SATA SSD performance?
SATA SSD performance?
Hey everyone, I’m working with two Windows 11 machines—one stays at home and the other travels to LAN events. Each has its own NVMe SSD with Windows and all the apps installed. What I need is to share just the games library between them, avoiding the hassle of installing and maintaining huge game libraries on both devices. I’ve designed a 2.5" quick swap bay in each and a sizable SATA SSD for easy swapping. I’ve put everything together and it’s now functioning. The only issue is how slow the SSD feels when downloading or installing new games. I’m new to SSD storage, mostly using plug-and-play setups, so I’m worried about making a mistake. My current Patriot P210 2048GB SSD is sitting at 1.45TB used out of a total capacity of 1.86TB. I’m unsure if the slowdown is due to speed, full capacity, or something else, but during Steam downloads and installs the write speed drops to about 10MB/s. I’d like to improve this without jumping into a bigger SSD right away. If you have suggestions or tips, I really appreciate it!
Looking for a fast swap bay? I’d try the same method—download and install the game through Steam—without using the quick swap bay. Connecting an SSD directly to the motherboard should work. (By the way, how’s the SSD performing?) Edited August 24, 2025 by leclod
The Patriot toolbox assists with tasks like clearing the cache. Edited August 24, 2025 by leclod
It shows a few gadgets and smart data points, but it seems to lack additional features. (extra note: I really value your thoughtful feedback and constructive suggestions instead of just criticizing the concept or my equipment.)
Connection is direct via SATA, so it won’t impact performance. Could be a slow hard drive; many SSDs noticeably lag during big writes such as installing games, especially when nearly full. This shouldn’t be obvious from reading data. No performance reviews available for that drive—only reports indicating instability.
I've completed some investigation and it seems this SSD is quite average—lacks DRAM, has a tiny SLC cache, etc. I'm now receiving a slightly older Samsung Pro model and will re-test before sharing results.
Execute a CrystalDiskMark test to evaluate your disk write performance. It seems Steam might be the issue.