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    Kingston SSDNOW V200 Is Having Serious Performance Problems

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by takasniper, Dec 3, 2011.

  1. ljesh

    ljesh Notebook Enthusiast

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    If I was you guys I would be asking for another series drive. Even V100 will outperform the V200 I believe.
    In fact, that is what I did and now I am happy.
     
  2. jeclark001

    jeclark001 Newbie

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    im too much of a nice guy and have been giving them a chance to fix the problem, but if it goes on unfixed much longer i am gonna ask for a new drive.
     
  3. szabi

    szabi Newbie

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    jeclark001

    how about the system hangs, lags during write operations?
     
  4. Visspui

    Visspui Newbie

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    Guys what should these numbers look like?

    Called and they moved it up a level. Gotta call back on monday
     

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  5. jeclark001

    jeclark001 Newbie

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    @szabi i havnt noticed any hangups, lag, or studdering. its a solid write as far as i can tell. just not to the lvl it should be.

    @visspui, the read speads are on par, the write speeds are supposed to be around 150mbs. the moved me to lvl 2 as well, im gonna call on monday if i havnt heard anything else. your thumbnail, is it what your drive showed without any updates?
     
  6. psydev

    psydev Newbie

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    I bought a Kingston v200 128 GB for xmas. In some way it's impressive, it obviously reads and writes much faster in a lot of ways than my old HDD. But it also has some incredible, inexplicable slow-downs that happen unexpectedly. I will do something seemingly trivial like open the control panel and it will just crawl achingly [much slower than with my old HDD].
    I run the CPU monitor applet, and the CPU is near-zero, and the RAM isn't full, so I conclude it must be the SSD. It happens not infrequently. It's not enough to make me claw my eyes out, but it definitely takes away the feel that I am using a fast drive.
    Not really sure what is going on.
     
  7. Visspui

    Visspui Newbie

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    That's with that update posted in this forum. Wasn't much of a change though
     
  8. Farchord

    Farchord Notebook Enthusiast

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    I noticed that too.... I sometimes launch an app, something as benign as Notepad, and it takes like 10 seconds to launch, I'm like, !?
     
  9. lycanthropy

    lycanthropy Newbie

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    I'm getting the same sort of results from CDM as everyone else with my V200 128Gb, but the main thing I've noticed is that it seems to run really hot.

    I've got a 2008 Lenovo T61 laptop, so it's maybe to do with the age of the machine, but my 7200 RPM WD Scorpio Black was never this hot...
     
  10. Amhunt84

    Amhunt84 Newbie

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    Hi guys

    My first post... I contacted Kingston at the end of last week. This is the reply I got:

    Dear Tony,

    Please note that we have recently discovered a sequential write slowdown affecting our V200 series drives.

    We have identified the issue and are diligently working on a solution.

    While performance benchmarks may seem slow in certain environments, real world drive performance should still reflect that of an SSD with swift application loading, quick boot times and shutdowns.

    It is important to note that the drive's data integrity remains uncompromised and is unaffected by this slowdown.

    We apologize for any inconvenience this issue has caused.

    Rest assured that we are working to resolve it as quickly as possible and we greatly appreciate your patience while we do so..

    If you have questions or concerns related to this issue, please do not hesitate to contact our Technical Support Team at 0044 1932 73 8888.

    As soon as the V200 Firmware Update becomes available, it will be located here: Technical Support for sv200s3 | Kingston Technology

    Kind regards,

    Franck Mateos

    I must say I'm not impresessed, if they don't sort it out tomorrow I'm going to ask for a replacement. I need this machine for work and frankly I'm fed up with Kingston as the work o sort his, even with an update, is out of proportion to the pain and and inconvenience they have caused!
     
  11. crashnburn

    crashnburn Notebook Consultant

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  12. ricardot

    ricardot Newbie

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    Hi I'm Ricardo from Mexico

    Exuse me for my english it's not so good jeje

    I bought a kingston v200 256GB

    and it have the same problem even worst i think

    look:

    [​IMG]

    I contact kingston mexico and they sent my case to kingston california i don't know what goona happen with my case here in mexico when you want to claim somethig with guarantees the only thing yo can do is pray jajajajja :(
     
  13. kpa

    kpa Newbie

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    Hello guys,

    I've the same drive (64GB) and had the same problem till today.
    First of all I got this drive new, built into my laptop (ICH8M Controller) and installed Windows 7. Installation process was really slow at the point where the files were written to the disk.

    After the installation I got usual read speeds (>200mb/s) and really low write speeds (20mb max seq. @ as bench), score 82. I tested several drivers (MS AHCI, Intel RST, Intel RSTe). MS driver was the fastest, RST(e) had 6MB/s (!) write speed. With disabled LPM Intel RST got 20MB/s as well and is still installed.

