Port 0 / Sata III Speeds Dropping To Sata II Speeds

Ah, but from Dell-Bill_B's reply, Dell doesn't think it's as simple as that.

I am totally open to this, Dell-Bill_B! I don't have a rock solid repro for you in that I don't see the issue instantly on boot without USB devices connected, but I am likely to see it within 24 hours. If you think that's still a worthwhile test and it's something we can consider with me and the laptop both in Australia, I'm happy to help. (FWIW I do have on-site cover.)

 

Think you better look at bills reply's again...They are will to investigate it. So if i were you, I would jump on that.

 

Okay... I figured out the the Intel Toolbox turns on DPIM as part of the drive tuning. It also enables LPM. If LPM is off in the registry, both drives will start as 6Gb/s. Drive is getting 966Read 656Write now! Thanks guys! Wish I could have tested the LPM disable with the Vertex3's before returning.

 

Don't worry, I tested it and it didn't work. Plus the vertex drives should just work without doing anything in the registry. (On 3 machines)

 

Yes, sorry, wasn't clear.

Bill - if this is doable with me and the laptop in Australia I am totally happy to assist in troubleshooting this with a mobo swap!

 

I just found this thread... I just got a Samsung 256 GB 830 Series SSD and plan on using it single with my 500GB Momentus XT. Will I have speed dropouts? Do I need to put the SSD on Port 1?

Edit: I deserve a medal. I actually read through every single page of this thread! It seems that most people are having problems with Sandforce-based SSDs, so I should be in the clear with my Samsung...

 

It's a motherboard issue. You will not have a problem with this unless your motherboard is defective.

 

Mine does it if vertex3 is in port0 but in port1 its fine. I know if you ring tech support they will blame ssd or windows install. Is anyone raiding Vertex3 drives?

 

Well, Windows didn't like being ghosted from a RAID to a single AHCI volume, so I had to do a fresh install anyways. The good news is that I have daily backups, so full restoration of all my settings and such is just as easy as copying files over from the archives.

So far I'm getting SATA 3 speeds...

 

Yes, I am. 2 maxiops 120GB's

 

All,

Greetings. First post here.

After reading all of your advice etc on the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS, I'm about to do the Port 0/1 reg fix, but have a few questions:

1. Do I just go into regedit, run as admin?

2. Look for a specific string as per the previous posts?

(Don’t see that string listed following the previous text example)

3. How do I insert the 'Fox port 0 fix' attached file in a previous post?

4. Is this a futile exercise and from what you guys are saying I am perceiving it's an OCZ firmware issue?

5. Finally, do I just need to return this rig? I was after SATA 3 speeds and the fastest AW rig money can buy and if i cant do it with this Cougar Chipset, I'm thinking of just getting my money back ......We will see though...

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Cheers,
Outlaw

 

Mr Fox

So I tired your LPM Port 1 & 0 fix, but unfortunetly, no dice.

So this is specifically what is happening every boot.

1. windows loads to the password screen in about 18 seconds.

Isnt that a issue right there? I hear peeps are getting 10-12 secs with the Raid 0 vertex 3. I have the 240gb raid 0 config.

2. I go into the Intel RST Mgr and advanced to the ports:

Port 0: Shows 6gbs
Port 1: Shows 6gbs

3. Not even 3 minutes later, I go back in and every time it Port 0 changed to 3gbs?????

no programs runned, just at the desktop...

Thought it was the USB issue, because I always plug in my usb coolermaster thingy, but tried multiple times from power off to desktop and Port 0 goes from 6gbs to 3gbs after a few mins at the desktop.

What's the issue here?

Firmware 2.15 with the OCZ Vertex 3 240gb ssds running raid 0?
or
The Mobo
or
USB issue
or
Is it all of the above and we are looking at compound issues here.

Would you please be able to assist with this?

It's driving me crazy this issue as I purchased this rig because of the fast specs and paid top dollar for it and the OCZ drives.

Just want to get what I paid for.

Im sure everyone here can understand that.

Thanks heaps.

Cheers

 

It's the motherboard.

