Slow SSD performance on battery, returns to normal while plugged in (A515-43)

gwynbleidd

Hi,
I noticed something very annoying while testing the Intel 660p nvme SSD on my Acer Aspire 5 A515-43-R6WW.
On battery, with all power saving options disabled and everything set to "Maximum" or "Best Performance" whenever possible, I get about 400MB/s sequential reads and writes instead of 1500+MB/s with the charger. This is unacceptable. I don't want my SSD throttled when I'm on the go, it doesn't use that much power anyway.
If anyone knows a fix to make the SSD run at max speeds at all times, I'd highly appreciate it.

brummyfan2

Hi,
Go to Device manager, expand Batteries, uninstall the driver for Microsoft ACPI-compliant control method battery, reboot and let Windows install the driver.

gwynbleidd

brummyfan2 said:

Hi,
Go to Device manager, expand Batteries, uninstall the driver for Microsoft ACPI-compliant control method battery, reboot and let Windows install the driver.

Sorry for the late reply. I did what you said and upon uninstalling the drivers, I heard the battery beep sound. But that sadly didn't change anything, it was still at around 400MB/s sequential before and after restarting the laptop.

Commodore_1995#

Have you tried updating the ssd firmware?

gwynbleidd

egydiocoelho said:

Have you tried updating the ssd firmware?

Latest version according to Intel's SSD Toolbox.

Commodore_1995#

is the standard nvm express controller driver that is located in the device manager updated?

gwynbleidd

egydiocoelho said:

is the standard nvm express controller driver that is located in the device manager updated?

Yes I just checked right now, the latest version is already installed.

Commodore_1995#

Can you post a screenshot of this driver? Have you checked whether the default windows driver provided, other than the intel nvme driver, provides better performance?

gwynbleidd

egydiocoelho said:

Can you post a screenshot of this driver? Have you checked whether the default windows driver provided, other than the intel nvme driver, provides better performance?

What made me install the Intel driver was me finding out the issue in the first place. So I can confirm that no matter what driver is installed, the issue is still there. I think it has something to do with power saving settings, but I don't know where to start.

Commodore_1995#

Can you upload a screenshot of the crystaldiskmar performance test? Also, can you send a screenshot of ssd's health with crystaldiskinfo?

gwynbleidd

egydiocoelho said:

Can you upload a screenshot of the crystaldiskmar performance test? Also, can you send a screenshot of ssd's health with crystaldiskinfo?

Not sure why a screenshot of the benchmark is needed but sure:

Commodore_1995#

Does this read and write also remain when you use the notebook on battery power only? I believe this laptop's hardware is limited in gen3x2

gwynbleidd

egydiocoelho said:

Does this read and write also remain when you use the notebook on battery power only? I believe this laptop's hardware is limited in gen3x2

I think you misunderstood my issue; Yes the NVMe slot on this laptop can only do x2 3.0 and while plugged in, I get upwards of 1500MB/s sequential read and write but on battery, it drops to 400.
That's what I'm trying to solve, I want the performance to be the same while on battery too.

Commodore_1995#

I understood. Are there any power saving options for the standard nvm express controller or intel nvme controller driver in device manager? Also, I recommend that you visit this thread: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/ssds-vs-hdds-battery-life-ssds-not-necessarily-better.2534385/

gwynbleidd

egydiocoelho said:

I understood. Are there any power saving options for the standard nvm express controller or intel nvme controller driver in device manager? Also, I recommend that you visit this thread: https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/ssds-vs-hdds-battery-life-ssds-not-necessarily-better.2534385/

I looked into it but couldn't find any power saving options. This is the only thing I found relating to power:

And it will always stay at D0, regardless if plugged in or not. Other than that, there's really nothing I could change or tweak.

Commodore_1995#

Have you tried updating the ssd firmware? Also, are there any drivers specific to the nvme controller? I ask you this because I also have adata ssd and the nvme controller driver is called "Realtek NVME Controller"