Samsung EVO 500gb Problem?

I was wondering if I was doing something wrong because the temperature for the hard-drive is just as high as the mechanical drive I have.
Even my motherboard starts peaking at 71C, which is rare for it, I've never seen it higher than 64C.
I have no experience with SSDs and this is my first SSD, so when I got it, I was told to do a clean install of Windows, so I did.
And then installed Samsung Magician on the Drive.
Am I missing anything?

My specs are in my signature, just replace the hard drive with this one that I put in.

 

It can get quite warm but shouldn't get hotter.

Did you by chance use a Dell reinstall disk for Windows 7 or 8?
Set the BIOS SATA operation to AHCI before installing (manually setting)?
Install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver?

Just some ideas.

 

No, this is not unexpected for the newer/cheaper drives. They require more voltage and for a longer duration to do the same work older (MLC based) SSD's needed. Of course they'll run hotter. Even hotter than the mechanical drive it replaced.

Is it maybe time to clean/repaste your cpu/gpu and fans in your system? Do you have the latest BIOS and drivers?

You don't have any spec's listed in your signature: Not about to read a whole thread...


If you have the latest BIOS, Windows 8 (preferably 8.1 now) and the proper drivers for your system, don't block the vents by placing the notebook on a bed/couch/etc., have left the system on at least once a week (without it going into sleep/hibernation mode) overnight so that it can do any background maintenance as needed, have the latest Intel RST driver 12.8 driver installed (the 'floppy' inf install highly recommended) and most importantly; left ~30% of the total capacity as 'unallocated' on the SSD; then you'll have the smoothest, most effortlessly running system possible... and the repasting and/or vent/fan/cleaning is highly recommended then if you're still having the same issues.


Good luck.

 

I set the BIOS SATA to ACHI.
Well, here's one thing, I lost my Windows 7 x64 Installation CD, so I ended up just torrenting an image and then burned and used that with the key that I had from before?
It installed fine had no issues about that at all yet.
Where can I find the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver?
I did a full windows 7 update, so did it get updated with that?

As for more specifics:
+ Dell Inspiron 1520
+ Intel C2D T9300 (2.5GHz/6MB/800 MHz)
+ 6GB DDR2 RAM
+ 1920x1200 WUXGA 15.4"
+ 500GB Samsung EVO

However, I don't think I have 30% of total capacity as 'unallocated' space of that I'm absolutely certain.
Under the properties tab, it shows that I have total capacity of 465 GB of which 64.4 GB is being used.
How can I shrink the volume and more importantly, should I shrink it with respect to total capacity of the drive (500 GB) or total capacity available (465 GB)?

Edit:

Also I was told to deactivate "indexing options" does that apply only to the SSD or can I have them enabled for my external hard-drives (all mechanical)?

 

See:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=23060

I would recommend the 'f6flpy-x64.zip' file and do a manual update/install of your IDE ATA/ATAPI controller.


To leave some space as 'unallocated':

Right click on Computer, Select Manage, Select Disk Management, Select the drive you want to 'shrink', Right Click and select 'Shrink Volume', enter the amount of capacity (in MB's) that you want to leave as 'unallocated' (for your 500GB EVO; I would leave 500x1000x1000x1000 / 1024/1024/1024 X 0.30 = 139.7GB as unallocated). So to round things up; I would enter 139x1024 = 142336 into the amount of space to shrink box.


What this should give your system is a drive that is not working as hard - because it is using previously 'cleaned' blocks as it needs them, not cleaning them while also trying to process your (or the O/S's) immediate requests.

Along with the latest IRST driver, the system should be as efficient (and cool) as possible now.


(And don't forget, sometime in the far future... you can always 'Extend' the drive's capacity in pretty much the same way, if you really need the room. At the expense of an optimized SSD, of course).


Good luck.

 

If you are unsure if the image is good, always can get it from MS distributor:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/win...-digitalriver-windows-7-sp1-13-languages.html

And this MS tool to burn it to USB or DVD: Microsoft Store

The recovery DVD from Dell isn't needed and is probably outdated anyway depending on when you bought it; that is why I asked.

