SP3 SSD, possible firmware bug, same as just fixed in another Samsung drive.

Anonymous
2014-10-20T22:49:51+00:00

I've just had to update the firmware in another device that had a Samsung 840EVO SSD because they had a serious firmware bug with it.  Out of curiosity I tested the Samsung drive in my Surface Pro 3 and it looks like it has exactly the same issue (the SP3 drive is closely related to the 840 series I believe, but an OEM version.

The test is simple, just look at the read rate across the drive.  Older data (OS, installed apps) suffered from terrible read performance after a month or so.  Newly written data is fine.

As you can see, much of the drive is down to 50MB/s now.  It should be a fairly level line right the way across at about 350+MB/s.  This test was run with AC power connected and nothing else running.

If this is the same issue as the 840EVO, the good news is it can be corrected with a firmware update and refresh of the data.  Bad news would of course be Microsoft need to look into it first, then get the Samsung engineers looking into it.

Perhaps some other people could run the test too, and post results.  Remember the drive needs to be a month or more old, so that the data can have been sitting there only being read during that time.

Further details of the bug and the fix that Samsung released can be found here:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8617/samsung-releases-firmware-update-to-fix-the-ssd-840-evo-read-performance-bug

Surface | Surface Pro | Install and update

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Anonymous
2015-09-30T22:01:46+00:00

Hello all

We wanted to let you know that an update to resolve this is still being worked on.  Please continue to post your experiences and technical details.

Mod Edit: Samsung SSD Optimization Utility for Surface Pro 3 now available.

Best regards

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-07-08T10:51:19+00:00

    Any update on this issue?

    Thanks!

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-07-03T19:35:15+00:00

    I haven't run the tests that many of you have but am having a very noticeable disk issue and I'm wondering whether it's related. Multiple times per day -- in fact, multiple times per hour on some days -- there is a 30-45 second pause that puts an app into "Not Responding" state. The problem is not related to any one app as it happens with Word, my CRM app (ACT), Excel, and apps running in a VM.

    The trigger is a request to the disk, usually a save operation; the save dialog eventually appears after the very long pause, but as you can imagine, this is really annoying (especially when I'm conducting training or doing a live demo!). The pause occurs both when docked and undocked.

    Related problem? Something else to look for?

    BTW, this is an i7 SP3 with Samsung MZMTE512MHP-000MV drive; driver version is 6.3.9600.16384.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-04-15T19:07:57+00:00

    Yes, I'm pretty sure they'll release a new update; the current one is only a release candidate, which means there should be a stable build coming out.

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  4. Anonymous
    2015-04-15T07:41:22+00:00

    The SP3s that come equipped with the Samsung SSD are related to the 840 Evo; they're similar, but not the same. To check whether you have the Samsung SSD, go to Device Manager (via Control Panel) and expand the hard drive section. 

    So even though it's only "related", you still reckon the update coming to the Evo's, will also benefit this model?

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