    Today I tested this drive connected via eSATA on my PC (Jmicron controller) and got different results (110MB/s read, but unbelievable 80MB/s write). I wanted to take same screenshots for the Kingston support. I took this drive back to the laptop and did the bench again. And now the surprising thing: it got a score of 140, still >200MB/s read but near 90MB/s write (even 4K-tests looking much better). Spec says 100MB/s write for the 64GB, so it's okay.

    I don't know if this situation is stable or the drive will fall asleep again in a few days/hours, but at the moment it's fine to me.

    Any ideas about that?

    The only thing I changed was to connect it to jmicron, took a bench, built it back and it was okay.
    Maybe one of you can test his "faulty" drive on a non-intel-controller and/or test the controller with disabled LPM.

    Please don't care about the red 4k write test on jmicron. It was the second run and I only wanted to confirm the seq. write speed so I canceled the testrun.

    Greetings,

    Kai
     

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  14. Hammerhead786

    Hammerhead786 Newbie

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    I am deleting this post as I believe that leaving my original post here serves no purpose. I truly believe that Kingston will get to the bottom of this issue and will not let their customers down. Mods please delete this post.

    Thanks,

    Hammerhead
     
  15. zaneperry

    zaneperry Newbie

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    Thank you for the great information on this thread. After contacting Kingston I am able to confirm that they are working this issue.
     
  16. Skolar

    Skolar Notebook Enthusiast

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    I am so glad I found this forum. I built a computer for the first time. First time use of a SSD also. I noticed the speed problem of my V200 128 gigs and thought I did something wrong. I spent 2 hours browsing the net for a solution until I found this forum. Here are my benchmarks.

    I will ask for a refound and buy a Crucial M4.

    Thank you guys!
     

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  17. zaneperry

    zaneperry Newbie

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    After testing beta firmware (version E120105a provided by Kingston Support ) I found slight improvements in tests but still under 80MB/s Seq Writes. Engineers are continuing to work. The next beta firmware update ETA is ~6 weeks.

    I would post the beta firmware update here but they were kind in requesting that I do not. I will continue to post news as I learn more. Please stand by.
     
  18. wpcoe

    wpcoe Notebook Geek

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    While I am merely an observer without a donkey in this race, an additional six weeks to maybe (?) get a beta (!) to fix the drives doesn't reflect well on Kingston for this SSD, IMHO.
     
  19. RagingDemon

    RagingDemon Newbie

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    +6 weeks?!? For beta?!?
    F U Kingston, i'll return my V200 crap and get Crucial M4.
    I'm sick of waiting. I'll never buy kingston product anymore.
     
  20. Farchord

    Farchord Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yeah I myself got a Crucial CT128M4SSD2 m4 on the way, just ordered off Tiger Direct.... I'll keep my SSD as they will eventually fix it, when they do I will find a use for it.
     
  21. milkshake

    milkshake Newbie

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    from a user's review online:

    "drive seems to have extremely slow writes speeds avg at 3 MB/s on a 4k run of AS SSD benchmark, I called Kingston regrading the problem to see how they would resolve the issue and the answer from a level 2 tech at Kingston kindly stated that there is no fix and an new drive replacement will not fix the issues, also the tech says they might never be a fix for this particular model of ssd as it might be a hard ware issue.... stay away until Kingston figure what the engineers are doing"

    Better return it while you can...
     
  22. psydev

    psydev Newbie

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    While this drive has very fast write speeds, when the drive is busy performing one operation (like moving a large file), all other operations slow down IMMENSELY. Sometimes I might be doing 2 or 3 things at once (photoshop, browser, whatever), and then do something simple like open the control panel or notepad, and the computer will inexplicably hang for several seconds (or sometimes much, much longer!). This isn't a CPU/RAM limitation (I monitor those).

    For another example, I was moving a very large file (~6 GB) from one partition to another and getting speeds of about 100+ MB/s. But then, as a test, I moved another file at the same time (a few hundred MB) to another HDD. While the 1st transfer started at ~100+ MB/s, as soon as I started doing the 2nd file at the same time, it quickly went down to 20, and then soon after to 10 MB/s and stayed there. The worst part is, after the 2nd file transfer was done, the 1st file transfer rate never went back up, and stayed at 10 MB/s until done. (??) [was using Window's built-in speed gauge for copying/moving]

    During game installations or large file moves, my system can become very laggy when multitasking, sometimes even to the point of being almost unresponsive. Those moves/installations can also take up a lot of time than they should if I'm trying to do more than one thing at once (this ordinarily ought not to tax the system *too* much).

    It's not all doom & gloom though:
    When running just one big program at once, the system performs very well. I can run Command & Conquer 3, StarCraft II and Photoshop with no problems, and with good speed compared to my HDD. Windows also boots relatively fast, and it's clear that load speeds are faster than my old HDD. So for most things, the HD is OK and not a "nightmare".
    Still, the hiccups and issues are very annoying given that it's supposed to be a "fast" drive.
     
