How to check NVME driver for HBM capability?


Now that things are stable in my system and I have done more research, here is what I know:

1) HP has disabled advanced mode in BIOS for my and many laptops. Different methods I have read to get into advanced mode have failed. Therefore, I cannot disable RST in BIOS. The BIOS must be set to AHCI mode in order for the Microsoft NVMe driver to work with the Samsung 980. So I have to stay with RST.
2) RST does support NVMe and HMB and Intel's RST Software says HMB is enabled on my machine, so that is good.
3) My 980 is only reading at about 1700 MB/s according to Magician, which is about half its capability. I set it to full performance mode and that did nothing. This could indicate that the PCIe is working at X2 instead of X4, but I read that all PCIe ports are X4 capable. Could this be a BIOS setting (which again I would not be able to change because HP locked it) or is there another reason I am only getting half speeds? My CPU is an intel Gen 8.

Correct on all
That is puzzling - that read speed is about right for a 2x PCI 3.0 lane,s though I do not know if that is the issue.
 

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Correct on all
That is puzzling - that read speed is about right for a 2x PCI 3.0 lane,s though I do not know if that is the issue.
Intel RST App reports this
true

If I read this correctly and this is to be trusted, the PCIe is running x4, so something else s causing the bottleneck. But it is suspicious that it seems like a x2 speed.
 

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Enable write caching on the device - On
View attachment 56308

Enable write caching on the device - Off
View attachment 56309
Thanks but I don't think that's the same caching as HMB enables. HMB is a replacement for an SSD DRAM cache and used to cache the drive's mapping tables or FTL, not user data.

Also, I understand this cache to be bit risky with buffer flushing disabled unless the system is on an UPS. So while it may be good for laptops it's not necessarily so for all desktops.
 
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You don't need to know anything else.
The disc installs and works as it was made.
Only a new firmware can make a difference.
 

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You don't need to know anything else.
The disc installs and works as it was made.
Only a new firmware can make a difference.
As it turns out, I did need a Storage Controller driver provided by the NVME's manufacturer to enable HMB. It's a Crucial P3+ NVME which is DRAM-less. The default Windows NVME Storage Controller driver did not enable the HMB.

It may be a different case for other drives but anyone owning a DRAM-less MVME should definitely install any drivers the manufacture provides for it to be sure it's properly supported.
 

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    Ryzen 7 5800X
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    Asus TUF B550M Gaming-Plus
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    GSkill 3200, 2x8GB
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    MSI RX 6800 XT Gaming Z
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    on-board Realtek
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    Samsung 980 Pro, Samsung 870 Evo, generic PCIe NVME, WD 1TB 2.5" laptop spinner
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    BeQuiet 240mm AIO and a bunch of case fans
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    one that clacks softly
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    logitech
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    bunches of bps
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    Windows' own
As it turns out, I did need a Storage Controller driver provided by the NVME's manufacturer to enable HMB. It's a Crucial P3+ NVME which is DRAM-less. The default Windows NVME Storage Controller driver did not enable the HMB.

Hello Buddywh,

may I ask how you determined that HMB was not working and it is now with the Crucial driver?
I'm kinda surprised, because the Microsoft driver should actually support HMB.

Thanks and greetings,
Martin
 

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Hello Buddywh,

may I ask how you determined that HMB was not working and it is now with the Crucial driver?
I'm kinda surprised, because the Microsoft driver should actually support HMB.

Thanks and greetings,
Martin
Install and run Crucial's Storage Executive utility. In the Drive Details screen it shows whether the drive supports HMB and is enabled. Storage Executive is for Crucial's drives and provides limited information for others so if your drive isn't one it may not show it. It's also the tool for updating drive BIOS code, for testing the drive and for setting up drive Over-Provisioning as well as several other things. It's similar to Samsung's Magician utility.

I've been told the default Win11 NVME driver does support HMB but that doesn't mean Crucial drives exploit it's full functionality. But then, there's no other utility I've found that reports HMB status so if Storage Executive simply refuses to tell me HMB is running with the Win11 driver, even though it is, I couldn't say for certainty.
 
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System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    Ryzen 7 5800X
    Motherboard
    Asus TUF B550M Gaming-Plus
    Memory
    GSkill 3200, 2x8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI RX 6800 XT Gaming Z
    Sound Card
    on-board Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung 144hz
    Screen Resolution
    1440p
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 980 Pro, Samsung 870 Evo, generic PCIe NVME, WD 1TB 2.5" laptop spinner
    PSU
    Corsair RM 650
    Case
    mATX
    Cooling
    BeQuiet 240mm AIO and a bunch of case fans
    Keyboard
    one that clacks softly
    Mouse
    logitech
    Internet Speed
    bunches of bps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows' own
Install and run Crucial's Storage Executive utility. In the Drive Details screen it shows whether the drive supports HMB and is enabled.

Since the OEM tools often only work properly with their drivers, I was hoping you have found another way to determine that HMB was not active with StorNVMe.

Unfortunately, I don't have an appropriate SSD at hand at the moment, but I'll test it in the future.
It would have been interesting what the tool (nvme-hmb.rar) which was already mentioned would have shown.
With the registry key "HMBAllocationPolicy" it should be possible to control and also deactivate HMB which would then allow using a benchmark to determine if it is or was active.
Also this key should lead to an entry in the windows event log with HMB allocation information.
The registry key "HostMemoryBufferBytes" is mentioned less frequently, which apparently (also?) allows to set the HMB size.

But actually, as I said, it should work properly "out of the box".
It would be a shame if some manufacturers really do their own thing again to impose their drivers instead of sticking to the NVME standard, especially since I otherwise really appreciate Crucial hardware.

But thanks for the reply and info!
Regards, Martin
 

My Computer

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