I would give it your best shot to follow Tiller's recommendations. Dell provides the RST driver on their website by model # as a fall-back if for some reason it doesn't work from Intel; Sometimes generic drivers from Intel don't work as expected on Dell's motherboards/controllers.

-----------------------

Edit: If you have the Samsung Magician software working you should be able to shrink the drive easily with that.

 

The controller on the EVO is slightly clocked higher than the one on Samsung 840 PRO.

My 500GB EVO runs slightly higher. 60-70C is not normal for any SSD.


My 840 PRO 256GB. 100 is normalized value. Calculation goes as following: Current temperature is: 100-77 = 23C. Worst value was 40C.



My 840 EVO 500GB. 100 is normalized value. Current temperature is: 100-81 = 19C. Worst value was 44C.

Cheers

 

Thanks for the explanation, it does clarify why I should be doing this and how it can potentially enhance the SSD performance throughout.
I've gone ahead and downloaded the zipped file from Intel, where would I move these files to?

Also, I've done the following adjustments in "Disk Management"

Okay, I downloaded all of those ISO's for future use, if the need may arise.
Also, I had no idea that the Samsung Magician could do that, I just used Disk Management and wanted to make sure the drive was fully optimized prior to me loading all my data (e.g. Documents, Pictures & Videos).

I see, well the 60C-70C was from the motherboard itself, the highest I saw the drive reach was 42C so far. But again, I was under the impression it would stay under 30 for the better part of its' lifetime.
I'll give it a few days and see how it goes, based on your guys recommendations.

Also random question to all, are there other things that I should be doing to optimize this SSD? I turned off Defrag/Prefetch/Superfetch.

Should I be doing anything else?

 

Also, guys I keep getting this on the magician software:



Here's the benchmark I got from the magician software:

 

You have some issue, how much RAM do you have in your laptop?

 

I have 6GB of RAM

 

I have an EVO 250GB , as to magician mine reads correctly,,take it out and reinstall it and see if changes., as to the temperature mine stays around 27-28 C, CrystalDiskInfo 6.0.4-ultimate.,,use a laptop cooling pad.

Cheers
3Fees


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskInfo 6.0.4 Shizuku Edition (C) 2008-2013 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

OS : Windows 8.1 [6.3 Build 9600] (x64)
Date : 2013/12/28 22:51:42

-- Controller Map ----------------------------------------------------------
+ AMD SATA Controller [ATA]
- Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250G SATA Disk Device
- hp DVDRAM GU70N SATA CdRom Device
- Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller [SCSI]

-- Disk List ---------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB : 250.0 GB [0/0/0, pd1] - sg
(2) ST3500418AS : 500.1 GB [1/0/0, sa1] - st

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Model : Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB
Firmware : EXT0BB6Q
Serial Number : xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Disk Size : 250.0 GB (8.4/137.4/250.0/250.0)
Buffer Size : Unknown
Queue Depth : 32
# of Sectors : 488397168
Rotation Rate : ---- (SSD)
Interface : Serial ATA
Major Version : ACS-2
Minor Version : ATA8-ACS version 4c
Transfer Mode : SATA/600 | SATA/600
Power On Hours : 17 hours
Power On Count : 8 count
Host Writes : 239 GB
Wear Level Count : 0
Temparature : 27 C (80 F)
Health Status : Good (100 %)
Features : S.M.A.R.T., 48bit LBA, NCQ, TRIM
APM Level : ----
AAM Level : ----

-- S.M.A.R.T. --------------------------------------------------------------
ID Cur Wor Thr RawValues(6) Attribute Name
05 100 100 _10 000000000000 Reallocated Sector Count
09 _99 _99 __0 000000000011 Power-on Hours
0C _99 _99 __0 000000000008 Power-on Count
B1 100 100 __0 000000000000 Wear Leveling Count
B3 100 100 _10 000000000000 Used Reserved Block Count (Total)
B5 100 100 _10 000000000000 Program Fail Count (Total)
B6 100 100 _10 000000000000 Erase Fail Count (Total)
B7 100 100 _10 000000000000 Runtime Bad Block (Total)
BB 100 100 __0 000000000000 Uncorrectable Error Count
BE _73 _58 __0 00000000001B Airflow Temperature
C3 200 200 __0 000000000000 ECC Error Rate
C7 100 100 __0 000000000000 CRC Error Count
EB _99 _99 __0 000000000001 POR Recovery Count
F1 _99 _99 __0 00001DFCA15F Total LBA Written


