Does SATA III to USB 3.0 cable slow down a SSD significantly?


Not all cables advertised as USB3 are, depends on where you get them from, there are dodgy suppliers out there USB3 has extra wires to USB2, fakes mainly from Ebay often look correct with the blue insert but don't have the extra wires in the cable.

You could test the drive by connecting it as an internal drive in the PC, assuming it's not a laptop and you have a spare SATA cable, most PCs will have sufficient power connectors.
Bought it on Amazon. It had a reasonably good rating, although it is no longer available. It got the job done for what I bought it (migrating OS from HDD to SSD).

It was lying unused, and I wanted a spare SSD on a budget. So got the SiliconPower internal one, so I could put the cable to use.

I don't have another SATA cable or a SATA disk, except the Samsung Evo 860 which is inside the laptop. So unable to test independently.
 

My Computer

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    Windows 11
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    HP Envy dv7
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    Intel Core i7 3630QM
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    16 GB
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When using that cable make sure you use the USB side with the blue insert for USB 3 speeds, NOT the black one. Additionally, you need to make sure you plug the USB cable into a USB 3.0/3.1 port. To get the fastest USB 3.0 speeds possible

BTW this is the one I have...

View attachment 12428

StarTech.com SATA to USB Cable - USB 3.0 to 2.5”
Yes, I am using the blue one for connecting to my USB 3.0 port. The other one with a white plug is for charging, and I don't normally plug it in.
 

My Computer

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    Windows 11
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    Laptop
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    HP Envy dv7
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    Intel Core i7 3630QM
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    HP
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    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
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    Screen Resolution
    1080p
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    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Random thought, check there isn't any dust or fluff in the plug or the socket and that the pins look correct?

Also may be worth checking that the USB3 port is actually running at USB3 and not USB2 may be a driver issue, should show USB3 if you expand Serial Bus Controllers in Device Manager
 

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    Windows 11 22H2 OS Build 22623.1095
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    AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
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    Asus PRIME B350-PLUS
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    16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 @3000Mhz
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    240GB PNY CS900 SSD - OS
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    2TB Seagate ST2000DM008-2FR102
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    Dell Inspiron 3881 - modified with SFX PSU fitted internally
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    16GB of HyperX Fury @ 2133 Mhz
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    ACER KA241
    Screen Resolution
    1920x 1080 @60Hz
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    256GB SK hynix NVMe
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    Modular 450 Watt Corsair SF450 Platinum ( Mod to replace the Dell 265 Watt PSU)
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    Inspiron Small Desktop
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    Dell stock cooler
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    Dell
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    Dell
    Internet Speed
    BT Fibre 75 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Use hardware KVM to switch monitors on three PCs and software (input director) to use mouse and keyboard on all 4 PCs.
Random thought, check there isn't any dust or fluff in the plug or the socket and that the pins look correct?

Also may be worth checking that the USB3 port is actually running at USB3 and not USB2 may be a driver issue, should show USB3 if you expand Serial Bus Controllers in Device Manager
Those can be ruled out because my Samsung SSDs run fine on them.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Have you tried a second opinion? Such as an alternative benchmark such as ATTO or AS SSD, just to rule out it's not something odd with Crystal and that particular drive.
 

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    Windows 11 22H2 OS Build 22623.1095
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    Self Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
    Motherboard
    Asus PRIME B350-PLUS
    Memory
    16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 @3000Mhz
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    ASUS - GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB TUF GAMING OC
    Sound Card
    On Board Realtec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer KA241
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    240GB PNY CS900 SSD - OS
    2 x 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD
    1 x 500GB Crucial MX300 SSD
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM001-1ER164
    2TB Seagate ST2000DM008-2FR102
    PSU
    750 Watt Corsair TX750 Plus
    Case
    Cooler Master 690 III
    Cooling
    Akasa AK98 5 Case Fans
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270 - wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech - M185 wireless
    Internet Speed
    BT Fibre 75 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Use hardware KVM to switch monitors on three PCs and software (input director) to use mouse and keyboard on all 4 PCs.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 build 22621.900
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 3881 - modified with SFX PSU fitted internally
    CPU
    Intel i5 - 10400
    Motherboard
    Dell 032w55 version A00
    Memory
    16GB of HyperX Fury @ 2133 Mhz
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 6GB GTX 1060.
    Sound Card
    Builtin
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ACER KA241
    Screen Resolution
    1920x 1080 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    256GB SK hynix NVMe
    1TB Western Digital WD10EZEX-75WN4A1
    PSU
    Modular 450 Watt Corsair SF450 Platinum ( Mod to replace the Dell 265 Watt PSU)
    Case
    Inspiron Small Desktop
    Cooling
    Dell stock cooler
    Mouse
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Internet Speed
    BT Fibre 75 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Use hardware KVM to switch monitors on three PCs and software (input director) to use mouse and keyboard on all 4 PCs.
A cable should not make that much difference. However what you have is more than a cable. It has some electronics in it (under the bulk of the connector) that convert the SATA protocol to USB protocol. I have a couple of similar conversion cables and your mileage will vary as far as performance goes - it depends on the quailtiy of chips that do the conversion. But you will never get the full potential of the drive, but could come close enough.

