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How to check the write/read speed of a hard drive. Ways to check hard drive speed

Instructions

Check the instructions to find out the model of the storage device installed on your computer.

Go online. Type “HDD forum” in the search. Research information on forums where users discuss hard drive specifications and what programs they use to determine and adjust spindle speed. Here are several addresses of large sites where you can get help and good advice: ClubControl (http://www.clubcontrol.ru/forum/), HDD forum (http://hdd.kulichki.com/forum/), Monitor (http http://monitor.net.ru/forum/), etc. On the Internet you can find a large number of programs, both paid and free. However, not all of them work equally well with different hard drive models.

Download and install the necessary software. Now turn off the computer and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. To determine the actual rotation speed of the disk, it is necessary to carry out measurements in a system that has not yet received a heavy load and is in ideal condition.

Launch the program. Inspect the list of physical disks, which are presented in a list or diagram. Select the drive for which you currently want to find out information.

Run a speed test called Benchmark. Usually, using this test, it is possible to obtain information that gives a completely objective picture of the condition of the disk as a whole. Click the Start button and wait for the testing procedure to complete.

Analyze the data collected by the program. Please note a few critical points. First, look at the Transfer Rate Minimum. This indicator determines the minimum data transfer rate, while Transfer Rate Maximum indicates the maximum. Then move on to the average rate, called Transfer Rate Average. Write down the numbers or save them in any other way.

Check Access Time - an indicator that describes the average access time for files, measured in milliseconds. Together with Burst Rate (peak HDD rotation speed), Access Time is a very important characteristic that must be taken into account. Also record CPU load data while the hard drive is spinning.

Compare all the data collected by the program with those provided by the HDD manufacturer in the computer’s operating instructions. Please note that the indicator numbers may differ significantly, but this does not always indicate a HDD failure. The test results are greatly influenced by the operating conditions.

Sources:

  • how to find out disk speed

Many programs, both paid and free, have been developed for testing hard drives. HDD Scan is a free program for Windows with which you can view S.M.A.R.T indicators, check the hard drive for bad sectors, and also see the speed characteristics of the hard drive in a graphical representation.

You will need

  • - computer;
  • - Internet;
  • - HDD Scan program.

Instructions

Download HDD Scan software. It doesn't need to be installed. You can find the installer on the official website of the developer hddscan.com. Save the downloaded program to the Programs folder for future use and launch the application by double-clicking on the start file.

In the main program window, in the Source Disk section, check whether the hard drive is selected correctly. You can see the S.M.A.R.T data by clicking on the button of the same name just below. You can easily find the explanation of these attributes on the Internet.

In the Process area, click the Start button to begin checking the disk. The Start LBA parameter is the first sector of the check, and the End LBA is the last sector. During the verification process, the Map tab area will be filled with colored squares indicating sectors. As soon as all the space is filled with such squares, the system will automatically notify you that the computer has fully checked the speed of the hard drive.

Go to the Map tab to view a graph of your hard drive speed. It may differ depending on the sector area that is currently being tested. The program also offers to adjust the noise of the hard drive, display sector check data as a report, and some other features. HDD Scan is quite easy to use and is worth having in your arsenal of computer maintenance utilities.

In general, we can say that checking the speed of a hard drive on a personal computer is not difficult, since it is enough to download the appropriate software and perform a few simple operations. However, be careful, as incorrect operation of such programs can disrupt the entire system.

Video on the topic

Tip 3: How to determine Internet speed in 2017

There are several questions that new PC users have. The first question is how and from whom to connect the Internet, and the second is what type of Internet to choose in order to get a decent one. There are ways to determine what your Internet connection speed is. This allows you to find out what time of day the speed is highest, as well as how long it will take to download your favorite series.

You will need

  • Special sites for measuring Internet speed online.

Instructions

The first of the existing methods is to use special sites that determine the speed of an on-line connection. In order to do a test, you just need to type the address of one of these sites and it will show you all the necessary data in the form of a table “test results for”.
In this case, the data will be real, the kind that your Internet actually provides. After all, it is no longer a secret for many that the download speed may also depend on the channel width of the resource from which you are downloading.

In order to obtain more reliable verification data, you need all programs that can affect the verification result itself. These are programs such as flashget, emule, reget and bittorrent. The same goes for radio and internet. It is advisable to repeat the test several times for a more accurate result. There is nothing complicated, but you will find out real data about your Internet connection.

Before starting the verification procedure, you need to indicate the speed declared by the provider - this is necessary in order to compare the real speed and the promised one. It takes very little time to check - only 30 seconds. This is quite enough to determine the speed. The site tells you how many meters it passed in those 30 seconds and how it determined the speed.
As an alternative method, you can use special programs to check Internet speed - but this is already a thing of the past, it is much easier to check online sites. The data will be more accurate, and you will know how long it will take you to watch a movie, favorite movie or picture.