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 Shizuku Edition x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 449.661 MB/s
Sequential Write : 3165.387 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 387.392 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 3188.672 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 26.903 MB/s [ 6568.1 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 118.800 MB/s [ 29003.8 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 183.143 MB/s [ 44712.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 127.159 MB/s [ 31044.8 IOPS]

Test : 100 MB [C: 18.0% (41.7/232.1 GB)] (x3)
Date : 2013/12/28 21:01:33
OS : Windows 8.1 [6.3 Build 9600] (x64)

seagate backup plus 1TB USB 3.0 inbound and will be smart monitored, next week, got a good deal on this retail box kit. Color is red. My backup software of course Macrium Reflect.

I bench marked the AMD graphics on this 50 % better than Intel HD 4000 and ahead of HD 4600,, 17.3" screen,, more on my new build later.

 

Those are the minimum req's to enable Rapid mode.

If you ever need to reimage,

For BIOS/MBR: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...ly-secureerase-oem-ssd-drive.html#post9442393

for UEFI/GPT: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...ly-secureerase-oem-ssd-drive.html#post9446848

The UEFI post has some common drive sizes with OP calculations factored in, useful when reimaging, they're at the bottom.

The Magician is pretty cool but most of it should set itself during a windows 7 install. There is then remaining only a couple user preference adjustments, for example: Rapid mode, Write-Cache Buffer Flushing, and OP if it wasn't factored in during install.

 

@3Fees: I have an older laptop though (circa December 2007) and I'm using Windows 7 (x64) Home Premium (SP1).
Would that have anything to do with it?

 

Here's an FTP link to Drivers for your model:

Drivers for Inspiron 1520

All/Historical: Drivers for Inspiron 1520

--------------------


EDIT:

Make sure you get all the drivers installed before making adjustments. Try to get the ones updated/compatible with W7 if there are any.

Also, the order is kind of important - Chipset first, Notebook System Software second, Intel Matrix/SATA or RST, Audio, Video etc., though audio and video might need to be video then audio. Try to find if Dell specifies.

 

Dude what complete and utter nonsense..

 

It will stay under 30C for most of its time. Just look at the screenshots I posted. SMART information show that when I took the screenshot the EVO ran at 19C. The hottest temp it ever got to was 44C (over a period of 3 months). But most of the time it will run around 20C. Meaning it will run way cooler than HDDs.
Just click on the "S.M.A.R.T" button in the Magician and see for yourself. Motherboard temperatures are irrelevant

To optimize your SSD, just run the "OS Optimization" tab in Magician. You can select several modes there, all of them will turn off unwanted features like Superfetch etc.

You only have SATA2 available most likely. SATA2 have a MB/s cap on around 300MB/s. Meaning you can`t get any higher speed without plugging that SSD in to a SATA3 port which your notebook may or may not have. 4K speeds will go down too along with low sequential speeds on SATA 2

Well that one I don`t have any explanation for. 0GB RAM would mean a non functional system. Really weird.
Your system should meet RAPID requirements for sure. Have you tried reinstalling Magician to see if that helps?

 

For those that know nothing; everything is nonsense... but thanks for your non-contribution.


OP,

I would HIGHLY recommend to do a re-install of the O/S again with the official links others have provided.

I would HIGHLY recommend to NOT DO ANY SSD 'optimizations' for your SSD - even from the Magician software.

I would HIGHLY recommend you look into cleaning the fans/vents and possibly more importantly repasting the heatsink(s) on your system. Especially on a platform from circa 2007... it may be time, huh?


The SSD tweaks you have applied have possibly made your system work harder, not smarter. Make sure you have the latest BIOS version and that you're in AHCI mode before installing the O/S again (I think you are in AHCI mode now; but if you flash a newer BIOS, you will want to double check it stays in that mode).


