compare transfer rates for multiple M.2 devices or notice if a single drive is lagging
compare transfer rates for multiple M.2 devices or notice if a single drive is lagging
Hello, Your system runs Windows 10 with M.2 Gen4 drives, mostly Samsung 980 series. The slow transfer speeds you're experiencing aren't unusual. Moving files between these drives often feels sluggish, even when the speed is around 15MB per second, dropping to just a few hundred KB. This can happen due to various factors like cache limitations, driver issues, or hardware constraints. No SSDs or mechanical drives are present in this setup. The performance may vary depending on the specific files and system load.
Transferring files between folders on the same drive merely refreshes location information with minimal data changes. The process is nearly instantaneous even on traditional hard drives. Swapping M.2 drives requires copying all content then removing entries from the original device. Antivirus software may repeatedly scan files during access or writing, which can affect performance. Handling numerous small files can slow progress since Windows performs verification checks to confirm successful destination writes. The Samsung 980 SSD utilizes unused space for rapid write caching—up to 50 GB for a 1 TB model—provided sufficient free space exists. Moving a folder involves writing data into this cache, enabling fast transfers at 2-3 GB/s. Once the cache fills, write speed drops to about 300-500 MB/s, but the drive quickly restarts writing to permanent storage, restoring speeds above 3 GB/s shortly after.
Download Samsung Magician. Review the performance metrics. A system optimization section is available to assist or provide further understanding. Consider removing the app once the problem is fixed.