Video on the topic

Helpful advice

Services for determining Internet speed: http://2ip.ru
http://spchat.ru

When downloading a specific file from the Internet, it is interesting to know about the speed, as well as the time you have to wait until the entire operation is completed. This can be done using special software.

Instructions

There is a large list of various software on the Internet that allows you to see in real time speed transfers data. One of the popular utilities is Download Master. This program is distributed completely. You can find it on the Internet or install it from the disk on which the operating system distribution kit is located with installation of programs in WPI mode.

Install this software on the hard drive of your personal computer. For convenience, install to the system local drive so that the program and all downloads are on one local drive. In case of emergency, you can make a backup copy and quickly restore information without any loss. A shortcut will appear on the desktop with which you can open the main program window.

An icon will also appear in the tray, which will display the current process during a new boot. Open the program by double-clicking the left mouse button on the shortcut. In your browser, locate the file you need to download. Right-click on the link and select “Copy link address” in the context menu. The download is automatically integrated into the program window. You only need to click the "Download" button.

This software allows up to 10 downloads at a time, but the list of pending files can be endless. Next to each downloaded file will be displayed speed downloads, as well as the time it will take to complete. At the top of the program there is a small graph that displays the maximum and minimum speed download all files. You can leave a description for the file so that you don’t get confused later if there are a large volume of files.

Video on the topic

The higher the quality of the communication channel, the more comfortable the work on the Internet. Pages open very quickly, even large files are downloaded in a short period of time. However, even with a good channel, the user sometimes has a desire to find out the real speed transfers data.

Instructions

Use special network services to evaluate your channel. They work on the following principle: a small file is transferred to your computer, and the time spent receiving it is measured. Based on this information, it is calculated speed receiving data. For example, follow this link: http://ip-whois.net/test-speed-internet/ Select any server on the map, click on it with the mouse. In the window that appears, click the line “Start Internet”. Testing takes less than a minute, and upon completion you will see the test results.

You should know that speed Internet traffic is highly dependent on the time of day - it is worst when communication lines are most congested and increases when most users are offline - for example, at night. Therefore, carry out this test several times at different times of the day, this will help you find out how the speed Internet during the day.

You can evaluate the real speed your Internet when downloading large files - for example, files from, DVD images, etc. In the download manager it is usually indicated speed transfers data in per second. Please note that providers indicate speed Internet in kilobits.

Video on the topic

A slow-running computer can irritate even a very calm person. It is not necessary to replace a slow machine with a new one - just find out which component is reducing its performance and carry out the upgrade.

Instructions

There are two reasons for poor performance computer: Insufficient processing power of the processor and too little random access memory (RAM). The second of these reasons reduces speed work indirectly: when a resource-intensive application that is not running is running, it begins to use the hard drive for temporary data storage. This process is called swapping. Data exchange with a hard drive is much slower than with RAM. To determine what exactly needs to be upgraded, pay attention to the hard drive activity indicator. If the “braking” of the machine is accompanied by active access to the drive, it is necessary to increase the amount of RAM, and if not, replace the processor.

Important for the system. The device helps the device function, stores user data and is a kind of flash drive for the computer. But the hard drive can be very different, so many people want to know how to check the speed of the hard drive.

Device operation

What is a hard drive needed for, and how does its speed affect performance? The storage device stores data and gives free access to it. The mechanism is built on magnetic recording.

From the outside it won't be easy to figure out how to find out the speed of your hard drive. Under the plastic case there are magnetic disks and a read head. In working condition, it does not touch the plates. The minimum distance between parts ensures the process of reading and writing information due to air flow.

Now the hard drive is increasingly receiving criticism from users. Especially after the advent of the solid state drive. Thanks to SSD, users learned that the system can have a faster drive that can easily cope with the most resource-intensive tasks.

But so far, solid-state drives are very expensive, so most people use only a combined option or prefer to do without an SSD altogether.

Hard drive specifications

Before you understand how to check the speed of a hard drive, you need to understand what other hard drive parameters there are that would affect the performance of the device.

The railway interface is now universal. SATA III is the most common option for interaction between two devices, in our case a hard drive and a PC. Thanks to the interface, you can connect the hard drive to your computer, and they will interact correctly. Besides SATA, eSATA, SAS, FireWire, etc. are also available.

When choosing a hard drive, the user pays attention to capacity. For many, this is the most important parameter, since you need to calculate how much information can be saved. Now the most optimal is a hard drive with a capacity of 500 GB - 1 TB. This is quite enough to install games, resource-intensive programs and download movies.