  23. Vi@87

    Vi@87 Newbie

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    Hi. I want to buy a 128GB ssd kingston sv200s3.
    I read that something is wrong. Someone can get me a summary of these problems?
    are solved?
    thanks
     
  24. ricardot

    ricardot Newbie

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    hi again

    well i have notices, kingston will change me the ssd but they didn't say if they gonna change for another v200.

    I request for a v+200 or hyperx

    i'll see what happens

    remember i'm from mexico so if they change the v200 for a v+200 or hyperx i'll be very very happy and i'll belive in kingston again
     
  25. teletran1web

    teletran1web Newbie

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    An update:

    I have returned the Kingston SSD for a full refund and have purchased a Plextor M3 SSD instead.

    Here are the benchmarks that compare the 2 drives used as an OS drive running on SATA 2:

    [​IMG]

    As you can see, this is much better.

    I suggest those looking at getting a Crucial M4 get the Plextor M3 instead. The Plextor should perform faster and has a 5 year warranty as well.

    Good luck!
     
  26. ellalan

    ellalan Notebook Deity

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    I'm really pleased for you, well done, customers pay a premium price and deserved to be happy with their purchases.
     
  27. jclausius

    jclausius Notebook Virtuoso

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    Warranty aside, does the M4 perform like the C300? If so, the C300 (and M4) would be slightly better - at least on SATA II. - [​IMG]
     
  28. Amhunt84

    Amhunt84 Newbie

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    I have mow been offered a 60g s3 as a replacement. I am still not happy though: it's a smaller capacity and an older model and no compensation offered for the time and trouble. I'll let ou know what happens!
     
  29. Skolar

    Skolar Notebook Enthusiast

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    I finally received my crucial M4. Here is a comparison between the benchmarks of the V200 and the M4.
     

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  30. RagingDemon

    RagingDemon Newbie

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    This is the true thing. Incomparable.

    I'll get my Crucial m4 like replacement for v200 these days.
    For the price nobody don't require from Kingston v200 to have same performance like m4, but only the declared performance and performance that we paying for, but obviously they are not capable to deliver even nearly declared performance by them self.
     
  31. AddRien

    AddRien Newbie

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    Hello there, I'm Adrian, from Romania (Eastern Europe). I have the 64gb version of V200. It slows down (like hell) my HP laptop every time I run several tasks. It's very annoying. I also discussed with my local dealer and they say the drive it's ok and that I'm not 'qualified' to use it right. They say I should contact Kingston, as the product works just fine for them. I ran CystalDiskMark and AS-SSD and got the same (low) results everyone on this forum had got.
    I'll write Kingston to ask them about my issue...
    Anyways, thanks for the support, guys, this thread has really helped me figure out my issue. :cool:
     
  32. AddRien

    AddRien Newbie

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    I talked on the phone with Kingston Uk. They told me it will last several weeks till they release the new firmware for the V200 series. They offered me a V200+ in return. I hope this would be a better choice...
     
  33. HalaciousDude

    HalaciousDude Newbie

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    Hello All,
    I just joined because I wanted to add my name to the list of dissatisfied customers of Kingston SSD v200 drives. We just purchased four laptops for our users with these drives in them and have had the same problem with all four that everyone's complaining of in this very looooong thread. We are looking into our options with the vendor that sold us them, CDW. Hopefully the firmware update comes out in the next couple days so we don't have to deal with four reinstalls onto other drives.
    :(
     
  34. toastm4n

    toastm4n Newbie

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    I have the exact same symptoms , I got a good laptop i7, 6-GB memory, 460GTX video card. etc, my laptop was perfect with my old 5400rpm, I bought this SSD to maximize performance, the OS loads faster but it has some very annoying and long hiccups, slow-downs, and even BSOD that I have never experienced before.. I was going crazy trying to find solutions until I found this thread.. In a way I'm happy there's nothing wrong with my laptop :) I am extremely disappointed in kingston, I lost so much time and effort because of their weak product, what was supposed to be a fun and exciting product proved to be a waste of time and money.
     
  35. zaneperry

    zaneperry Newbie

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    I just sent an email complaining about the 6 week turnaround time for drivers for the V200 and they offered to let me exchange for a 120GB drive that has speeds of 500MBPS. Not sure if it is they Hyper X one but I have to assume that it is. I called today and they are overnighting it for delivery tomorrow. All I had to do was give them a credit card to hold a charge on until I return my 200V drive. They also are paying for shipping of my 200V drive again.

    This will make me a happy camper :) (assuming it tests around 500GBPS). This was my second RMA. My first one was to exchange a V100 that had errors (see my previous posts).
     
