How to Get the Most from Your SSDs

As PC architecture has progressed, several manufacturers have switched from conventional HDDs to SSDs. SSDs are smaller, more compact, and thinner than HDDs.

SSDs are the present-day storage devices that are often preferred due to their flash-based memory up to 15 times faster than typical HDDs. Although from the surface, they seem similar to HDDs, they are different.

You’ve upgraded your PC to SSD storage but you do not know how to get the most from the device. Worry not because we’ve rounded up ways to optimize your SSD potential.

Activate TRIM

TRIM is a function that permits an operating system to signal a solid-state drive useless data block and clears them internally.

TRIM is essential for increasing the life of your SSD by keeping it clean under the hood. This should be enabled by default in Windows, but it’s worth double-checking.

To confirm if TRIM is active:

• Click on Windows + X buttons
• Select Admin from the menu
• Paste ‘fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 0‘ and click enter.
• If you see disable, this means that TRIM is activated.

Disable Indexing

Disabling indexing on your SSD may assist reduce disk writes but think carefully before doing so. Indexing can have a detrimental impact on the performance of your drive. Still, it can also significantly boost your productivity if you have a large amount of data on the drive and need to find anything quickly.

Activate Write Caching

User-level write caching on some SSDs can be damaging to the drive. Disable the option in Windows and see how the drive performs afterward to determine this. If your drive’s performance degrades, re-enable it.

To confirm if writing cache is enabled:

• Select ‘My PC’ and click on ‘Properties’;
• Choose ‘Device Manager and from the pane on your left, click on ;Disk Drives’;
• Choose SSD, and right-click to find ‘Properties.’
• On the properties tab, mark the ‘Enable write caching.’

Firmware Upgrading

SSD manufacturers from MLC to TLC provide firmware upgrades for the life of the solid-state disk.

Though the idea is to deliver a set it and forget it’ product, manufacturers occasionally have to release updates to resolve technical issues and defects. A firmware upgrade may even provide a performance boost and improved disk dependability.

Turn the Power Option to “High Performance.”

When your SSD constantly powers on and off, you’ll notice a little lag whenever you use your computer after it’s been idle for a long.

To change your power options, go to your Control Panel and select “Power Options.” Choose “High Performance” from the drop-down menu. To find it, you may need to select “Show additional plans.”

Avoid Defragging

Another practice from the early days of SSDs: defragmenting an SSD was not only unneeded but potentially harmful to the SSD. Defragging reduces the number of reading/write cycles remaining in the disk.

Find Alternative Storage for Large Files

The best file types to store on an SSD are used rapidly and regularly. OS and software files are ideal for this purpose. You can also store other temporal files like blog keywords for your website in the SSD.

Large data, such as movies or your music collection, are no longer stored on your hard drive in an age of movies and music streaming. Storing files like this on an SSD consumes the limited space available and provides no performance benefit.

Conclusion

SSD drives can significantly improve data access speed over regular magnetic media. Most people aren’t aware of these tips but have them handy the next time you feel as if your SSD is lagging, and you’ll get its full potential.