But, it appears that you are running at USB 2.0 speed for some reason (maxes around 35 MB/s).
You should be able to attain near SATA SSD speeds with USB 3.0, dependent on what I mentioned above about the converter cable..

The white connector is supposed to be plugged into a USB 2.0 jack (USB 3.0 is fine) to draw enough power for the SSD. The blue USB connector is for transferring the data.

You also might not have the drive setup properly which can have a dramatic impact on performance.
When you go to This PC -> Management -> Device Manager -> Disk Drives and click on your USB disk -> Properties -> Policies, is Removal policy "Quick Removal" checked? If so, that is might be your problem. You want it setup thus (EXCEPT don't check

Screenshot 2021-11-03 221525.jpg

Just do not check the "Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing"
 

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    Windows 11 Pro x64
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    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
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    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
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    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
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    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
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    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
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    2560 x 1440p x 2
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    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
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    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
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    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
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    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
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    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
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    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
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    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
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    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
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    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
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    Apple M1
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    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Could be that the USB 3.0 to SATA bridge in the cable is hopelessly outdated. Star ratings on amazon don't always reflect how old the electronics are, as it is entirely possible that the vast majority of users who rated the product did so aeons ago and/or maybe they just never noticed that it's slow because they only ever used it to copy relatively very small amounts of data and/or they have no ability to make comparisons with modern tech, they never read up on these kinds of hardware related subjects so they simply don't know what's fast or what is slow by yesteryear's standards, let alone by today's standards. Even if it does support USB 3.0 it offers no guarantee that it also supports SATA III (6Gbps) with UASP. So, if it only supports SATA II (3Gbps) with no UASP, then yeah, certainly that would hold back a SATA SSD that has a maximum theoretical read speed of 400MB/s, very significantly.
 

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    11 Home
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    Asus TUF Gaming (2024)
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    i7 13650HX
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    16GB DDR5
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    GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile
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    Eastern Electric MiniMax DAC Supreme; Emotiva UMC-200; Astell & Kern AK240
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    Sony Bravia XR-55X90J
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    3840×2160
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    2× Arc Flow Fans, 4× exhaust vents, 5× heatpipes
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    Medion S15450
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    i5 1135G7
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    Intel Iris Xe
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    Logitech G402
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    Logitech K800
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    20Mbit/s up, 250Mbit/s down
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    FF
I've never had high speeds on external drives. Simply the USB thumb drives which I use daily (I use San Disk Extreme Pro, rather fast on paper) in real use show relatively slow speeds (I never bother with benchmarks). Partially this can be attributed to the antivirus, partially to the way Windows is treating USB drives.

Moreover, USB 3 ports are now labeled strangely - the 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 ports are now 3.2 Gen 1, 3.2 Gen 2, and 3.2 Gen 2x2. The actual speed can be affected by the controller, etc. If you think cable is at fault - you can always change the cable, but as far as I know "digital" cables either work or they don't.

Take a look at this:


Well not really.

If you want to get full performance from a drive over USB, you need a USB chipset on the USB-3 enclosure (or whatever) that supports UASP (USB Attached SCSI). SCSI is a transfer protocol for disks. With UASP support the device will be treated as a disk, and you will get SATA transfer rates. It improves performance by a significant amount for USB attached disks. These cable converters do not usually support UASP (but I have a StarTech one that does). Neither do most USB jump drives. Most newer external hard drive enclosures have USB chipsets that support UASP. UASP support was introduced in Windows with Windows 10. TRIM is also supported.

So now there are jump drives that support UASP. When plugged in they look like a SCSI disk device. Here is the one I have., a 512 GB Patriot. It performs at SATA SSD rates and it do4esn't even have a SRAM buffer!


