SATA WD Gold 20TB - WD203KRYZ transfer read speed very slow.


E

essie

Active member
Local time
8:31 AM
Posts
17
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Unfortunately WD support is not available or rejected my posting.
Expensive drive with read transfer speed below 1 MB/s is useless.
Any ideas if it's a drive design fault or software issue?

WD Gold 20TB - WD203KRYZ-01CMFB0.Windows 11 Pro 25H2.
Formatted NTFS single volume Basic Data Partition.

When attempting to create backup of 1-2 GB files by copying to other drive, then reading speed appears to be as low as 0.1-5 MB/s, with some peaks up to 100 MB/s.
Windows 11 performance reports 100% drive activity, when there are different target drives receiving only small percent of this activity.
Testing:
1. Copying older files from this same drive - transfer speed 100-150 MB/s
2. Source drive WDC WD40EFAX-68JH4N1 same content - transfer speed 100-150 MB/s.

80% of 1-2 GB video clips stored during disk installation on 2025 and 20% later.
Now reading of earlier files happens up to 150 MB/s but later files transfer speed varies between 0.1- 10 Mbps with rare 100 MB/s peaks.

My first assumption was disk fragmentation but Windows 11 "defrag app" reports "0" due to weekly automatic defragmentation.

Drive installed on October 2025. Drive is Bitlocker encrypted due to company policies.
Now there is left about 300 GB of spare space on this drive.


WD Gold 20TB WD203KRYZ-01CMFB0 : 20000.5 GB

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskInfo 9.2.3 (C) 2008-2024
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

OS : Windows 11 Pro 25H2 [10.0 Build 26200] (x64)
Date : 2026/10/30 19:06:28

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(03) WDC WD203KRYZ-01CMFB0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Model : WDC WD203KRYZ-01CMFB0
Firmware : 01.01H01
Serial Number : *********
Disk Size : 20000.5 GB (8.4/137.4/20000.5/20000.5)
Buffer Size : Unknown
Queue Depth : 32
# of Sectors : 39063650304
Rotation Rate : 7200 RPM
Interface : Serial ATA
Major Version : ACS-4
Minor Version : ACS-4 published, ANSI INCITS 529-2018
Transfer Mode : SATA/600 | SATA/600
Power On Hours : 10453 hours
Power On Count : 26 count
Temperature : 41 C (105 F)
Health Status : Good
Features : S.M.A.R.T., APM, NCQ, Streaming, GPL
APM Level : 00FEh [OFF]
AAM Level : ----
Drive Letter : G:

-- S.M.A.R.T. --------------------------------------------------------------
ID Cur Wor Thr RawValues(6) Attribute Name
01 100 100 __1 000000000000 Read Error Rate
02 148 148 _54 000000000032 Throughput Performance
03 _83 _83 __1 000701680163 Spin-Up Time
04 _99 _99 __0 000000000202 Start/Stop Count
05 100 100 __1 000000000000 Reallocated Sectors Count
07 _97 _97 __1 000000020000 Seek Error Rate
08 136 136 _20 000000000010 Seek Time Performance
09 _99 _99 __0 0000000028D5 Power-On Hours
0A 100 100 __1 000000000000 Spin Retry Count
0C 100 100 __0 00000000001A Power Cycle Count
16 100 100 _25 000000640064 Current Helium Level
C0 100 100 __0 0000000006CD Power-off Retract Count
C1 100 100 __0 0000000006CD Load/Unload Cycle Count
C2 _52 _52 __0 002F00110029 Temperature
C4 100 100 __0 000000000000 Reallocation Event Count
C5 100 100 __0 000000000000 Current Pending Sector Count
C6 100 100 __0 000000000000 Uncorrectable Sector Count
C7 100 100 __0 000000000000 UltraDMA CRC Error Count

-- IDENTIFY_DEVICE ---------------------------------------------------------
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
000: 045A 3FFF C837 0010 0000 0000 003F 0000 0000 0000
010: 5050 4732 4830 584B 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
020: 0003 0000 0038 3031 2E30 3148 3031 5744 4320 5744
030: 3230 334B 5259 5A2D 3031 434D 4642 3020 2020 2020
040: 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 8010 4000 2F00
050: 4000 0200 0200 0007 3FFF 0010 003F FC10 00FB 5910
060: FFFF 0FFF 0000 0007 0003 0078 0078 0078 0078 0D08
070: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 001F 970E 0076 0CDE 0040
080: 0FFC 009C 746B 7D69 4773 7469 BC41 4773 017F 8347
090: 0000 00FE FFFE 0000 0000 0008 00CA 00F9 2710 0000
100: 0000 1860 0009 0000 00CA 0000 6003 5A87 5000 CCA0
110: E7C1 2129 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 40DC
120: 40DC 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0009 000B
130: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
140: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
150: 0000 0009 5745 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
160: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0002 0000
170: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
180: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
190: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
200: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 003D 0000 0000 4000
210: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 1C20 0000 0000
220: 0000 0000 17FF 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
230: 0000 1860 0009 0000 0008 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
240: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
250: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 F6A5