The following setting affects performance. Random access time indicates the average time it takes to position the head for reading and writing.

This parameter can have values ​​from 2.5 to 16 ms. The smaller it is, the faster the device will work. By comparison, all SSDs have random access times of less than 1 ms. Hence the lightning-fast loading of the system and resource-intensive programs working with the SSD.

The next setting also affects the overall speed of the hard drive. How to check the number of spindle rotations? Here you can use the information on the Internet or install the appropriate utility.

This indicator provides information about the spindle speed. The characteristic affects access time and average data transfer speed. In this case, it is better to choose a hard drive that has a speed of 7200 rpm. Although a device with a speed of 5400 and 5900 may be suitable for home PCs, you need to be prepared for the fact that system loading and resource-intensive programs will load slowly.

For servers and workstations, hard drives with 10,000 and 15,000 rpm are chosen.

The data transfer speed can also be found out during the hard drive test. This indicator directly affects the performance of the hard drive. The higher the data transfer speed, the faster you can transfer files to the hard drive.

Examination

How to check the speed of your hard drive? Of course, the first thing that comes to mind in this case is special utilities. Thanks to the program, you can find out any parameters of the hard drive, as well as scan the device for errors.

But not only software can help you learn how to check the speed of your hard drive. Thanks to the software components of the computer, it is also possible to analyze the device parameters.

Software components

To check the read and write speed of a hard drive, you need to use a special command. But to do this you need to launch Command Prompt. In “Start” you need to select the “System” section, and then Windows. In the new window you can find “Command Prompt”. Next, right-click (RMB) to start the service as administrator.

You can also use the key combination Win + R, where “Win” is the operating system icon on the keyboard. In the “Run” line, enter the “cmd” command.

To test the hard drive, you must enter the command “winsat disk” without using quotes. The system will collect all data about the device and display it in a dialog box. What should you pay attention to?

Disk Random 16.0 Read, Disk Sequential 64.0 Read and Disk Sequential 64.0 Write. The device performance index will also be indicated, which can also be found in the system properties.

To obtain additional data about the hard drive, you must enter the necessary commands without leaving the Command Line. For example, to determine the reading speed, enter “-read”, write - “-write” (without quotes).

Programs

But the best way to test a hard drive is with the help of auxiliary programs. For example, CrystalDiskMark is a simple and intuitive software that will help you collect data about your hard drive and solid-state drive. It can be installed on a computer running Windows XP or higher operating system. From the official website you can download the utility for free and with a Russian interface.

You can also use the AS SSD Benchmark program. This utility is similar to the previous one and has a similar interface. It quickly collects data about your hard drive or SSD and organizes it into a simple table. Despite the English interface, you can still understand the report and find the necessary data.

Setting up CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD Benchmark

Of course, you can go deeper into this issue and understand the technologies for overclocking a hard drive, but there is a big risk that an inexperienced user can damage the device, which will lead to system failures. Therefore, many suggest regularly performing some operations that will help, albeit slightly, but still speed up the work of the railway.

It is advisable to check the disk regularly. To do this, you need to go to “My Computer,” select one of the sections and right-click on it. Then select “Properties” and go to the “Services” tab. Here you can defragment the disk.

Often, personal computer owners are faced with the need to check the speed of their hard drive. This is usually due to the desire to find out how much the speed of reading and writing data to the disk stated by the manufacturer/seller corresponds to reality.

Agree, no matter how powerful the central processor is and how many gigabytes of RAM are installed in the system, it will not be comfortable to work due to the slow speed of the hard drive.

Note! If you want to get objective results, the amount of used disk space should not exceed 80-85%. It also makes sense to disable resource-intensive applications - browser, graphic editors, players, various utilities that often access the hard drive. All of them can affect performance for the worse.

Let's look at several effective methods for testing hard drive speed:

Option #1 is the specialized CrystalDiskMark utility.

This is now the most popular tester. It is convenient, functional and allows you to test not only regular HDDs, but also SSD drives. The user can choose from four types of tests - single-threaded sequential read and write, random read and write, and other options.

If you need to determine the real read/write speed in order to compare it with the data declared by the manufacturers, you should rely on the results of the “Seq” and “Seq Q32T1” tests.

Option number 2 - HD Tune program.

It comes in two versions - basic and advanced paid, but the first version is enough to conduct the test.

To run the test, you need to follow the path to the “Benchmark” tab and select one of the options: read test (Read) or write test (Write), and then click on the start button.

After the test is completed, data on average read/write speed, maximum and minimum speed, file access time, and CPU load during testing will be displayed.

