Laptops with Intel 5 Series chipset limit SSD speed

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Laptops with an Intel PM55 or HM55 chipset do not appear to fully utilize the potential of a fast SSD. Random reads and writes in particular are limited by what appears to be a power management problem.

Tweaker Philflow posted on GoT about the problem that is now on the forum of NotebookReview.com is discussed in detail. Compared to other chipsets, the PM55 and HM55 chipsets appear to have surprisingly low random read and write scores in various benchmarks. Tests were carried out with SSDs from various brands and with controllers from SandForce, Intel and Marvell, among others. The scores that are achieved are still many times higher than those of old-fashioned HDDs and it is not yet clear to what extent the effect can be felt during normal use.

The problem mostly disappears when the computer is started in safe mode. This indicates that a driver or service is present that is limiting performance. Even when the CPU is fully loaded with a CPU stress tool, the test scores jump again. Based on this data, the problem appears to be rooted in the motherboard’s power management features. A tester who disabled C-states in his bios confirmed this; the scores returned to the desired level. However, not every bios offers this option. Some users have already reported the issue to Intel and Asus.

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