 

Agree with Brother John... It's new mobo time again in Alienware Land. Sorry bro. Since disabling LPM made no difference, replacing the mobo is the only option to avoid the lower 3GB/s speed problem. John and Dan know all about this... they know the pain you're going through because they had the same issue. The good news is that it is fixable and not an "unresolved issue" affecting all systems.

 

I agree, mobo problem...again.

 

Thanks Guys.

Yea, I thought that was the logical issue from reading in depth all of your posts.

Been reading here at the OCZ Forum to try to find other peeps with the issues to see what the OCZ engineers say:

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?96525-Vertex-3-Boots-at-6-Gb-s-drops-to-3-Gb-s-after-a-few-minutes

They are not saying anything new.

What they are saying in there:

1. Disable SLPM in BOIS (not sure the M18X even has that option)

2. Fox LPM Fix (regedit files)

3. Uncheck and recheck the write buffer under properties in device manager

4. Electrical design on the Mobo

Do you guys know what Mobo the M18X has by default?

Here's my question though

Since there has been ample time since this issue has come up, how does a mobo swap fix it? I mean its the same board right?

What is different on the new mobo?

Did the gremlins simply get a 'bright light, bright light' and ran away in the
'Alienware factory' , so these made mobos are good and not Gremlinized?

Hehe

 

I suppose like any other product, you get lemons and good ones. If you ask Johnksss, his problem was resolved with a mobo swap. Don't know HOW they tell if the new mobo is a "good one" but afaik, its definetly a mobo issue and you would need yours swapped out to correct the sata behaviour.

 

Outlaw01 tried the exact same fixes as you and i have a Vertex 3 120gb drive and i can confirm only a new motherboard will fix. I had a single drive so just ran on port1 @ 6gb/s until recently.

 

Darn Guys,

Not what I wanted to hear.

Sounds like some sort of QA issue at Dell? I mean how can this be with this specific board?

Do you guys know the model number etc? Is it a gigabyte board or something?

Cheers

 

The M18x laptops (and other Alienware laptops) are built for Dell by Compal. Dell never touches them before they end up in the customer's hands. They are shipped from China direct to the end user (even though the shipper address on the FedEx label is a Dell address). So, it is a QA problem with the vendor, but it certainly reflects poorly on Dell because their name is on the line. Most end users have never heard of Compal.

 

This is what i get when i benchmark IOPS on my intel 520 drive. Is my MB faulty?

I have tried all kinds of tweaks so im starting to give up. I currently run windows 8 preview but it shouldnt be the problem i think.

 

i have had 4 motherboard in my machine so far and 3 of them had this issue. with current one need to be replaced again. Dell need to take these boards out of circulation i know sound easier then it actually would be. So sick of all these little issues

 

Does Intel Rapid Store Technology indicate your SSD is operating as 3GB/s or 6GB/s? Hard to say if Windows 8 Preview is causing the problem. It's a work in progress, so there could be issues with SATA-III support. Only way to know the answer to that question for sure is check your SSD performance with Windows 7.

 

Yes its running in 6gb/s according to Intel Rapid Store Tech.

 

In that case, I doubt you have a motherboard issue to worry about. That would suggest slow speeds are attributable to the SSD not working as advertised, or Windows 8. I would suspect the SSD is the problem.

 

how can i see in real-time if the sata port drops from 6gb/s to 3gb/s? if the case is that the computer detects 6gb sata upon boot, but shortly after drops to 3gb and still shows/remembers it as 6gb.

 

According to intel SSD forum, the 520 don't run at advertised Speed.

 

If it were happening, you would know it. Intel RST is going to display the correct information. The defective motherboards do not switch between 3GB/s and 6GB/s transfer rate "on the fly" from what I have seen in this thread.

As it has been posted several times, your Intel 520 SSD appears to be the faulty component. Even so, your Intel 520 SSD transfer rates are better than SATA-II, they're just not as good as they should be. I would return the SSD for a refund and get a different SSD that does not have a known issue.

