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techreport:Samsung's 840 EVO update fixes slow reads with old data

01_Wolverine
Level 12

‎10-15-2014 05:11 AM - last edited on ‎03-05-2024 10:04 PM by Community Admin

Hi All since Samsung ssds are so popular here,this is a firmware fix for slow ssds

Quote:

Last month, Samsung confirmed that its 840 EVO SSD can suffer from slower read speeds with older data. The company promised to address the issue with updated firmware, and we've been experimenting with the fix.

Before we get into the results of our testing, we should spend a moment on the problem itself. Here's how Samsung describes the issue:

SSDs usually calibrate changes in the statuses of cells over time via the flash management software algorithm. Due to the error in the software algorithm, the 840 EVO performed read-retry processes aggressively, resulting in a drop in overall read performance. This only occurs if the data was kept in its initial cell without changing, and there are no symptoms of reduced read performance if the data was subsequently migrated from those cells or overwritten.
Read-retry is used to compensate for changes in cell voltages, suggesting that voltage drift over time was a key factor here. The EVO's flash management routines evidently haven't been responding to voltage changes correctly.

http://techreport.com/review/27212/samsung-840-evo-update-fixes-slow-reads-with-old-data
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6 REPLIES 6

01_Wolverine
Level 12

‎10-16-2014 08:27 AM

the drivers and installation guide is available from the techreport website

installation guide:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/samsungssd/downloads/Samsung_Performance_Restor...

the other file is a zip file

Quote:

Update — Samsung has released its Performance Restoration tool to the masses. The utility is available here, while the installation guide can be found here. Although the tool is Windows-only right now, a DOS-based version is coming before the end of the month. That release should allow Mac and Linux users to perform the update via thumb drive.

http://techreport.com/review/27212/samsung-840-evo-update-fixes-slow-reads-with-old-data
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CostaBunny
Level 7

‎10-22-2014 02:52 AM

fat fingers - dbl post
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CostaBunny
Level 7

‎10-22-2014 02:56 AM

Simple enough: the utility needs to be installed. Once run it checks to see if the drive in situ is on the affected list (my 840 EVO was) and then updates its firmware (mine went to EXT0CB6Q from EXT0BB6Q) - then following a restart, the utility gets on with 'fixing' the existing data on the drive (which as far as I understand involves accessing every data block on the drive in order for the revised algorithm to update).

Mine ran without any issue on a fully up to date Windows 8.1 64bit system with the 840 EVO SSD on an intel SATA6 port. (ACHI mode, the utility won't work if you are in RAID mode).
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N8tiv
Level 7

‎10-23-2014 12:09 AM

It would be interesting for me to find out where you guys are noticing this sluggish/slow reads… My firmware is EXT0BB6Q, I haven't noticed any sluggish performance for my SSD.
Regular 840 Evo, Windows 8.164 bit, 24 GB of RAM - 1.5 GB of RAMDisk…
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coyi1895
Level 10

‎10-24-2014 05:38 AM

I noticed mainly after I changed it to 840 EVO from 840 PRO. When did you get your 840 EVO? In some articles, it mentioned that the performance start to degrade about a month after using it.
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Praz
Level 13

‎10-24-2014 06:00 AM

Hello

Will be interesting to see how this plays out over the long term. The below info reads like all the data is moved around in the second part of the update process. This by itself will restore the drive speed.


Then, it reboots the system and completes the restoration process, which we're told involves "conditioning" the NAND. The entire process is non-destructive, so it shouldn't compromise any data on the drive. It also only needs to be run once. That said, the target drive must have at least 10% free capacity for the tool to work its magic.
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