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Useful programs and utilities for ssd drives. SSD disk check: the best utilities for diagnosing and improving performance

Solid state hard drives have become a real innovation in the world of computer technology. The operating speed of SSD drives is many times higher than that of the average hard drive (HDD).

As a result, a large number of personal computers and laptops began to be produced complete with new drives, and users often resort to replacing the old type of drive with a new one.

Unfortunately, the standard capabilities of the Windows operating system do not provide the ability to fine-tune and optimize SSD drives. A large amount of software has been created specifically for these tasks. Among them, the free SSD Tweaker program is especially popular.

You can download SSD Tweaker for free from our website. It is available in the form of a kind of manager that has a simple and intuitive interface. Using the program, even not the most advanced users can flexibly configure an SSD disk for their OS, which is undoubtedly a plus in its piggy bank.

Using the power of SSD Tweaker, you can centrally configure your drive in just a few simple steps. All actions will be carried out semi-automatically with minimal participation from you.

So, after a few simple operations, SSD Tweaker will configure the Windows indexing mechanism, the system defragmentation service, adjust the system cache area and adjust all file system parameters.

Optimal use of hard drive memory can be achieved using the special Superfetch technology, which is available in the program's arsenal. Also, you can find special tools with which you can manage file swap settings. The DIMP system will help you monitor the power consumption status of the device.


Unlike other programs for configuring and optimizing the operation of solid-state drives, the utility can be used completely free of charge. In addition, the program interface can be presented in Russian.

The topic of SSD drives is gaining popularity every year, which is due to the reasonable price of these devices and the speed of their operation. However, users are often interested in the same questions: “How long can an SSD hard drive last?”, “How to assess the condition of an SSD?”.

How to find out how long an SSD drive will last?

On the Internet you can find dozens of programs that are designed to work with SSD drives. Among them, the following are especially popular: EaseUS Partition Master, AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition and SSD-LIFE. The first two are ideal for testing the disk, and with SSD-LIFE you can find out the age of the device and its condition. The utility does not need to be installed. Just download and run the file. The software has a Russian-language interface and works free of charge, although there is also a paid version. Let's consider testing an SSD drive using the SSD-LIFE program as an example.

After starting the program, click on the “SMART” button and wait until the disk is scanned for errors and damage.

Under the health line, the operating time of the disk and its estimated failure date will be indicated. Above you can see the overall rating of the disc.

You can also find out how long the SSD will last using the Hard Disk Sentinel program. It differs from the previous one in a more detailed interface. There are tabs for disk operating time, number of starts, temperature, errors, warnings.

You can also use other programs to test SSDs.

Since an SSD disk has a certain number of data recording cycles, many users believe that once they are exhausted, the disk will become unusable. This is actually a myth. To dispel it, we will carry out precise calculations.

Let's say you have a 120 GB disk. The number of write cycles for this volume is 3000 (according to the manufacturer). Every day you use an example of 20 GB of data, write it down and erase it. In this mode, the disk can operate for 49 years (in theory) or 18 thousand days. However, if we assume the presence of 5-10 flaws and the load on the controller, then such a disk can only work for 8 years without problems. Where does this figure come from? We convert the disk volume into terabytes and divide by the number of megabytes used daily and for another 365 days. For example, 64,000 (120 GB): 20: 365 = 8.7 years.

Thus, the disk will function normally for the calculated years. However, once the number of provided write cycles is exhausted, the disk's performance will deteriorate. It won't fail.

Tip: if you use an SSD drive as a system drive, you do not need to transfer the page file or browser cache to other drives. An SSD drive is needed to speed up the system, and scattering files around only slows it down. But if you download movies in gigabytes, it is better to choose an HDD drive for this purpose. Otherwise, the quality life of the SDD disk will be reduced by several years.

Checking an SSD disk using utilities is a universal method that performs several tasks at once.

  • First – checking the drive for errors.
  • Second – monitoring the operational life of the device.

The presence and periodic use of such programs for the owner of an SSD drive is not only desirable, but also necessary. After all, the resources of these components of modern PCs and laptops are limited compared to HDDs, and the danger of data loss is higher.

