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New Dell Inspiron 5000 with really slow samsung PM991 256GB nvme ssd read/write speeds
Hi, I purchased this laptop in the beginning of December 2020 but never benched the SSD until now, and found that I am getting really slow read and write speeds on the Samsung PM991 256GB NVMe SSD even though its only 29% full and has the latest firmware. I have run support assist and found there isn't any problems but from Samsung's own website I should be getting up to 2000 MB/s read and 1000 MB/s write but am getting half that on read 1000 MB/s and 10x slower on write at 100 MB/s. Also there are other customers who are complaining about the same slow speeds on dell community forum posts and reddit thread posts. This is too slow for an NVMe SSD, the write speed is slower than SATA 3.
Does anyone know what the problem is? and Does Dell have an explanation for the slow speeds?
ejn63
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24.7K Posts
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March 27th, 2021 15:00
If it's a default OEM Dell Windows install, the drive is operating in Intel IRST (RAID) mode. The Intel RAID drives are the likely cause.
You can change the mode to AHCI, but before you do, realize you either need to reload Windows or modify the existing install to run as AHCI. If you simply change the mode, Windows will not load the next time you try to boot the system.
See:
https://support.thinkcritical.com/kb/articles/switch-windows-10-from-raid-ide-to-ahci
(it would be a good idea to have a tested, usable backup ready before making the change).
lildell
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March 27th, 2021 17:00
Yeah I just changed it to AHCI mode in the bios following the guide but there was no difference SSD is still slow. Also do I follow the same method to put it back to RAID mode?
lildell
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May 26th, 2021 10:00
They fixed my problem by replacing the SSD with a Toshiba model. But the problem ended up being an outdated firmware on Dell's website which was updated 3 weeks after i complained, search online what the latest firmware is for your SSD and check what version is on Dell's site.
CJHu
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May 26th, 2021 10:00
Same problem with the newer G-series gaming desktop. PM991a 512GB nvme ssd. Reads about 2000MB/s but writes only 200MB/s. Tried to change from its default (raid) to AHCI. Still 200MB/s. Contacted Dell and Dell does not seem to care and emphasizes that if the diagnostic tool says it's good, then there is no defect. It's pretty obvious that either it's their poor optimization or defective SSD.
Maeckes
6 Posts
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December 29th, 2021 01:00
Is there any firmware update available for the PM991 NVMe Samsung 256GB? I find only the PM991a Update but it does not flash the firmware really:
[Disk #1]
Model Number : PM991 NVMe Samsung 256GB
Serial Number : S5***
Current Firmware Version : 25304039
Updated Firmware Version : 26302039
Return Code : 5
Result Details :
[Final Result]
Return Code : 0
Result Details : Updated firmware successfully.
-> Wrong, it is old firmware even after reboot!
AdrianG001
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December 29th, 2021 03:00
Open task manager, click on the performance tab and monitor the graphs during slowdown events. If CPU usage is low to moderate, memory usage is normal but disk activity is constantly high, I would guess that the internal drive isn't reading fast enough or could possibly be failing. If you have a hard drive, I'd suggest that you upgrade to a SSD for better performance. If you provide your exact model number, I can see if your system contains a PCIe M.2 slot, which can be used with a NVMe SSD drive for even faster disk access.
Maeckes
6 Posts
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December 29th, 2021 04:00
PM991 is a PCIe M.2 slot SSD, already.
I am using it in a Optiplex 3070 MFF PC.