Intel 3510 1.2TB - Very slow write speeds after power up / optimizer run

[PGall3]

Hello,

I am testing the Intel 3510 (1.2TB) SSD to be used in a data logging application. The average data rate requirement is 60MB /sec.

The OS (Windows XPembedded) is installed on a Compact Flash Card. The SSD is used for data logging only.

The test consists of the following:

1) Boot up system

2) Format SSD

3) Automatically run the intel optimizer utility from using the command line options. (wait till completed)

4) Record Data until 90% full

5) Copy Log files to USB drive

6) Reboot the system

The data is generated at an average rate of 60MB / sec. The writes are generally large buffers of data (5-10MB) with occasional smaller writes to a log file.

In the beginning of each test we see a period of a second or two where the data rate drops well below the typical rate. We buffer data to try to work thru these slow periods but our system does not have enough memory to survive when the performance is this slow.

The attached charts show the typical data write speed of 100MB/sec but also the very low performance (<20MB/sec) at the start of the test.

We have used the 3700 series and various predecessors without having this problem. Do you have any recommendations on how we might work around this issue.

Thanks!

Paul

[PGall3]

A few more comments on my previous post

1) I have tested 3 drives on two computers and they all behave similar behavior

2) Firmware version is G2010130

3) We see similar behavior on the800GB version but the performance drop is not quite as severe

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Paul

[jbenavides]

Hello u_p,

Here are the main recommendations we can provide for the slow performance after power up:

- Update the drive's firmware to version G2010140, using https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/18455/Intel-Solid-State-Drive-Toolbox Intel® SSD Toolbox, version 3.3.2.

- Make sure that the storage controller is working in AHCI (SATA) mode.

- Check with the http://www.intel.com/support/oems.htm Computer Manufacturer Support and confirm that you are using the most recent (recommended) BIOS in your motherboard and the driver for your storage controller.

[PGall3]

Hi Jonathan

Thanks for the suggestions. I was not aware of the new FW so we installed that but unfortunately, we have similar results.

As for the other suggestions, we are using AHCI(SATA) mode and all drivers are up to date.

Do you have any other thoughts on this? We are an OEM and have been shipping the Intel drives for about 5 years. I would hate to have to move to another manufacturer over such a small glitch.

Thanks!

Paul

[PGall3]

Hi Jonathan

One more update on this...we repeated this test with one change. We do not run the optimizer at the start of each session.

In this case, we do not see the drop in performance at the beginning of the test.

Sample plot is shown below.

Paul