It is not necessary to use the two software products discussed above, because on the Internet you can find their equally high-quality analogs that differ in functionality. Some applications, for example, allow you to obtain information about the health of your hard drive and roughly predict how long it will last.

Option No. 3 – testing at work. This method is suitable for unpretentious users for whom numbers are not important, but only that the hard drive meets their needs. The quality of the hard drive is well reflected by unpacking large files with an archiver, downloading using torrents, resource-intensive 3D games and applications. But there can be no talk of any accuracy in all these cases, since the tests can be significantly influenced by other PC components - processor, RAM, video card, network card (in the case of downloading from the network).

But there is a direct dependence on the performance and speed of the entire computer. The speed of loading the OS, launching programs, copying files, exchanging data, and more depends on it.

The hard drive speed test with this utility is performed in this order.

  • In the program window, select the number of write and read cycles. 5 is optimal.
  • Specify the file size, 1 GIB is recommended.
  • Select your hard drive letter (C:).

Setting up CrystalDiskMark

  • Click the "All" button to begin testing.

The program will show the speed of the hard drive - reading information, it will be in column 1 - Read. In the second column you will see the write speed to the hard drive. For an SSD, 400 Mb/s is considered optimal if connected via SATA3.

To save the performance test results, take a screenshot or select “Copy test results” in the “Edit” menu; a text report will be automatically created.

AS SSD Benchmark

An excellent utility that allows you to easily and quickly test your hard drive. There is no need to install the utility. It should be used according to the same algorithm as in the utility described above.

A program that performs a hard drive test. It has a free version and a paid version (Pro). The paid version without registration has a demo period of 15 days.

  • Launch the program.
  • Go to the “Benchmark” tab, select the mode in which the test will be performed: “Write” or “Read”.

  • If your computer has several hard drives, select the one you want to check.
  • Click "Start" to start the scan.

After completing the test, the program will show the results in numbers and graphs. You will learn the following data transfer rates:

  • Minimum - the smallest;
  • Maximum - the largest (usually this is what manufacturers say);
  • RateAverage - average;
  • BurstRate - peak (often presented as real speed, but under normal conditions this is not always achieved);
  • CPUUsage - CPU load during testing.

After running the test and learning the results, you will probably wonder how to increase the speed of data exchange with the disk. After all, if the speed of data exchange with the disk decreases, and there can be many reasons for this, you need to make the computer act faster. There are several ways to speed up the performance of the storage device.

This utility is designed to conduct speed tests and read-write disks - HDD and, you can even test USB flash drives. The program is very simple, and also free, aimed more at ordinary users, but it is also suitable for professionals. You can download CrystalDiskMark from this site: http://crystalmark.info/?lang=en . There is an installation version, that is, with an extension file.exe, and a portable version, which does not need to be installed on your computer. You can choose a program that weighs 3.0 Mb.

How to check hard drive speed?

Launch the utility, a window will quickly open in which we see not many elements, but a lot that is not clear. It is clear that the fields with numbers will indicate the results of the check; on the left there are buttons that we can press. The tabs also allow you to select some values ​​and disks that will be tested.


Do not rush to immediately proceed to the check; first select the disk, and then select other values ​​​​in the drop-down tabs.

The first tab, where just numbers shows the read/write cycles of the test file, which will be created by CrystalDiskMark and placed on the disk being tested by the utility. The next tab determines the size of this file. The default is five cycles with a file size of 1Gb - for a regular hard drive these are normal parameters. In the case of an SSD, there is a possibility of rapid wear of the disk, since solid-state drives are very sensitive to frequent operations on them. Therefore, in the program parameters, the number of cycles can be set to 3, and the size of the test file to 100 MB.

Now let's look at the names of the buttons on the left and what they do.

At the moment, the version of the CrystalDiskMark utility is 5.1.2 and there are 5 points, their purpose is as follows:

  • All– the parameter runs all the tests that are available in the program, that is, it is the same as pressing all the buttons on the left;
  • Seq Q32T1 and button Seq– sequential read and write test with a depth of 32 in 1 stream;
  • 4K Q32T1 and button 4K– this parameter runs a random read/write test in 4 KB blocks.


Thus, during the test, the program will show the average reading and writing speeds of the drive. The program has 2 columns where Read- reading, and Write– recording, we look at them after checking.

If you wish, you can copy the scan results and save them anywhere. To do this, click on the tab "File" and select item "Copy" or "Save".


Conclusion

In fact, you should pay more attention to timings 2 and 4, since in normal disk use sequential read and write processes are used less often, random sequences are most often used. Therefore, if they tell you about large read and write values, then this is most likely a lie, but this does not always happen.

As an alternative, you can use other programs for checking disks, for example, HD Tune, I will also try to write about it.