Aspire 5 A515-52-53GR Internal SSD is slow in Reading and Writing

Ken_1
Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
edited October 2023 in 2020 Archives
Can anyone help me on this.  I bought this Aspire 5 A515-52-53GR laptop.  This model comes with a 256GB SSD.  I believe it's on the M.2 slot.  I benchmark the internal SSD with CrystalDiskMark.  The result was terribly slow.  The sequential and random Read and Write speed was 30 Mbyte/sec.  My thumb drive is even faster than that.  The speed was confirmed when I download and upload a huge file through my home network with a 1 Gbit switch.  The file transfer speed was maxed out at 27 Mbyte/sec.  I boot the laptop to the UEFI (BIOS) mode through Windows 10.  Change the Sata mode to AHCI instead of "RST with Optane".  Restart the laptop and re-run the disk benchmark software.  The sequential and random read/write speed has gone up to 400 MByte/sec, which is good.  However, once the laptop goes to sleep or I shutdown the laptop, the next time I wake up  or reboot the laptop, the speed will go back to 30 Mbyte/sec.  I have already did all the updates for Windows 10.  According to Microsoft, there is no driver updates available.  I found the only way to increase my SSD read/write speed is to go into the UEFI mode and reboot from there.  You can't expect me to do that every time, right? This is my first Acer laptop.  Any advice?
Thank you in advance.
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Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    Do you mean the UEFI BIOS does not retain the AHCI setting and automatically goes back to Optane when you re-boot? Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • Ken_1
    Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    I did some more test.  Sometime, when I shutdown the laptop  from Windows and boot the laptop, the SSD will work fine (400 MByte/sec read/write speed) sometimes.  When the laptop goes to sleep, and comes out from sleep, then the SSD will have a slower read/write speed.
    I think the UEFI BIOS retain the AHCI setting.  Out of frustration, I uninstalled the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver in windows.  When I set the "RST with Optane" option in the BIOS, windows would not boot.  I had to set it back to AHCI and install the driver before enabling the "RST with Optane" option.
    When the laptop comes out of sleep mode, the problem will occur for sure.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    Open Control Panel. Search 'button'. Click 'change what the power buttons do' in the left pane. Click 'changes setttings that aren't currently available'. Scroll down and uncheck the box for fast startup to disable fast boot. Shut down. Reboot. The BIOS setting should be left AHCI. Optane is irrelevant for your setup. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • Ken_1
    Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Hello JackE.  Tried what you suggested to uncheck the fast startup box.  It still did not work. 
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    >>>When the laptop goes to sleep, and comes out from sleep, then the SSD will have a slower read/write speed.>>>

    Open Control Panel again. Search 'button' again. Click 'change what the power buttons do' . Change all settings to sleep, not hibernate. Jack E/NJ


    Jack E/NJ

  • Ken_1
    Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Hello Jack E.  Those settings are already in sleep (default).  Last night I tried hibernate on "When I close the lid".  Same thing happens.  Got the SSD running at it's fastest.  Close the lid.  Open the lid.  Bring out of hibernation.  Check the SSD.  The SSD running at 30 MBytes/sec.

    The BIOS version I have is Version 1.04.  There is a version 1.09 that reads "Update Thermal Table".  Obviously, it's not related.  But, who knows.
    Now, the instruction says,
    How to update the BIOS: 
    Click "EH5AW109.exe" under Winodows mode

    Is it that simple?  Just run this executable in Windows environment (Not in DOS, like in some other motherboards)?  I don't want to make my laptop unusable.  There is a warning message above the download link that says "Upgrading your system BIOS incorrectly could harm your Acer product. Please proceed with caution."  Is there anything I need to know before I click on the executable file.  Please let me know now.  I will give this a try tonight.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    >>>Is it that simple?>>>I don't want to make my laptop unusable.  >>>

    Yes it's that simple. No I would NOT do it. Try changing the 'close the lid' setting to 'do nothing' to see if the screen turns off. In some systems, the screen --- the biggest power drain --- still turns off when the lid is closed but the system stays awake. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • Ken_1
    Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Hello JackE.  I changed the setting for "close the lid" to do nothing.  The screen turns off, but the system was still awake (not in sleep mode) because the blue status LED light is solid on.  When in sleep mode, the LED will blink. I made sure the SSD speed was 400 MByte/sec before I closed the lid.  After I open the lid, I check the SSD speed and still reads 400 MByte/sec.
    Why do you say not to update the BIOS to version 1.09?  I'am guessing there might be some changes from 1.04 to 1.09 besides the thermal table.  Do you know what fixes between 1.04 and 1.09? Say 1.05, 1.06 1.07 and 1.08?
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    edited March 2019
    A BIOS firmware update has a much greater risk of bricking the machine than a simple device driver software update. Accordingly, they should not be applied unless they specifically & directly address a significant or disabling problem (ie, more than just annoying) that the machine seems to be exhibiting. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • Ken_1
    Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    Hello JackE.  Is there any other suggestion?  Not putting the laptop to sleep mode on battery power seems a waste of battery.  The laptop works fine besides the SSD read/write speed.  Thus, opening a program will be a tad slower and downloading/uploading files from my network will be really slow.  I guess nobody in the Acer Community experience this problem before.
    Anyway, if you have any other suggestion let me know.  I appreciate your help.  Thanks.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    >>> Not putting the laptop to sleep mode on battery power seems a waste of battery. >>>
    The biggest power drain should be the screen. Accordingly, I'd be interested in how much battery drain you actually see when keeping the system awake with the lid closed for 2 or 3 hours.  Perhaps disabling wifi just in case a big WinUpdate tries to sneak in there when you're not looking. :)

    >>>>I guess nobody in the Acer Community experience this problem before.>>>
    Not really sure. Perhaps it just hasn't been noticed too often.



    Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • andron
    andron Member Posts: 5 New User
    I have exactly the same problem with my A517-51G-5726. When I boot the laptop after a regular shutdown, the read/write speed is around 25 MB/s. When I do a hard shutdown (press and hold power button) and reboot, it's back to 300-400 MB/s. Going into hibernation and back or shutting down and rebooting sets it back to 25 MB/s.
    In my case, the problem seems to have appeared after the Windows 10 1903 update. At least, that was when I first noticed it.
    Interestingly, the secondary SSD is not affected by the slowdown.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    andron>>>In my case, the problem seems to have appeared after the Windows 10 1903 update. At least, that was when I first noticed it.>>>

    Is 1909 on it yet? Might fix the problem. Might not. Jack E/NJ

    Jack E/NJ

  • andron
    andron Member Posts: 5 New User
    JackE said:
    andron>>>In my case, the problem seems to have appeared after the Windows 10 1903 update. At least, that was when I first noticed it.>>>

    Is 1909 on it yet? Might fix the problem. Might not. Jack E/NJ

    Just installed 1909. Didn't help :(
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 45,211 Trailblazer
    1909 wasn't truly a major update. So for now just change the lid closing option from 'sleep' to 'do nothing'. Just make sure the screen shuts off when you actually close the lid. The biggest power drain is the screen anyway. So the overall power drain should not be that much greater than when the system is in sleep mode. Jack E/NJ 

    Jack E/NJ

  • andron
    andron Member Posts: 5 New User
    Looks like I have found a solution for the 517-51G. Apparently, the problem appears when 1903 is installed on top of 1809. I formatted the system disk and made a clean install of 1909. Now the problem is gone.
  • Ken_1
    Ken_1 Member Posts: 7 New User
    I thought I was the only person who had this problem.  Guess I was wrong.  Or, perhaps nobody even checked the speed.  Anyway.  Here's what I did with my Aspire 5.  I went and bought a new M.2 NVMe SSD and swap the M.2 Sata SSD that came with the laptop.  Re-installed Windows 10.  Problem solved.  Now, my sequential read/write speed is up in the 900MByte/sec to 1100MByte/sec range.  (The NVMe SSD is rated 1700MByte/sec read/write).  I can let my laptop go into sleep/hibernate mode without worrying a speed loss when coming out from sleep/hibernate mode.
    I don't have a secondary SSD, but there is a space for it in my laptop.  However, my secondary SSD would have to be a 2.5 inch form factor with a Sata connection.  My primary SSD is a M.2 form factor which support Sata or NVMe.  I am guessing the problem occurs for a Sata SSD on a M.2 connection.
  • andron
    andron Member Posts: 5 New User
    JackE said:
    andron>>>In my case, the problem seems to have appeared after the Windows 10 1903 update. At least, that was when I first noticed it.>>>

    Is 1909 on it yet? Might fix the problem. Might not. Jack E/NJ

    Just installed 1909. Didn't help :(
  • andron
    andron Member Posts: 5 New User
    JackE said:
    andron>>>In my case, the problem seems to have appeared after the Windows 10 1903 update. At least, that was when I first noticed it.>>>

    Is 1909 on it yet? Might fix the problem. Might not. Jack E/NJ

    Just installed 1909. Didn't help :(
  • PhuN
    PhuN Member Posts: 10

    Tinkerer
    Ken_1 said:
    I thought I was the only person who had this problem.  Guess I was wrong.  Or, perhaps nobody even checked the speed.  Anyway.  Here's what I did with my Aspire 5.  I went and bought a new M.2 NVMe SSD and swap the M.2 Sata SSD that came with the laptop.  Re-installed Windows 10.  Problem solved.  Now, my sequential read/write speed is up in the 900MByte/sec to 1100MByte/sec range.  (The NVMe SSD is rated 1700MByte/sec read/write).  I can let my laptop go into sleep/hibernate mode without worrying a speed loss when coming out from sleep/hibernate mode.
    I don't have a secondary SSD, but there is a space for it in my laptop.  However, my secondary SSD would have to be a 2.5 inch form factor with a Sata connection.  My primary SSD is a M.2 form factor which support Sata or NVMe.  I am guessing the problem occurs for a Sata SSD on a M.2 connection.

    I have same problem with you, SSD will get speed about 30mb/s and full disk always, has. I don't know solve that problem.

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