 

I got an Intel 520 180GB installed last night and so far I am showing 6 gbps. I have no idea what revision my motherboard is on though, on my 4th one (for a different problem) and this is first one I have had a Sata 3 SSD with

 

The two i recently replaced in my current machine did change rate on the fly as did the original board. If you have the panel open in RST and run CrystalDIskMark after the initial first Read you can see the 6gb/s change to 3gb/s and can only get it back to 6gb/s if you restart. so basically its when load is put on the SSD to run fullspeed its drops to 3gb/s

 

I was on a conference call with Dell today and this subject came up as it affects the M17x R3 as well. The root issue is a bug with the Intel Sandy Bridge chipset. It's sort of a mystery why some otherwise identical Sandy Bridge chipset hardware works properly and others do not. Also, various BIOS versions seem to have fewer issues than others. (When Sandy Bridge was first released, there was a recall relating to the SATA ports, as I am sure everyone will remember.) For example, the R3 with A08 will run at 6GB/s but A09 will not, and Dell has not identified precisely why that is the case. It seems to be a random failure situation. Theoretically, the R3 should never be able to run at 6GB/s SATA-III on any BIOS version according to Dell, but it most thankfully does for those with A08.

 

What would be the recommended course of action for me then. Should i return my 520 drive and get something else (if so which would be the best, im looking for 500mb/s on both read and write on a single drive)?

Or should i wait for a fix, maybe a firmware update to the drive or drivers to the controller? If intel is aware of this and are trying to fix this.

 

I don't think we can predict if or when Intel will fix that issue with the SSD. If it were me, I would return it for a refund and find something else. I would have to do a lot of comparison shopping to figure out what SSD drives have the 500MB/s read and write speeds you're look for, and which of those SSD would seem to be the best choice.

 

This is precisely why I had to take the "only drives offered at point of sale" stance on this issue. So hard to tell which ones will magically work, and which won't.

 

Bla bla lots of text not relevant.

 

We're referring to a bug in the Sandy Bridge chipset, bro. Not something Dell designed. It does not plague all systems, but it does randomly affect some and some SSD drives have more issues running at SATA-III than others.

 

Ah...I see now, thats a old problem and has bin there since the release. Both my R3's had Sata 2 speed on port 0 and Sata 3 on port 1. One of them is from a year ago.

Dell does the BIOS so what happend there? Since going to A09 the speed drops on port 0. Thats not Intel related is it or does Intel have something to say when the BIOS is created?

 

This was discussed in the conference call on Thursday. They did not change anything they can identify that affects the SATA controller and don't have an explanation for why A08 handles 6GB/s speeds but A09 does not. The good thing is that you can go back to A08 if you're using a SATA-III SSD.

 

The M14x has a similar problem. Latest BIOS and the speed is dropped to Sata 2 speeds.

 

I have read where HP and .Sony laptop owners have experienced the same issue with Sandy Bridge after a BIOS update. Some Macbooks with Sandy Bridge are also unable to run at SATA-III speeds.

 

Just in case anyone else runs into this issue, here's what I experienced and how it was corrected... YMMV, but it's worth a shot before deciding your motherboard needs to be replaced.

 

Hi everyone, my M18x R2 is starting to have the same sata3 dropping to 2 issue, and after googleing, it seems like the flat flex cable is causing it?

I have one intel 520 180G at the bottom separate SATA3 connector, and two WD 500GB RAID0 at the upper two connectors. Just realized the SSD dropped to SATA " sometimes". I pulled out the two raid0 drives, and tested the SSD solo at the two SATA3 ports, seems to work at full SATA3 reading(sequence read up to 460MB), but the write is only about 160MB while it normally runs at 250MB. with all 3 drives install, the SSD at the button connector once again dropped down to 260MB read and 160 write.

After searching the internet, looks like there is a newer SATA cable for fixing this issue? My laptop is still in warranty, so what would be the easiest way to get the replacement cable?

Thanks~

 

some extra info:

the part# on my sata cable is QBR10-LF-8323P

 

I'd call Dell and see what they have to say. If you can get them to send you one of those, I'm sure they would if it solves the problem.

 

well here are my scores for this Johnkss.. it seems other peoples 6g/bs speeds seem kinda slower than mine... any ways here..