Although these disadvantages are fully compensated by a significant number of advantages from using SSDs, due to the difference in their design from standard hard drives.

Features of using SSD drives

SSD drives are solid-state, non-volatile drives whose operating principle is similar to that of flash memory - SD and microSD cards, USB flash drives and other storage media. Such devices have no moving parts, and use a DDR DRAM chip to transmit data.

Parallel recording of information simultaneously onto several memory elements and the absence of the need to move the heads that read information (typical of HDDs) allows you to increase the speed of the process several times. And, if the average read speed of a modern hard drive is about 60 MB/s, even the average SSD drive can deliver 4-5 times higher performance. When recording data, the excess may be smaller, but the process is still much faster.

Rice. 1. Comparison of read and write speeds of SSD and HDD disks.

Loading speed is of particular importance for those computers on which several resource-intensive applications are installed. In this case, only the Windows system boots up within 15–20 s for a solid-state drive and from 30 to 60 s for a hard drive. The same speed improvement occurs in the process of launching programs and recording data.

Other advantages of using SSD drives include:

  • resistance to shocks and falls. A parameter that is important for laptops, the hard drives of which often fail due to mechanical damage;
  • compactness - many disks are not much larger in size than a mobile phone battery, others have the dimensions of a memory stick;
  • extended temperature range of disk operation;
  • minimal energy consumption and no noise during operation.

Rice. 2. Comparison of HDD sizes, standard SSD and mSATA drive.

However, the operation of SSDs also comes with certain disadvantages. These include the relatively high cost of the drive, although as the capacity increases, the price-to-volume ratio becomes smaller. The second important disadvantage is the limited resource of SSD drives, which is why it is recommended to check them periodically.

Drive diagnostics

The main task of checking SSD disks is to diagnose its condition and provide information about the presence of errors, resource and expected operational life. This allows the user to know in advance about future problems with the drive, leading to unpredictable loss of information. In addition, based on the results of the check, you can plan the financial costs of purchasing a new SSD drive, the cost of which may not allow you to quickly find such an amount if the problem arose unexpectedly.

In addition, checking the drive does not take much time and does not even require the purchase of expensive software. Utilities can be downloaded online for free or purchased for an amount not exceeding the cost of a standard antivirus program. While it is impossible to recover lost information from SSDs, unlike hard drives.

The best utilities for checking SSD drives

To check the status of the hard drive, drive manufacturers and third-party developers have already released dozens of applications. Most of them are free or shareware, that is, requiring payment only some time after the start of use. Their effectiveness is almost the same, but the differences lie in ease of use and functionality.

SSD Life

The SSD Life utility is one of the simplest software tools for working with solid-state drives. With its help, you can diagnose the disk and display its resource indicators as a percentage.

The application has 3 versions - one portable and two that require installation (free and advanced paid SSD Life Pro). The installed programs are distinguished by the ability to work in the background, displaying the status of the drive in real time. Among the utility's functions, it is worth paying attention to the possibility of automatic diagnostics every 4 hours and saving the results of previous checks.

Rice. 3. SSD Life main window when checking new and old SSD.

CrystalDiskInfo

Another free program for monitoring the status of an SSD checks the read and write speed of the drive, monitors its temperature and resource. In addition, CrystalDiskInfo supports S.M.A.R.T technology to assess the health of disks and, like SSDLife, is available in several versions - portable and installed on a computer.

The second version constantly monitors the operation of the drive, informing the user when bad sectors and other errors are detected. But the portable version does not require installation and can be used both on someone else’s and on a work PC.

Rice. 4. Scan a 64GB SSD using the CrystalDiskInfo application.

DiskCheckup

The process of checking a solid-state drive can also be carried out using a simple DiscCheckup program. Its task is to determine the speed and performance of the drive (and at the same time all that are installed on the computer, including both SSD and HDD). Among the information displayed on the screen you can find:

  • number of mistakes;
  • disk temperature;
  • read and write speed characteristics.

Rice. 5. Checking disks using the DiscCheckup utility.

SSD Ready

When checking the status of your SSD, you can use the SSDReady application, which only works with solid-state drives. The result of the check is an estimate of the expected operating time of the device based on the collected statistics on writing and reading data. The program runs in the background and requires virtually no resources.

