive with more acceptable characteristics will soon be released under the Crucial brand. Fortunately, there are plenty of suitable platform options on the market.
Equipment also suffers from diseases, wear and tear during operation and force majeure in the form of a cup of tea overturned on the keyboard, and then a person comes to the rescue. Of course, it is impossible to foresee everything, but the owner is still able to optimize the software and protect the computer from viruses. How to use the CrystalDiskInfo program used to protect your computer? We will talk about this in the article.
general information
Freeware CrystalDiskInfo for Windows is one of the most well-known tools for monitoring the health of hard drives. The software is used by both beginners and experienced professionals. This is because CrystalDiskInfo is not only convenient, but also a visual tool with many options. An inexperienced user can use it to monitor the state of the hard disk, and the programmer will find disk ratings for a variety of parameters.
The software determines the technical condition of the computer's hard drives, displays their temperature on the screen, and specifies the level of S.M.A.R.T. All data is presented in a clear and visual form, the criteria that determine the general condition of the disk (good - green, satisfactory - yellow, bad - red, unknown - gray) are highlighted in colors. But how to use CrystalDiskInfo?
Program functions
CrystalDiskInfo highlights symptoms that could lead to hardware failure so you can take appropriate action in advance. CrystalDiskInfo regularly monitors and checks various media, including hard drives and solid state drives. This utility looks at a large number of disk S.M.A.R.T. indicators, analyzes them and displays them on the screen in an understandable way.
Where and how to download?
How to use CrystalDiskInfo? Where to download and how to install the software on your computer? The program can be freely downloaded on the official website of the company that developed the tool for monitoring the status of hard drives, absolutely free. The developers also explain in detail and in simple language how to use CrystalDiskInfo.
You can download the software in several languages, including the Russian version. On the download page, you can choose one of several options for the program: there is a regular version and Shizuku Edition. Shizuku Edition offers several visual themes to choose from.
You can also download the source code of the tool to your computer, but this is only suitable for advanced users who are interested in the program from a technical or professional point of view. Both the standard program and the Shizuku Edition are downloaded as an archive.
Program installation
How to use CrystalDiskInfo? The portable version can be used immediately after the download is complete: you just need to unzip the zip archive materials to any folder and open the necessary file (DiskInfo32.exe for a 32-bit operating system or DiskInfo64.exe for a 64-bit one, respectively). If you used an exe-installer, install according to the simple instructions of the program, which are listed in the ReadMe.
S.M.A.R.T.
The status check is carried out using a special technology called Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology, which in Russian means “technology of self-monitoring, analysis and reporting”. Therefore, as the name suggests, the role of the S.M.A.R.T. - study of the state of the disk and the transfer of information about the malfunctions that the user may encounter in the near future.
The system checks a large number of different indicators and, by combining the indicators, makes an overall assessment of the condition of the hard drive. It is not at all necessary for the owner of a computer to understand all the variables, since S.M.A.R.T. independently analyzes the data and broadcasts it on the screen in an understandable form.
Software interface
After installing and running the program, a workspace will open. The interface of the tool is intuitive. The working window of the program can be conditionally divided into five areas:
- Disc selection area. This location displays all the media that the software has detected on the device. Information about their general position and some characteristics is displayed.
- Leading features of the disc. Here you can see some of the disk parameters: firmware version, serial number, interface version, material transfer level, as well as the speed of rotation (only for HDD), the number of inclusions and the combined operating time.
- Compressed summary of disk status. In this area, the position will be characterized by one of the colors - from blue to gray. In addition, in this part of the program window, you can see the temperature of the disk. The working temperature will also be detected on a blue background, and dangerous - on a red one. When the state is constantly analyzed by CrystalDiskInfo. The alarm is declared immediately. A high temperature will most likely lead to severe damage to the hard drive, so in such cases it is necessary to understand and eliminate the cause of overheating as soon as possible. Experienced programmers can independently disassemble the equipment and thoroughly clean the ventilation structures from dust, but for a beginner it is better to contact a specialized center.
