The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Q on SSD performance with age and reformatting

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by hollis_f, Aug 31, 2009.

  1. hollis_f

    hollis_f Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    16
    Messages:
    126
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    OK. I understand that current SSDs have performance problems as they get used. But can an SSD be rejuvenated to it's pristine, virginal, full-speed state by reformatting it?
     
    hollis_f, Aug 31, 2009
    #1
  2. sgilmore62

    sgilmore62 uber doomer

    Reputations:
    356
    Messages:
    1,897
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    The current SSD's that have garbage collection do not have performance degradation issues. Yes, reformatting helps the older drives without GC, but not virginal full speed state according to the testing articles that I have read. http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3631
     
    sgilmore62, Aug 31, 2009
    #2
  3. PharmD

    PharmD Notebook Guru

    Reputations:
    25
    Messages:
    65
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    15
    I believe you just need one with TRIM support or Windows 7 will offer it automatically. Basically the issue is that there is no "defragmenting" tool for SSD's as Microsoft did not predict the large use of SSD's while making XP or Vista (and rightfully so). The OCZ Vertex I know offers TRIM support with their updated firmware package.

    Probably easiest to just use Windows 7 though.
     
    PharmD, Aug 31, 2009
    #3
  4. zephir

    zephir Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    495
    Messages:
    1,144
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    56
    Only if you execute the ATA Secure Erase command on the drive (basically a hidden data self-destruct function).
     
    zephir, Aug 31, 2009
    #4
  5. Laptopaddict

    Laptopaddict Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    9
    Messages:
    817
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    How to do that ?
     
    Laptopaddict, Aug 31, 2009
    #5