Uderstanding ReadSpeed Process & .iso image for USB Drive

[Adam-F]

Hi All

I have just taken a look at the ReadSpeed page, so am I right in saying that the SSD or HDD runs a benchmark test & records the speeds at 0% 25% 50% 75%, & 100%. The more uniform the read speed the healthier the drive is?

So if the reads are off the drive would need to be worked on by Spinrite?

Also will there be an iso image of the tool for USB multi-boot drives?

 

[PHolder]

The more uniform the write speed

The tool is called ReadSpeed. The hint that it doesn't do any writing is right there in its name. It is a tool that exercises the drives ability to read continuous blocks of data in 5 different locations on the drive: at the start, the end, and 3 places in between.

Uniformity is not necessarily the goal. SSDs should generally provide the most uniform read speeds, but it has been found that they can vary in unexpected ways that don't seem to have any noticeable end user impact. Rotating media (HDDs) inherently have different data speeds at different distances from the central hub. They will probably never be uniform because the disk moves under the heads at such different speeds from inside to outside.

If you poke around in these forums you'll find people who have come up with solutions for putting a ReadSpeed image on multi-boot drives.

 

[Adam-F]

The tool is called ReadSpeed. The hint that it doesn't do any writing is right there in its name. It is a tool that exercises the drives ability to read continuous blocks of data in 5 different locations on the drive: at the start, the end, and 3 places in between.

Uniformity is not necessarily the goal. SSDs should generally provide the most uniform read speeds, but it has been found that they can very in unexpected ways that don't seem to have any noticeable end user impact. Rotating media (HDDs) inherently have different data speeds at different distances from the central hub. They will probably never be uniform because the disk moves under the heads at such different speeds from inside to outside.

If you poke around in these forums you'll find people who have come up with solutions for putting a ReadSpeed image on multi-boot drives.

@PHolder I edited my mistake in the original post. Thanks for the response.

 

[DanR]

So if the reads are off the drive would need to be worked on by Spinrite?

SSD speeds are typically the same at all locations on a new drive. SSD's can show a decrease in speed over time in areas that are used the most. SpinRite (Level 3) can be of benefit here by speeding these areas up and thus improving overall drive performance.

Healthy spinners, on the other hand, will show max speed at 0%, which decreases roughly linearly to about half the max 0% speed at the 100% location. A noticeable deviation from this indicates a problem, possibly something that SpinRite can fix, or possibly a failing drive.