- The largest part of the program window is the S.M.A.R.T. Here is information about the parameters that are checked using this technology.
- S.M.A.R.T. They are characterized by the same colors as the general position or temperature. By moving the mouse cursor, you can see a tooltip with details about the reasons for the loss of functionality.
Checking the condition of equipment
If CrystalDiskInfo is already running, how to use it? Anxiety grows among insufficiently experienced users. However, for professionals, the program is a wide field for study.
For the most effective use of CrystalDiskInfo, it is necessary to constantly maintain remapped sectors on the hard disk by disinfecting CrystalDiskInfo. It is very simple to implement this: you need to activate "Service - Autostart", and the program will determine the automatic loading of the element when the operating system is turned on, and "Service - Agent Start" will put program icons, which will make it possible to view the disk temperature in real time at any time.
In addition, you can set up immediate alerts about a dangerous disk condition. The tool works with sound alerts, email messages, and can also analyze the event log.
Reassigned sectors
Finally, the CrystalDiskInfo program is installed and running. "Reassigned sectors" - such an inscription appeared on the monitor screen. What it is? Remapped are called bad sectors that were found on the surface of the disk. Information from such areas is copied to the reserve area. They have not yet become damaged, but a large number of them slow down the functioning of the hard drive. The unexpected appearance of a significant number of such sectors may indicate problems with the security of the drive.
Damage indicates that the hard drive is gradually losing its resource - this is not critical yet, but it is still better to copy the information to an external drive. The hard drive will obviously work for a limited time - maybe a month, or maybe even a year. In any case, you need to transfer data to an external drive.
Unstable sectors
We continue to learn how to use CrystalDiskInfo. Unstable sectors found in significant numbers? HDD hard drives are safe and durable mechanisms, but they break. Over time, they fail. Bad areas appear on the disk. They are usually detected when studying the disk with programs like CrystalDiskInfo.
Most often, they occur precisely because of failures or an unexpected shutdown of the computer. If the controller has some difficulties when processing a sector, then it marks it as unstable. If the errors are repeated, the controller remaps the sector. The appearance of such problems is not yet a reason for repair, but the disk still needs to be monitored. Although there were cases when information on disks was read without difficulty with 1000 or more unstable sectors.
However, if the problems still intensify, you need to make a backup copy of the received files. If CrystalDiskInfo indicates the presence of not just unstable sectors, but serious damage, then, of course, you need to take action.
As a result, it can be noted that this utility is very necessary for almost all computer owners, since the health of the device as a whole depends on the “health” of the hard drive. And this is not yet about the safety of information.
In the last article of the site, we considered a utility that informs about all the data on a computer's hard drive. In this article, we will get acquainted with a utility related to it (the programs have the same developer) - CrystalDiskMark. It is designed to measure the performance of hard drives.
1. About CrystalDiskMark
Program for Windows CrystalDiskMark can measure the average read and write speed of conventional hard drives with magnetic platters, both external and connected via USB, SSD drives and flash drives. Unlike many similar programs, CrystalDiskMark allows you to determine the read and write speed on individual disk partitions.
CrystalDiskMark is a free, multilingual program that has no other functionality than testing the performance of hard drives.
You can download CrystalDiskMark on the developer's website. The program is presented in a regular version that requires installation, and a portable version. CrystalDiskMark Shizuku Editions are versions with Japanese anime backgrounds.
If CrystalDiskMark is selected in the usual option that requires installation, you must carefully monitor the installation process so that you do not install unnecessary software into the system along the way.
2. Testing hard drives
After starting the program, we will see a small window in the form of a table of values. The last cell of the row at the top provides for the selection of a specific disk partition or connected device (flash drives, USB-HDD, USB-SSD).
The cells to the left are the read and write cycles of a reference file with a certain size, which the program will temporarily place on the tested disk partition or device. The number of cycles of 5 with a file size of 1000 MB, set in the program by default, can be left for ordinary HDD hard drives.
