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Samsung 830 512Mb SLOW on Macbook Pro @ 6Gbps

D

drvik

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 15, 2012
4
0
Hi everyone, long time lurker, first time poster...

I'm hoping some of you can help...

I have a 17" early 2011 Macbook Pro

Just switched my Vertex 3 for a new Samsung 830 for added reliability space and speed. However right from the start I noticed boot times and app opening were slower. So I did some benchmarks with Black magic and discovered that while the Vertex 3 managed reads 400+ and writes around 200, the Samsung can only manage reads of 250-260 and writes of 160-200!! Both drives link at 6Gbps. Same port same everything. TRIM makes no difference. Mountain Lion 10.8.2. All drives running latest firmware. Even tried the aluminium foil around the sata cable trick with no change.

Given the performance of the Vertex 3 I would have thought the obvious problem is the Samsung. Can anyone suggest anything else I can do before I try and get an exchange?? Is it possible that there's something wrong with my macbook and needs apple's attention?

Cheers,

drvik
 
drvik said:
Same port same everything. TRIM makes no difference. Mountain Lion 10.8.2. Is it possible that there's something wrong with my macbook and needs apple's attention?

Cheers,

drvik
Click to expand...

Hello drvik...

did I read you to say you were swapping the drives in the primary drive bay? If so your results are odd, but I'd like to add a couple of things to consider.

Running benchmarks on an SSD is very hard the drive. Assuming you do so, you need to either allow GC (garbage collection) to occur in the absence of TRIM, or enable TRIM. It's due to the way SSDs write data. You can absolutely slow them to a crawl if you run repeated benchmarks. It's well know, and you can research the issue with some searches. I am not an expert but I have read the detailed posts.

SAMSUNG drives use a very passive form of GC. If you are not using TRIM (and it is highly recommended) then at least allow your computer to sit at the LOGIN prompt for an hour or so every other week so the SAMSUNG GC can take place without interruption.

GC and TRIM are pretty necessary for the long-term performance of an SSD, and as Apple themselves are using the SAMSUNG 830 in new MacBook Pros, with TRIM enabled, it should make it clear its a good idea. Each compliments the other, they are not to be confused. And, neither is a performance booster - they are more like maintenance utilities to prevent/delay/offset degradation.

I run an 830 in my mid-2011 MacBrook Pro, and I enabled TRIM but not using the TRIM-enabler app (there is some very questionable history with what that person releases and I opt not to use it, YMMV ) but rather by simply enabling it using Grant Pannell's method. In that same post is also a link to a sweet and easy to perform Python script which allows for easy disabling if need be.

I cannot comment on why your performance is different. Again, assuming the new SAMSUNG is connected to the same SATA port and not the DVD bay, etc.

The other thing to consider is - assuming the drive has recovered from the benchmarking - try to simply USE the drive and see how it performs? The sort of massive and continuous READS and WRITES imparted by benchmarks bears little resemblance to real work use...unless yours is used as a database server or something? :)

Apple OEMS the SAMSUNG, due to reliability and performance. Mine has been performing very well. I edit a fair amount of video on my MBP, and I've been very pleased with the Final Cut Pro X streaming performance.

Having said that, the Vertex 3 is a great drive. Perhaps all you need to do is consider installing a non-SATA 3 SSD into the DVD bay (which is questionably capable of 6Gb performance but supports 3Gb very well - OWC sells a slick little bracket) and move all static content off the VERTEX. It might be all you need to do and just forget the need to benchmark.

regards,

patrick
 
Thanks for your reply chmodme,

I am aware of TRIM and GC. I used the drive over the course of about 7-10 days in 2 different computers. The reason a I first started benchmarking was because I noticed that my linux server was moving slower when running fsck at boot. When I moved the drive to the Macbook, I noticed the boot time was noticeably longer.

To answer some of your questions, it was installed in the primary SATA bay, and definitely running at 6Gbps.

Interestingly, when I moved my Vertex 3 into my wife's older Macbook (running SATA 2), the Vertex 3 was achieving exactly the same speeds in her Macbook as the Samsung was achieving in my Macbook @ SATA3 speeds. I can't help but feel that despite the negotiated 6Gbps link, the drive was for some reason providing the data at SATA2 speeds.

Either way, I returned the drive for a refund. At $500AUD I expect the drive to perform as advertised on the box without any effort on my part.

I for one would like to see what numbers you are getting from your drive using the Blackmagic Speed Test from the App Store.

Cheers,

drvik
 
well, your conclusions are valid as far as I am concerned

Hello drvik..

MBP 8,2 15" earlyish 2011 (how do I tell?) as there seems to be a floating line between early and mid/late 15" MBP insofar as solid 6Gb support.

My speed tests are equally low, at least as far as I can tell. I shut off all network interfaces, etc.

The 830 registers ~190 writes and ~220 reads in the main HD bay.

Makes me wonder about the tests themselves, and how the system can reflect 6Gb negotiated speed? I use the OWC drive doubler to mount the stock Toshiba 256 SSD in the DVD bay and recorded ~400/~480 with a negotiated link speed of 3Gb. No surprise as the Toshiba is a SATA 2 device, but 2x the speed.

This is moderately disconcerting.

You asked - and apparently we are in the same boat.

Your thoughts?

chmodme
 
Spotlight may be indexing since you transferred all your data to a new drive. Have you verified this is not the case with spotlight? Sometimes this is the case with new drives, but mostly with OS updates.
 
yes, I verified that

It has been a few weeks and Spotlight has done its thing.

Good idea, though.

I think there is something at the hardware level.
 
I took the leap

Upgraded to the 840 Pro 256. The results, compared to the 830 in the same machine, are dramatic.

We seemed to be suffering form the same mysterious issue as my computer is also an early 2011 MBP.

I used Carbon Copy Cloner and simply laid the data back down. This is cross-posted in another thread, but I wanted to make sure you saw it.

FYI
 

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chmodme said:
Upgraded to the 840 Pro 256. The results, compared to the 830 in the same machine, are dramatic.

We seemed to be suffering form the same mysterious issue as my computer is also an early 2011 MBP.

I used Carbon Copy Cloner and simply laid the data back down. This is cross-posted in another thread, but I wanted to make sure you saw it.

FYI
Click to expand...

That is a very fast drive! But also very expensive, $600 for 500GB :eek:
 
I am having problems also with my Early 2011 MBP. Replaced the primary Apple 128G SSD with the 830 256G and am very disappointed. I even enabled trim with 3rd party software but it is noticeably slower... especially doing photo edit in Aperature 3; I have to wait to see the effects whereas the old drive it was instant. Start-up/Shut-down slow. I used restore feature in tools to clone the new drive. Running Mountain Lion.
 
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