-- SMART_READ_DATA ---------------------------------------------------------
+0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +A +B +C +D +E +F
000: 10 00 01 0B 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 05
010: 00 94 94 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 07 00 53 53 63
020: 01 68 01 07 00 00 04 12 00 63 63 02 02 00 00 00
030: 00 00 05 33 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 07 0B
040: 00 61 61 00 00 02 00 00 00 00 08 05 00 88 88 10
050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 09 12 00 63 63 D5 28 00 00 00
060: 00 00 0A 13 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0C 32
070: 00 64 64 1A 00 00 00 00 00 00 16 23 00 64 64 64
080: 00 64 00 00 00 00 C0 32 00 64 64 CD 06 00 00 00
090: 00 00 C1 12 00 64 64 CD 06 00 00 00 00 00 C2 02
0A0: 00 34 34 29 00 11 00 2F 00 00 C4 32 00 64 64 00
0B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 C5 22 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00
0C0: 00 00 C6 08 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C7 0A
0D0: 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
100: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
110: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
120: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
130: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
140: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
150: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
160: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 82 00 65 00 00 5B
170: 03 00 01 00 02 FF 00 CD 07 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
180: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
190: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1A0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1C0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1D0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 61

-- SMART_READ_THRESHOLD ----------------------------------------------------
+0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +A +B +C +D +E +F
000: 10 00 01 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 36
010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 01 00 00 00 00
020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
030: 00 00 05 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 07 01
040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 14 00 00 00 00
050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 09 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
060: 00 00 0A 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0C 00
070: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 16 19 00 00 00 00
080: 00 00 00 00 00 00 C0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
090: 00 00 C1 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C2 00
0A0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C4 00 00 00 00 00
0B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 C5 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0C0: 00 00 C6 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C7 00
0D0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
0F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
100: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
110: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
120: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
130: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
140: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
150: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
160: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
170: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
180: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
190: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1A0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1C0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1D0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
1F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 DC
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Proi5-1340032GBGT1030 2GB GDDR5 GV-N1030SL-2GL GIGABYTE
OS
Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
GIGABYTE
CPU
i5-13400
Motherboard
GIGABYTE Intel B760 DS3H DDR4 LGA1700
Memory
32GB
Graphics Card(s)
GT1030 2GB GDDR5 GV-N1030SL-2GL GIGABYTE
Hard Drives
Samsung 980 PRO 2 TB (MZ-V8P2T0BW), and WD Red Plus 4TB WD40EFPX
@essie


First off, here's ten points for filling out your computer specs. :-)


With a WD RED (5400 rpm) as your source drive, you're seeing about the speed you should, 100-150 MB/s.
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Home 26H2 26300.9818AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    OS
    Win 11 Home 26H2 26300.9818
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 5302)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Total Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1

  • At a glance

    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?
The WD203KRYZ is supposed to be a high-performance SATA drive. Helium filled and all that.

Have you run Crystal Disk Mark on it? That might bypass some of the possible oddities of Windows.

I don't use BitLocker, and I don't know what performance penalty it might exact. It's not supposed to matter much with HDDs, given their relatively slow (compared to NVME SSD) transfer rates.

I also have not run a large HDD with 98.5% of its capacity filled. I don't know about Windows 11, but older versions of Windows would not defrag a drive with that little capacity remaining. Yet the drive is reported with 0% fragmentation.
 
Last edited:

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 26300.9278Amd Threadripper 7970X128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    OS
    Windows 11 26300.9278
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Amd Threadripper 7970X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte TRX50 Aero D Rev. 1.0
    Memory
    128GB (4 X 32) G.Skill DDR5 6400 (RDIMM)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 4090 OC
    Sound Card
    none (USB to speakers), Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Innocn 32" OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @ 60Hz
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB M.2 NVME SSD
    WD 4TB Blue SATA SSD
    Seagate 18TB IronWolf Pro
    PSU
    BeQuiet! Straight Power 12 1500W
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo XL
    Cooling
    SilverStone Technology XE360-TR5, with 3 Phanteks T30 fans
    Keyboard
    Cherry KC 500 MX LP (mechanical)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
    Internet Speed
    2000/250 Mbps (down/up)
    Other Info
    xFinity gateway

  • At a glance

    windows 11 26300.9278Intel I9-13900K64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Operating System
    windows 11 26300.9278
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    homebuilt
    CPU
    Intel I9-13900K
    Motherboard
    Asus RoG Strix Z690-E
    Memory
    64GB G.Skill DDR5-6000
    Graphics card(s)
    Gigabyte RTX 3090 ti
    Sound Card
    built in Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Philips 27E1N8900 27" OLED
    Screen Resolution
    3840 X 2160 @60Hz
    Hard Drives
    WDC SN850 1TB
    8TB Seagate Ironwolf
    4TB Seagate Ironwolf
    PSU
    eVGA SuperNOVA 1300 GT
    Case
    Lian Li 011 Dynamic Evo
    Cooling
    Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX Liquid CPU Cooler
    Keyboard
    Cherry Streaming (wired)
    Mouse
    Logitech M500s (wired)
There is 1.5% of free space left, that is far too small.

The figure usually quoted is 10-20% free space for efficient operation of an HDD where contents are changing.
You can read about the reasons for that.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
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