If you do re-install the O/S:

Have a backup of your data on another drive and/or system before doing the following:

In the Win7x64 SP1 O/S (you do have the x64 version now, correct?) installer, delete ALL partitions fully (you should have one line with 'unallocated'), then create a new partition with the maximum size you want (less the 30% for over provisioning).

Install Windows. Do NOT hook up to the internet until the computer is fully installed with all device drivers.

Download on another system (or, do this in advance and save to a USB stick) the drivers your system needs (links provided by others) - also; the install order is important too for some drivers to ensure they install fully/properly - make sure to write down any preferred install order.

In general; the install order is:
Chipset drivers
VGA drivers
Sound drivers
Touchpad/mouse drivers
Other drivers.
...
Install Intel RST driver. With the IRST files you've downloaded (in a previous post), go to Device Manager, IDE ATA/ATAPI controller, Right Click on your controller (not the heading) and select Update Drivers, click Browse Computer for drivers, select Let Me Pick, click Have Disk button, now browse to the folder you have downloaded (and unzipped) the Intel RST files to and click okay. Pick one and let the computer reboot. You should now have the IRST drivers installed (and you should be able to notice them too by how smooth the system is responding).


With the drivers fully installed and the system stable - go ahead and connect to the internet.

Do all the updates, rebooting as necessary until there are no more.

Now, disable sleep/hibernation timers and leave the system on overnight (it is still configuring itself).

Finally, install your programs and transfer your data back.

Note that I do not recommend having Magician installed and running on a permanent basis; it is only installed if the SSD's firmware needs updating (then I uninstall Magician again).


If you have cleaned the vents/fans from dust/debris, re-installed as above, and still have similar problems - I would suggest it is time for a new system (i.e. I would not be relying on a system that is running so warm/hot - 71C).


SSD's do not run cooler, nor quieter (some SSD's) than the older storage tech. TLC based SSD's especially run hotter than SLC and most MLC drives. Even the Crucial M500 drives run too hot for my liking (40C) and while they are okay in a desktop with lots of airflow; a notebook setup will simply throttle the performance you can get from any hot running SSD (and if they're not smart enough to throttle, to protect themselves; you'll probably end up losing data and/or corrupting your O/S installation).


Is there anything else to try besides what is indicated in this post? Nothing essential to a solid Windows setup; unless you want to install Windows 8.1 x64 Pro on your system (Highly recommended).


Good luck.

 

I sure hope nobody pays attention to this guy's drivel, I can't stand the misinformation put forth in this forum by so-called 'experts' (in particular this guy quoted here), just hope people have the ability to separate the real, useful info from the nonsense!

 

You really should do some research before you post your own drivel.

I at least contribute what I can (and I do know what I'm talking/writing about) - all you do is whine.

 

Is it really necessary to do 'research' to refute statements like 'it's normal for SSDs to be running at 60-70 degrees because they're the cheap models and run on cheap NAND'?

 

Okay gotcha, I installed the chipset first is there a way for me to check if the drivers installed themselves automatically with Windows Update? I found this to be really useful, however there seems to be no Windows 7 version of a chipset for my laptop. I'll look once more.

Hey thanks for all the information. I've taken a screenshot of the "S.M.A.R.T." perhaps you can assist me in analyzing if it is normal.

Yeah that was giving me a hard time because I know I have 6GB of RAM on the system, perhaps I may need to re-install everything again, although I would like to avoid the option if I could.

Thanks for your help.
So I just have one question, how can I tell which driver I should update from the list, here's a screen-cap:

I'm an absolute beginner on this SSD stuff, I don't know anything about setting one up, so I take information from mostly everyone and see what works. I've read online what to do but I haven't ever done it in real life. So I really don't know who to trust at the moment, any information is greatly appreciated it.

I know you guys have the best of intentions. Thanks for everything!

 

I'm wondering, you're trying to run W7 x64 on a machine that is only x86 (32 bit)? That will give you some problems. 32 bit won't allow you to use all your RAM, only 4 GB.