Rice. 6. SSDReady application.

Hard Disk Sentinel

A feature of the Hard Disk Sentinel application, designed to monitor hard drives, is to monitor performance degradation or excess temperature levels and report this to the user. The application constantly checks the information transfer speed, temperature conditions and other parameters. Among its features:

  • work with SSD drives, IDE and SATA drives, and even USB drives;
  • displaying information about the current and minimum temperature;
  • indication of the number of errors and disk operating hours in hours;
  • indication of not only the current, but also the maximum possible information transfer mode for the disk.

Rice. 7. Working with the Hard Disk Sentinel program.

HDDScan

The freely available HDDScan program allows you to diagnose hard drives of any type, check them for errors and monitor the “health” of the drives. The utility works in real time and, if necessary, displays a detailed report on the status of the disk, which can be saved for future use.

Rice. 8. HDDScan program report.

SSD Tweaker

The free SSD Tweaker application is easy to use and allows the user not only to monitor the status of solid-state drives, but also to disable unnecessary operations in the operating system that reduce the service life of the disk. For example, such as the Windows Indexing and Defragmentation Service. Settings can be configured manually or automatically.

Rice. 9. Working window of the SSD Tweaker program.

HD Tune

The HD Tune application is available in several versions - a free version and a paid HD Tune Pro. The first provides testing of the status of hard drives (including SSDs) and memory cards. The shareware utility, for which you will have to pay $38, has expanded functionality, allowing you to control almost all disk parameters and conduct a number of additional tests.

Rice. 10. Diagnostics using HD Tune Pro.

Regardless of the program you choose to diagnose your SSD drive, at least one of them must be installed on your computer (or run from time to time if it is impossible to install on a working PC).

At the same time, if the drive does not contain too important information, the frequency of checking can be changed by setting, for example, diagnostics not every 4 hours, but once a day. Moreover, despite the greater level of reliability of HDDs, using most of the same applications you can periodically monitor their condition, increasing the security of data storage.

Video instructions for checking an SSD drive

SSD disk check: the best utilities for diagnosing and improving performance

In this article you will learn how to find out the main characteristics of solid-state drives, as well as how to test them. For this operation, we took the SSD-Z utility, which we will review today. It is free and has useful features in its arsenal. You can download it immediately from here.

When you first launch the program, many users will immediately say that it is similar to or other similar utilities, and yes it is, so it will be easier for them to understand it.

On the tab Device shows all disk information. Now I will explain each point presented, this is for those who do not know English.

  • Device name – name of the solid-state drive;
  • Firmware - ;
  • Serial Number – serial number;
  • Controller – controller used in the disk;
  • Technology – production technology;
  • Сells – type of memory cells used;
  • Launch Date – drive creation date;
  • TRIM – Availability;
  • Capabilities – technologies supported in SSD;
  • Interface – interface through which the disk is connected;
  • SMART – disk status;
  • Temperature – current disk temperature;
  • POH – operating time;
  • Capacity – disk capacity;
  • Bytes Written – byte written;
  • Volumes – drive letter;
  • Partitions – partition type ();
  • Sector Size – size of one sector.

This is interesting:

As you can see, there are a lot of parameters and this is only on one tab. All information is important and may be useful in some situations. Of course, if the utility database contains your drive model, then the information will certainly be found. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to recognize information about the newly released disc. Although there are utilities that take information from the system and other sources for absolutely any drive.

Checking the SSD Status

I already wrote an article about how this program has a similar function and it’s called S.M.A.R.T. I will write more about this technology, so stay tuned for updates on the site.

In this section you will find information on read errors, disk operating time, temperature and other useful information. Of course, when using the utility you will get much more information.

When you go to a tab Partitions we receive data about the partitions and disks that exist on the computer. To select another disk, you need to select it at the bottom of the program.

SSD speed testing

The SSD-Z utility also has an SSD speed testing function. It is located on the tab Benchmark. Since the program is still raw, it is better not to expect objective information from the results.

The remaining tabs do not provide particularly useful information. I think the program is not bad and it still has room for improvement. It would not be bad if all the functions were organized in the best possible way and collected in one place, so as not to use several programs.

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