In order not to once again wear out the SSD drive, in case of testing it, it is recommended to reduce the number of cycles to 3 with a file size of 100 MB.
We select the disk partition to be tested or the connected USB device and start the process of measuring the speed of reading and writing data with the button « All».
« All” - as we see from the name, this is the launch of all the data reading and writing tests presented below. They can also be launched individually with the corresponding button:
- « Seq» - testing of sequential reading and writing of data is started;
- « 512K» - starts testing random reading and writing blocks, the size of which is 512 KB;
- « 4K» - testing of random reading and writing of blocks is started, the size of which is 4 KB with a queue depth of 1;
- « 4K QD32» - starts testing random reading and writing blocks, the size of which is 4 KB with a queue depth of 32.
Of all these individual tests, by and large, only " Seq". It is the sequential measurement of reading and writing data that is considered an indicative parameter, since it is precisely its values that manufacturers indicate in the characteristics of storage media. And if the goal of measuring the performance of a new hard drive or flash drive is to check the manufacturer or seller, whether he lied, promising better speed performance, you can only start testing " Seq».
After a short test in the CrystalDiskMark table, we will see the average speed of the hard disk - in the cells of the column " read» data reading speed, and in the cells of the column « Write”, respectively, the speed of their recording.
3. Other functionality of the program
CrystalDiskMark allows you to copy test results in text format. The test data saved in a text file can later be used for analysis and comparison.
The CrystalDiskMark program provides the ability to zoom in on its window, as well as change the color of the interface.
Did this article help you?
When it comes to testing hard drives or other storage media to determine the exact read and write speeds, special utilities such as CrystalDiskMark come to the rescue. Today we will talk about how to use this program.
What is this utility for? First of all, hard drive manufacturers do not always clearly indicate the real read and write speed. But besides that, if you decide to overclock your device, CrystalDiskMark utility will allow you to visually compare the results before and after.
How to use CrystalDiskMark
- First of all, if the CrystalDiskMark utility is not installed on your computer, you will need to download it from the link at the end of the article from the developer's official website and install it on your computer.
- Run Crystal Disk Mark. A miniature utility window will appear on the screen, where all the work will take place. Visually, the program window can be divided into 4 blocks:
- Control Panel. Standard control menu buttons and utility settings that are available in almost any program. Here, if necessary, you can change the language of the program (by default, the utility was immediately launched with the Russian language).
- Check setting. Here the parameters are set just before the test is started. For example, here you can specify for which device the test will be performed, as well as how many test cycles will be performed.
- Starting a check. Buttons that are responsible for starting a disk speed scan.
- Display results. Here you will see the read and write speed settings for your drive.
So, having dealt with approximately the visual component of the program, you can proceed to work with it.
- First of all, you will need to select the number of checks to be performed on the storage device. As it becomes immediately clear, the higher the number of checks, the more accurate the result of reading and writing will be. By default, the program has the most optimal option - 5 checks, but, if necessary, you can set your own number.
- The second item will ask you to set the size for the file that will be written and read. Again, the larger the file size, the more accurate the result will be. In addition, the duration of the scan will increase significantly if you select a large file, so be sure to take this into account.
- Now you should select the disk with which further work will be performed. This can be not only a hard drive installed on your computer, but also any storage device, such as a flash drive or memory card. If your drive does not appear in the list, click the button "Select Folder" and in the explorer that appears, mark the disk you need.
- Now we come directly to the launch of the test. The program provides four different testing modes:
- Seq Q32T1– reading and writing in sequential mode with a queue depth of 32 per thread;
- 4K Q32T1– random read and write with 4Kb blocks with a queue depth of 32 per thread;
- Seq– reading and writing in sequential mode with depth equal to 1;
- 4K– random read and write with 4Kb blocks with depth equal to 1.
- All– a button that starts all testing modes simultaneously.
Your disk must have at least 15% free space for the check to be performed. If this value is less, it is recommended to first free up the memory on the device (if it comes to small removable drives, it is recommended to completely clear them of data).