Here's a link to your model, max Vista 32 bit, select from the OS dropdown box: Drivers & Downloads | Dell US

You can try to download drivers from WU but I'd suggest you get the Notebook System Software installed from Dell at least first, the Chipset package second.

Enjoy your learning experience! A lot of us have been there

 

Okay, now we might get somewhere... But please read for comprehension - that is not what I said AT ALL.

TLC is (IS) cheap nand. Period. Especially in comparison to MLC nand, let alone SLC nand based SSD's. And the higher and longer duration voltages are reality, not made up. This is one reason why they have much smaller write cycles per nand cell: each write is actually destroying the nand (and the controller needs to do more error correction to compensate - again; using more power and slowing down the already slow TLC nand...).

I have already stated (twice, actually) that I think the notebook needs to be repasted or at the least cleaned from dust/debris - if the SSD was running that hot by itself in an otherwise properly cooled system it would be defective. I also gave all the other reasons (like drivers/driver order and a proper O/S installation with no 'tweaks' applied) that might affect the system as a whole.


Anyway, if you don't want to understand the context, you're welcome to ignore my comments. If you want to ask more questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

But please don't come to simply insult and sneer and derail the thread from people who are actually trying to help the OP.

Yeah, the controller you want is the SATA AHCI 2829 controller. But, see my response below:

RBC, I didn't read the links you provided - but good catch if the OP's processor is NOT x64 bit capable - that would explain the Magician's 'report' of the RAM and the OP should download the x86 floppy version of the Intel RST drivers I linked to before (if he/she is really running the x86 version of Windows, of course).



Take care everyone - wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

 

Hmm I was under the impression that the Dell Inspiron 1520 was x64 capable, I was told this before by multiple members. Furthermore, when I check in the BIOS setting it shows that there is 6144 MB of RAM. But I checked on other areas numerous times:





The computer itself doesn't seem to have a problem to detect it, so I think I'll try re-installing magician at least once more and see where it gets me.

If there is a problem with it, I'll call samsung tomorrow morning.

I'll have to ask my Dell friend to make sure it is only x86.

 

Run MemTest86 V5.0.0 Free Edition from flashdrive. It will test your ram out and tell you the size of your modules from SPD, use Cupid CPU-Z and find the memory slot where the ram is that is smaller than advertised, could be defective, memtest will find out.

PassMark MemTest86 - Memory Diagnostic Tool

http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Cheers
3Fees

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HP Pavilion 17 AMD A8-5550M + 8550G 8GB DDR3L-1600Mhz Samsung 840 EVO 250GB Win 8.1

 

No need to confirm it anywhere else (unless you want to) - if you have installed Win7x64 (as you have, obviously) then your platform is capable of running it (it would not install otherwise).

The issue with Magician may be a missing chipset/driver issue - but it is not important (to have Magician running), imo.

Did the I RST driver install for you?

 

Yeah, you're good to go x64. Tiller kind of has a point: It wouldn't/shouldn't install if it wasn't. So you'll just need to be careful (the Dell site has been messed up the last couple years), examine the drivers closely and try to get the best ones you can to gain compatibility.

You've got enough to keep you busy troubleshooting. Let us know how it goes

 

I just wanted to add that what I saw from the Dell link I posted, there weren't any 64 bit drivers available - at all. This could pose some compatibility issues that you'll need to be on the lookout for.
I think on one of the previous posts I wanted to mention that "discrepancy" but somehow overlooked it because it did in fact install the x64.

Worst case: install W7 32 bit (sacrifice the 2GBRAM), and try the Vista 32 drivers.

Drivers & Downloads | Dell US

 

@mochaultimate pointed to good direction, manufacturers having trouble with new slower NAND are pushing controllers to their limits therefore providing performance through very high controller optimizations. Those optimizations are stetching power 'budget' of such controllers - which we saw first with Intel DC S3500 /3700. That SSD use all power it can get through 5V and/or 12V rails. (of course DC S3500/3700 does have proper NAND, but to provide sustained IOPS with MLC - not SLC - it needs all performance it could get).

 

Any News on the Ram situation ??

Cheers
3Fees