Running benchmarks is a fundamental process to verify that the speed of our drives is correct. Manufacturers are not entirely clear in their specifications, and sometimes we encounter an unpleasant surprise in terms of performance. If you want to know how to measure the speed of your SSD and reduce the possible influence of the processor or memory on the results, you should try Size4KWrite, based on writing 4-kilobyte files, without buffers or cache.
The world of solid-state drives is much more complicated than we would like. The lack of technical information combined with the constant component changes by manufacturers forces us to pay close attention, since performance differences between two SSDs from the same family can be enormous. Models that were previously recommended easily now require multiple benchmarks to confirm whether the OEM modified something in the background or not.
Size4KWrite: Measure your SSD speed
We have previously recommended very popular options such as AS SSD Benchmark and the classic CrystalDiskMark, but today we would like to include Size4KWrite, developed by Cris Bonis. Unlike other benchmarks, Size4KWrite completely ignores the search for sequential numbers, and focuses on writing 4-kilobyte files, without the influence of buffers or caches.
Furthermore, Size4KWrite cannot be run like other benchmarks: The only way to obtain correct results is to copy the entire program folder to the drive you wish to evaluate, and reduce computer activity to a minimum. In total, Size4KWrite activates ten benchmark rounds (the program minimizes automatically in each one, do not be scared), and presents its results in milliseconds. The lower the value, the faster the SSD.
From what we have seen so far, the results of Size4KWrite are consistent. Its comparison table places my PNY CS1311 at the same level as an old Samsung drive, while the secondary WD Green is a real turtle. It would be great if in the future Size4KWrite could expand its database, but if you want to measure the speed of your SSD and better visualize its performance, this will serve you.
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