Low Write Performance on Phison P0221 SSDs

Summary: The following article provides information about a performance issue with the P0221 solid state drives (SDD) from Phison.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

Benchmarking software reports poor write performance on the Phison P0221 SSDs. Crystaldiskmark and other benchmark tools return "Disk read/write speed 0" on the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) drive.

Cause

The drives firmware (FW) is unable to carry out garbage collection (GC) in the background. The single level cell (SLC) cache is not being cleared. A full cache makes the FW trigger GC in the foreground, which limits host commands. This causes a performance drop over time.

Resolution

Note: Before starting the update, perform the following:

  1. Back up all personal data. For more information, refer to: Back Up and Recovery

  2. Connect the AC adapter if updates are being run on a laptop.

Updating the firmware to version 2102.0105, A04 on the computer resolves the issue. To download and install the Phison-P0221-Solid-State-Drive-Firmware-Update_PHYNH_WIN64_2102.0105_A04.exe file, refer to: How to Download and Install Dell Drivers and Firmware

Affected Products

Inspiron 13 5330, Inspiron 14 5430, Inspiron 14 5435, Inspiron 14 5440, Inspiron 14 5445, Inspiron 14 7430 2-in-1, Inspiron 14 Plus 7430, Inspiron 14 7435 2-in-1, Inspiron 14 7440 2-in-1, Inspiron 14 Plus 7440, Inspiron 14 7445 2-in-1 , Inspiron 15 3520, Inspiron 15 3525, Inspiron 15 3535, Inspiron 16 5630, Inspiron 16 5635, Inspiron 16 5640, Inspiron 16 5645, Inspiron 16 7630 2-in-1, Inspiron 16 Plus 7630, Inspiron 16 7635 2-in-1, Inspiron 16 Plus 7640, Inspiron 24 5430 All-in-One, Inspiron 27 7730 All-in-One, Inspiron 3020 Desktop, Inspiron 3020 Small Desktop, Inspiron 3030 Desktop, Inspiron 3030 Small Desktop, Inspiron 3910, Latitude 7030 Rugged Extreme Tablet, Latitude 7230 Rugged Extreme Tablet, Latitude 3340, Latitude 5340, Latitude 5350, Latitude 7340, Latitude 7350, Latitude 7350 Detachable, Latitude 3440, Latitude 5440, Latitude 5450, Latitude 7440, Latitude 7450, Latitude 9440 2-in-1, Latitude 9450 2-in-1, Latitude 3540, Latitude 5540, Latitude 5550, Latitude 7640, Latitude 7650, OptiPlex Tower 7010, OptiPlex Micro 7010, OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010, OptiPlex Micro Plus 7010, OptiPlex Small Form Factor Plus 7010, OptiPlex Small Form Factor 7010, OptiPlex Tower 7020, OptiPlex Tower Plus 7020, OptiPlex All-in-One 7420, Precision 3480, Precision 3490, Vostro 3420, Vostro 3425, Vostro 14 3430, Vostro 14 3435, Vostro 14 3440, Vostro 3520, Vostro 3525, Vostro 15 3530, Vostro 15 3535, Vostro 16 5630, Vostro 16 5635, Vostro 16 5640, Vostro 3020 Tower Desktop, Vostro 3020 Small Desktop, Vostro 3030 Desktop, Vostro 3030 Small Desktop, Vostro 3710, Vostro 3910 ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000379375
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 10 Nov 2025
Version:  4
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