60198de27d31a90c0c9f42cb_Rage Pro_D_512GB-p-500.jpegCrystalDiskMark_20211027162053.pngScreenshot 2021-11-03 223550.jpg


Here is what I get with the StarTech USB-SATA converter cable (that supports UASP) attached to a 128GB Samsung 840 Pro :

Screenshot 2021-11-03 225011.jpg

This^ is the StarTech USB3S2SAT3CB Rev B cable I have had for 6+ years. $12 at Amazon currently:


71x+USY7wOL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
Last edited:

My Computers

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    Windows 11 Pro x64
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    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
    Memory
    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
    Keyboard
    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Have you tried a second opinion? Such as an alternative benchmark such as ATTO or AS SSD, just to rule out it's not something odd with Crystal and that particular drive.
I will do that. I will also test with the other ports I have on the laptop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
A cable should not make that much difference. However what you have is more than a cable. It has some electronics in it (under the bulk of the connector) that convert the SATA protocol to USB protocol. I have a couple of similar conversion cables and your mileage will vary as far as performance goes - it depends on the quailtiy of chips that do the conversion. But you will never get the full potential of the drive, but could come close enough.

But, it appears that you are running at USB 2.0 speed for some reason (maxes around 35 MB/s).
You should be able to attain near SATA SSD speeds with USB 3.0, dependent on what I mentioned above about the converter cable..

The white connector is supposed to be plugged into a USB 2.0 jack (USB 3.0 is fine) to draw enough power for the SSD. The blue USB connector is for transferring the data.

You also might not have the drive setup properly which can have a dramatic impact on performance.
When you go to This PC -> Management -> Device Manager -> Disk Drives and click on your USB disk -> Properties -> Policies, is Removal policy "Quick Removal" checked? If so, that is might be your problem. You want it setup thus (EXCEPT don't check

View attachment 12468

Just do not check the "Turn off Windows write-cache buffer flushing"
Thanks for that. I will check these settings.

Is there a way where speeds can be tested without involving the cable? For example, if I partition the disk and transfer a file between the partitions, will it still involve the cable?

As mentioned in one of my earlier comments, I copied a large 12 gb Windows ISO files from one partition to another on the same disk. The windows copy popup showed a speed of over 100 MBPS for the most part during the transfer. What am I to make of it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Your next computer be a pre-built or custom-built will have USB 3.2 (or higher). You'll then want to have USB cables and/or USB Adapter & Cable with USB 3.2 capable speeds or higher. You can buy anything that needs a USB 3.0 and your ports will work just fine. However, if you get a new laptop or tower you will want the latest USB Port speeds.

I just Googled for latest and greatest USB Port speeds.
 

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    W11 Home
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Build Date: March 2022
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-13900KF
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime 690-P
    Memory
    DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 4600
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 4080 12GB
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080 (scaled 125%) (144Mhz Refresh Rate)
    PSU
    1000 Watt
    Cooling
    AIO
    Internet Speed
    1GB
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium
Thanks for that. I will check these settings.

Is there a way where speeds can be tested without involving the cable? For example, if I partition the disk and transfer a file between the partitions, will it still involve the cable?

As mentioned in one of my earlier comments, I copied a large 12 gb Windows ISO files from one partition to another on the same disk. The windows copy popup showed a speed of over 100 MBPS for the most part during the transfer. What am I to make of it?

Yes, it will still involve transferring the data over the cable.
I missed that comment. Were the units MB/s or Mbps. 8 Mbps = 1 MB/s. I don't think the transfer window uses megabits per second (Mbps) anytime, but I could be wrong.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
    Memory
    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
    Keyboard
    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Well not really.

If you want to get full performance from a drive over USB, you need a USB chipset on the USB-3 enclosure (or whatever) that supports UASP (USB Attached SCSI). SCSI is a transfer protocol for disks. With UASP support the device will be treated as a disk, and you will get SATA transfer rates. It improves performance by a significant amount for USB attached disks. These cable converters do not usually support UASP (but I have a StarTech one that does). Neither do most USB jump drives. Most newer external hard drive enclosures have USB chipsets that support UASP. UASP support was introduced in Windows with Windows 10. TRIM is also supported.

So now there are jump drives that support UASP. When plugged in they look like a SCSI disk device. Here is the one I have., a 512 GB Patriot. It performs at SATA SSD rates and it do4esn't even have a SRAM buffer!


View attachment 12470View attachment 12471View attachment 12474


Here is what I get with the StarTech USB-SATA converter cable (that supports UASP) attached to a 128GB Samsung 840 Pro :

View attachment 12483

This^ is the StarTech USB3S2SAT3CB Rev B cable I have had for 6+ years. $12 at Amazon currently:


View attachment 12484
I don’t know much about what’s inside the cable I have. It is no longer available on Amazon for me to check it.

yesterday, I cloned a 60 gb windows partition to this Silicon Power SSD. I noted that it took an average of 20 minutes for cloning 20 GB of data. That’s roughly 17 MBPS, which is too low.

I tried doing the same on my Samsung T7, and it took the same 20 minutes for cloning 30 Gb data. This is 50% faster, but the speeds are just about 25 MBPS. So the transfer speed in this case is slow because of the cloning process.

