If your drive performs worse, enable it again. To figure this out, you’ll have to disable the option in Windows and see how the drive performs afterwards. On many SSDs, user-level write caching can have a detrimental effect on the drive. In other words, Windows defrag adapts to your SSD, so keep it on! 8. (Even Windows now refers to the process as “Optimization” rather than “defragmentation.”) The process will also “retrim” your SSD which runs the lovely TRIM function we talked about earlier. With that said, it’s better to think of today’s defrag option in Windows as more of an all-round disk-health tool. That’s kind of true, but Windows 10 and Windows 11 know this already, and if you have scheduled defragmentation enabled, Windows will identify your SSD and indeed will defrag it (because contrary to popular belief, SSDs do get fragmented, albeit much less so). It’s most recommended that you enable this feature before installing the operating system, although you may be able to get away with enabling it after Windows has already been installed. Chances are that newer computers will have this enabled by default. I can’t tell you exactly where the setting is, as each BIOS functions differently. To enable AHCI, you’ll have to enter the BIOS of your computer and enable it somewhere within its settings. The term “garbage collection” is used to describe the phenomenon that occurs when a drive gets rid of information that is no longer considered to be in use. The Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a paramount feature for ensuring that Windows will support all of the features that come with running an SSD on your computer, especially the TRIM feature, which allows Windows to help the SSD perform its routine garbage collection. Unfortunately, these aren’t automated the process is irreversible and a bit more complex than, say, a software update.Įach SSD manufacturer has its own method for SSD firmware upgrades, so you’ll need to go to the official websites of your SSD manufacturers and follow their guides from there.Ī handy tool to assist you, however, is CrystalDiskInfo, which displays in-depth information about your disk, including the firmware version. To make sure your SSD is running as well as it can, it’s worth staying on top of firmware updates for it. What’s more, you need to know whether your M.2 connector is PCI-E (NVME) or SATA and make sure the M.2 SSD you is in the correct format. Or look up your motherboard online to make sure it has the M.2 connector. As a general rule, only more recent generations of motherboards have this connector, so if you have an older PC, you’re out of luck. Then there are the newer M.2 SSDs which connect to M.2 connectors on your motherboard. Of course, you need to have free SATA slots on your motherboard as well, but this shouldn’t be an issue unless you have many hard drives already. SSDs don’t use a lot of energy, so it shouldn’t be an issue. If not, you can always get a Y-splitter that allows two SSDs to connect to one molex power slot in your PSU. On a desktop PC, however, if you’re getting a SATA SSD drive, then you’ll need to make sure your power supply has enough spare slots or cables to accommodate the SATA cable connector. To disable fast startup, go to “Control Panel -> Power Options -> Choose what the power buttons do”. Disabling fast startup isn’t essential but could be useful. For example, if you dual-boot you may not be able to access your Windows drive as it’s locked. There are various niche issues fast startup can cause, too. Yes, this one may sound counterintuitive, given that Fast Startup was pretty much designed to make the boot process faster for people with SSDs.īut at this point in time, the time gained from fast startup is negligible if you have an SSD and disabling fast startup means your PC gets a nice clean full reboot each time you shut down. Set the "High Performance" Power OptionĪlso read: 6 Ways to Check Hard Disk Health in Windows 1.
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