  36. Tagg7

    Tagg7 Newbie

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    Where did you send the email, zane? I'm going to send in a complaint as well and I don't really have the time to reach them on the phone.
     
  37. ellalan

    ellalan Notebook Deity

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    Here you go: Contact Information | Kingston
     
  38. zaneperry

    zaneperry Newbie

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    Just received the new drive. Not a Hyper X but a SVP200S3/120G. Amazon states 535MB/sec read and 480MB/sec write speeds. I will post actual speeds. after I image my drive and replace.
     
  39. rkorkie

    rkorkie Newbie

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    I've been keeping my eye on this thread because I run an IT company in Denver, and I've sold several of these Kingston V200 drives to clients. None have complained yet, but that's probably because they don't know what to look for, or they might just think their computer is acting weird. I'm going to offer them a free firmware upgrade service when its released, but I'm not going to offer a swap for a V+200. Those use Sandforce SF-2281 and I've had too many failures with that controller -- I will never be an early adopter of Sandforce again. They will have to earn people's trust back. I would be leery of Kingston's upgrade offer, regardless of increased speed potential.
     
  40. AddRien

    AddRien Newbie

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    Looking forward for your tests. What capacity did your first drive have?
    I'm waiting for my V200+ replacement to arrive. Good luck to you all! :)
     
  41. lvj

    lvj Newbie

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    Well, I have found this thread after testing my new SSD drive :), too late I guess.



    adding fuel to the flames there is next unhappy customer CDM pic:

    (HDD for reference, )

    [​IMG]


    /W764ENG/16GBRAM/i7.3930k/ CDM run from another disk(HDD).
     
  42. Farchord

    Farchord Notebook Enthusiast

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    Just called Kingston, seems they are accepting RMA requests on the drive. They give you the same size of the V200+ series. I already bought a replacement, so ima ram it and then sell it. No need for two SSDs :)
     
  43. Send21

    Send21 Newbie

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    Just bought 2 days ago

    [​IMG]





    I called Kingston Canada they gave me a case number and directed me to a Tier 2 tech support. I'll call during their business hours and keep you updated.
     
  44. Farchord

    Farchord Notebook Enthusiast

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    Okay then my turn to show my before and after! :)

    Before: Kingston v200 SSD 128gb
    After: Crucial M4 128gb (Latest FW)

    Before:
    View attachment 75701

    After:
    disk2.jpg
     
  45. jclausius

    jclausius Notebook Virtuoso

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    Do you perhaps mean Crucial?
     
  46. Farchord

    Farchord Notebook Enthusiast

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    Errr ya sorry, ill fix that.

    Gotta remember not to post shortly after waking up XD
     
  47. zippyzap

    zippyzap Notebook Consultant

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    The Plextor M3 is a good choice. Besides the longer warranty it also seems to be priced less than the Crucial m4. Note that the "M3" and "m4" model numbers are probably coincidence.

    BTW they both use Marvell controllers, just like the original C300 and the Intel 510.
     
  48. Send21

    Send21 Newbie

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    *****UPDATE********

    Just got off phone with tier 2 tech. It seems they aware of the problem and offered me a free upgrade to the v+200 128 gig (model # SVP200S3/128G).

    Now I wont have a HD because I have to send in my HD then wait for them to send me the replacement. I was told the process takes about two weeks... well see

    Is it worth it? I'm OK with this.
     
  49. vicvelcro

    vicvelcro Notebook Enthusiast

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    I contacted Kingston on Feb 16 to request RMA for my 128GB V200 S3 model. My purchase was less than 90 days previous. They were courteous and helpful. I was provided a prepaid FedEx label to return the item. I shipped it out on Feb 17.

    As promised, upon receiving my drive, they processed the return. The following day, they sent me a replacement in the form of an enterprise model SVP200S3 120GB V+200 which arrived on Feb 23 via FedEx. That is nice and fast, in my opinion, considering that Monday was a holiday.

    The device actually has 128GB total capacity with 8GB inaccessible to the user which is reserved for wear leveling and bad-block changeout. I am happy with this plan, as it should (in theory) extend the useful life of the unit. It uses a SandForce SF-2281 controller and asynchronous NAND (which I'm somewhat skeptical of).
    ---note, I have a Patriot Pyro that uses the same controller and has the same capacity (it does not reserve 8GB but instead allows me access to the entire 128GB) which performs up to, and in some instances, above benchmark ratings. I expect about the same from the Kingston SVP model.

    I have not unpacked and installed the new SSD yet. I will be making a video of the entire process for another website, so I will need some prep-time to charge my camera and laptop battery, etc.

    Just tossing in my personal experience. YMMV.
     
  50. AddRien

    AddRien Newbie

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    We're waiting for a comparison. :)
     
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