But when I do normal copy operation, the Samsung T5 and T7 are really fast. I get over 400 MBPS, which is good since my laptop is over 8.5 years old. With this one, I have only managed to get about 35 MBPS as per Crystal DiskMark.

I want to know for sure if it is the cable at fault, so I can decide whether to keep the SSD or return it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
IDK. Did you look at the disk settings I suggested?

I had a cable that was not UASP and it was quite a bit slower than the StarTech one. Not near as slow as you are experiencing though.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
    Memory
    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
    Keyboard
    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Yes, it will still involve transferring the data over the cable.
I missed that comment. Were the units MB/s or Mbps. 8 Mbps = 1 MB/s. I don't think the transfer window uses megabits per second (Mbps) anytime, but I could be wrong.
Whatever it is by default. I think it is megabytes.

IDK. Did you look at the disk settings I suggested?
Not yet. I will take a look and update you on that. I’m on my phone now.

But regardless of the settings, it is too slow because the settings are same for all external disks. My Samsung SSDs are fast. But those are external SSDs with type c ports. This is a SATA SSD requiring a usb cable. So they are not comparable, unless I attach the disk to the SATA port inside my laptop.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
This SSD also shows up as HDD in Windows Disk Defragmentation windows. Why so?

I have run the Winsat Formal command to see if it updates the disk type, but it still shows up as HDD only.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
This SSD also shows up as HDD in Windows Disk Defragmentation windows. Why so?

I have run the Winsat Formal command to see if it updates the disk type, but it still shows up as HDD only.
Because the bridge chip in it apparently does not support UASP. UASP is needed to support TRIM over USB and Windows defragmenter can't TRIM it (SSD optimization).

PS, your SSD also has to be formatted NTFS to be able to be TRIMed in Windows.
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
    Memory
    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
    Keyboard
    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Whatever it is by default. I think it is megabytes.


Not yet. I will take a look and update you on that. I’m on my phone now.

But regardless of the settings, it is too slow because the settings are same for all external disks. My Samsung SSDs are fast. But those are external SSDs with type c ports. This is a SATA SSD requiring a usb cable. So they are not comparable, unless I attach the disk to the SATA port inside my laptop.
Any device you hook up with the cable will get the Windows safely unload setting by default. This cripples performance. Did you look at the settings like I asked?
 
Last edited:

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY Photoshop/Game/tinker build
    CPU
    Intel i9 1300KS
    Motherboard
    Asus ROG Maximus Z90 Dark Hero
    Memory
    64GB (2x32) G.skill Trident Z5 RGB 6400 MHZ 32-39-39
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus ROG Strix 4070 Ti OC
    Sound Card
    Onboard Audio, Vanatoo Transparent One; Klipsch R-12SWi Sub; Creative Pebble Pro Minimilist
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Eizo CG2730, ViewSonic VP2768
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440p x 2
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB nvme, SK-Hynix 2 TB P41 nvme, Raid 0: 1TB 850 EVO + 1TB 860 EVO SSD. Sabrent USB-C DS-SC5B 5-bay docking station: 6TB WDC Black, 6TB Ironwolf Pro; 2x 2TB WDC Black
    PSU
    850W Seasonic Vertex PX-850
    Case
    Fractal Design North XL Mesh, Black Walnut
    Cooling
    EKWB 360 Nucleus Dark AIO w/Phanteks T30-120 fans, 1 Noctua NF-A14 Chromax case fan
    Keyboard
    Glorious GMMK TKL mechanical, lubed modded
    Mouse
    Logitech G305 wireless gaming
    Internet Speed
    380 Mb/s down, 12 Mb/s up
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender, Macrium Reflect 8 ;-)
  • Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple 13" Macbook Pro 2020 (m1)
    CPU
    Apple M1
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1600
    Browser
    Firefox
Any device you hook up with the cable will get the Windows safely unload setting by default. This cripples performance. Did you look at the settings like I asked?
Yes, here they are:

INTERNAL DISKS

20211104_114838.png

20211104_114855.png

EXTERNAL DISKS

Silicon Power

20211104_114922.png

Samsung T7 Touch

20211104_114949.png

I see that Better Performance is enabled for the Silicon Power, but not for Samsung T7T. Yet the Samsung is way faster than Silicon.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Because the bridge chip in it apparently does not support UASP. UASP is needed to support TRIM over USB and Windows defragmenter can't TRIM it (SSD optimization).

PS, your SSD also has to be formatted NTFS to be able to be TRIMed in Windows.
It is formatted as NTFS only.

So does it mean that it is the cable that is responsible for slow speeds?

If that be so, I'll keep the SSD. If not, I'll return it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy dv7
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 3630QM
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Nvidia GeForce GT 635M
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Crucial MX500 on bay 1.
    1 TB Seagate HDD on bay 2.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

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