 

Just called AW support, after a bunch of normal yet useless discussion, got transferred to the real tech supported, got told that if I transfer data between sata3 and sata2 drive, speed drop is normal blah blah.... So I just told them I suspect the problem is due to the defective hard drive cable... Thankfully the tech was able to send me a replacement cable and see if it would solve it..

will give you guys an update for how it works out later when the replacement arrives

PS: essentially the dell warranty program works quite goo, just a bit hassling dealing with all kinds of "diagnostic"..........

PS again: The original HDD cable is actually indeed defective, as the flat flax cable for the #0 sata3 port is passing right beside the edge of the motherboard, and so the motherboard has worn out the cable a little bit..not sure if that breaks some of the copper wire inside causing the performance downgrade... Anyway, will see if the replacement cable would fix this.

 

kind of a designing flaw that the flat flex cable is too closely passing by the motherboard vertically, which causing the mother to wear out the cable a little bit each time installing the hard drives...

New cable received, still the same model number, ouch....so i'd probably need to contact the warranty service for a new cable again in a year or so..hum....


PS: could someone who have a M18x R2 just take out the bottom cover and take a look at the cable, and see what the model number is?

Mind is (QBR10 LF-8323P), date code is 2012-03-05

If I remember correctly, there has been a newer version which is QBR10 LF-8321P, and date code is 2012-03-16 ?

Anyway, laptop still in warranty.........


PS: just realized that this thread is about port#0.....mind is about the port#1 .....


below are some crystaldiskmarks for my system drive Intel 520 180GB

speed test when it was new(bought new and first installed)



After about 8 and a half months now:



software based memory disk(SCSI logic based, not direct memory i/o), Kinston HyperX 1600 32GB physical memory.



desktop users are lucky with the huge rooms for memory, especially server platforms.. lol~

 

yea maybe some are having issues but my intel 520s are rockin and rollin..

yea id have to agree.. I went with intel.. the 520 series to be exact because they were reliable.. or at least thats what i read.. and i havent had a problem since i got them..

 

Hi DumbDumb,

Are your two intel 520 240GB just installed new or used for months? divided by two to offset the raid0, your speed is still slightly better than mind even when it was new(despite according to Intel's space sheet they should perform the same).

I google a bit, and found this post:
osx - How come my Intel 520 180GB SSD performs extremely poorly? - Super User

Not quite sure if this is the cause for low performance, but I rather suspect why the writing speed of my drive drops to that low...It just shouldn't be considering it to be the most expensive-per-byte SSD in the consumer market.... other nice brands like Samsung 830/840pro, M5P, Crucial M4, etc. are cheaper yet perform what they should be according to their specs sheet(though looks like only 840pro gives 5-year warranty)....

So I'm indeed thinking contacting Intel warranty and see if I can get a replacement for my 520 180GB....Its speed when first installed was kind of normal according to all the posts actual users provide(damn Intel space sheet said 520MB write...), but it's now only 180MB write, and the iops of sequent write 16MB is only about 8.xx while others with 250+ write speeds would have a 10.xx iops. I've own quite a few Intel SSD, and honestly this is the only one that gives significant write speed drops...a kind of safe bet that it's defective or this particular model has a internal firmware limit?

Any info would be appreciate

 

oh look its me again! haha!

well, I spent close to $1k dollars on these two Samsung 840 evo 1tb drives to replace my dual hitatchi 7k750 hdd's. I am not desperately looking for a solution because it has only been several days since I got the drives and have already probably written 10TB's to them due to port 0 dropping out and forcing the raid 1 to rebuild. so what is that, 15% of their life already? obviously I cannot keep ssd's in this computer at this rate.

so is there a definitive solution to this? is it a bug in the intel chipset controller?

if I simply enter bios and just load optimized defaults it runs the risk of port 0 dropping during the system reboot before it reaches the post screen. I mean, that is how bad the situation is. these drives are so fast that I actually would not make it a big deal because there is not much noticeable performance hit In every day tasks during the raid rebuilding. its just that the life span of the drives that is at severe danger with this situation.