- We launched the execution of all verification modes by pressing the button All. You can see the status of the verification process by the utility in the program header. Unfortunately, a full scale of the progress of the process is not provided by the utility here.
- When the utility completes the check, you will be able to see the values found by the program by reading and writing.
- To export the results, click on the button in the upper left corner "File". Additional items will appear on the screen: "Copy" will place the results on the clipboard so that you can paste them into any program convenient for you, and "Save" will allow you to export the results to a text TXT file.
In the dry matter
CrystalDiskMark does a great job of informing the user about the read and write speed of the disk they have. The program can be safely recommended due to its simplicity and ease of use, low load on the operating system, the presence of the Russian language, as well as a completely free license.
Most recently I praised you ssd drives in which the speed of reading / writing information is one of the main advantages. Even a new section on the site started on the topic of these drives. So, today I will tell you how to find out disk speed.
As always, I responsibly approached the search for information before writing this article and tried several programs for measuring the speed of disks, choosing the most convenient and best, in my opinion, program - CrystaldiskMark.
I “run in” this program on all my home computers with different types and generations of drives - you will find out the results by reading the article.
I will not repeat that the overall performance of your computer depends on the speed of the disk, but I will simply tell you how easy and simple it is to measure disk speed, and a disk of any type (hard or solid state).
At the same manufacturer as CrystalDiskInfo ( I already told you about her), so there is no reason to doubt the quality of the program.
Of course, this is not the only free computer program that can measure the speed of disks. There are, for example, HD Speed or HD Tune, but CrystalDiskMark is the most understandable and even ... the most beautiful, because it supports skin replacement!
Download CrystaldiskMark
During the installation of the CrystalDiskMark program, be careful and careful - be sure to uncheck this box ...
This is the only nuance when installing the program - do not be offended by the authors, they are good.
Installed? Launching...
Don't be scared - it's very simple. First we need this line...
Let me decipher it for you ... "5" is the number of cycles (read / write) of the reference file, the size of which is 1000MB, and the program will temporarily "throw" it on the disk partition called "C", which is 53% occupied (15 GB of 29 GB possible).
You can leave everything as it is, but for SSD drives, I still advise you to reduce the number of cycles to 3, and set the file size to 100 MB so as not to reduce drive life, because it is limited by the number of cycles of writing and reading information.
Specify the drive whose speed you want to measure (this is if you have several of them).
Press the "All" button to start the full testing process.
"Seq" - Run a sequential read/write test. It is this test that is considered indicative and it is this speed that manufacturers indicate in the characteristics of their drives.
"512K" - launch a test of random reading / writing blocks of 512 KB in size.
"4K" - launching a test of random reading / writing blocks of 4 KB in size (with queue depth = 1).
"4K QD32" - launch a test of random reading / writing blocks of 4 KB in size (with queue depth = 32).
Personally, I only tested disk speed with a sequential test. Here's what I got…
This is the result of measuring the speed of an SSD drive on my old laptop with a SATA2 bus. The first digit is the speed of reading information from the disk, and the second is the speed of writing to the disk.
So-so result - this drive can work more than twice as fast! As soon as I install it on a new motherboard in my wife's computer (with a fast, modern bus), I will immediately tell you here in the comments and inform you about the results of the new measurement.
And such a disk speed (hard and 1 TB in size) on a gaming, powerful computer of my children. Already more fun, but you can also think about buying an SSD drive, because this machine has a SATA3 bus!
And here it is - the slowest, oldest hard drive (living its last days as a system one), only 160 GB in size, installed on the oldest computer in our family ...
JAPANESE GOD!!!
Here they are, in all their glory - the technologies and speeds of the last century!!!
And now attention! Especially those comrades who buy SSD drives and connect them as external, via USB. The fact is that I remembered my external hard drive, which I took out of my laptop, replacing it with an SSD and connecting it like a regular USB flash drive via a USB 2.0 port.
Here's what came out of it...
