Solid state drives (SSDs) have become a very popular storage solution in computers over the past decade. SSDs offer much faster read and write speeds compared to traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). However, as with any storage device, SSDs can experience issues over time that lead to degraded performance or even complete failure.
To check for problems and evaluate the health of an SSD, there are several tests that can be run. These tests help determine read/write speeds, check for bad sectors, and monitor overall drive health. Running periodic tests can identify issues early before they become catastrophic failures. Some testing tools are built into the operating system, while third-party utilities offer more advanced testing and monitoring capabilities.
Why Test an SSD?
There are several key reasons to periodically test an SSD:
- Check benchmark performance – Run benchmarks to measure transfer speeds and ensure the SSD is running at its rated specifications.
- Find bad sectors – Identify any bad sectors or blocks before they lead to data loss.
- Monitor health status – Keep track of SSD health metrics like wear leveling, temperature, and total bytes written.
- Identify issues – Diagnose problems like a corrupted file system, connection problems, etc.
- Predict failure – Notice early signs of degradation before complete failure occurs.
Most SSDs are designed for many years of reliable use. However, like any electronic component, they can suffer from issues like bad flash memory blocks, controller failures, or wear leveling problems over time. Running SSD tests provides valuable information about the current state of the drive so problems can be addressed before any data loss occurs.
Built-In Operating System Tools
Most operating systems include some basic tools for accessing information about connected drives, including SSDs. These tools provide high-level information about benchmark performance and overall drive health.
Windows Drive Benchmark Tests
On Windows 10 and 11, the Disk Benchmark tool can measure both read and write speeds for any drive. To use:
- Open File Explorer and right-click on the SSD drive.
- Choose “Properties” from the menu.
- Go to the “Tools” tab.
- Click the “Benchmark” button.
- The benchmark will run and show the read and write speeds.
Comparing the benchmark results to the rated speeds of the SSD model provides an indication of whether the drive is performing as expected. A significant drop in speeds may indicate a problem is developing.
S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring
Another useful built-in Windows tool for monitoring drive health is S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology). S.M.A.R.T. reports various drive reliability metrics like total data written, wear leveling efficiency, temperature, bad sectors, and more. To check a drive’s S.M.A.R.T. data:
- Access the drive properties as above.
- Go to the “Tools” tab.
- Click the “S.M.A.R.T. Status” button.
- The S.M.A.R.T. report will show current drive metrics.
The status should read “OK” if no problems are detected. Any warnings, like an abnormal temperature or excessive bad sectors, indicate an SSD may be prone to failure in the near future.
macOS Drive Utilities
On macOS, the Disk Utility app provides tools for testing and monitoring SSD health:
- First Aid – Checks and repairs file system errors.
- S.M.A.R.T. Status – Displays S.M.A.R.T. health metrics as on Windows.
- Benchmark – Measures read/write transfer speeds.
Running First Aid regularly checks for file system problems on an SSD. Investigating any S.M.A.R.T. warnings can uncover hardware issues before drive failure. Comparing benchmark speeds to SSD specifications helps determine if performance is as expected.
Third-Party SSD Utilities
While the built-in operating system tools provide high-level drive health data, more advanced SSD testing requires third-party utilities. These tools offer comprehensive benchmarking, diagnostics, monitoring, and reporting capabilities for a complete picture of SSD performance and health.
Popular Utilities
Some of the most popular and full-featured third-party SSD testing utilities include:
- CrystalDiskMark – Benchmarking for read/write speeds.
- CrystalDiskInfo – Monitoring of S.M.A.R.T. attributes and health status.
- SSDlife – SSD wear level monitoring and health prediction.
- DiskCheckup – Comprehensive testing and reporting for SSDs and HDDs.
- Roadkil’s Disk Speed – Simple speed and health testing.
- HD Tune – Drive benchmarking, health monitoring, and error scanning.
Key Capabilities
Third-party SSD tools provide much more detailed information versus built-in options through extended capabilities like:
- Advanced benchmarking – Test sustained read/write speeds, random IOPS performance, access time tests, etc.
- Complete S.M.A.R.T. monitoring – View all S.M.A.R.T. attributes in detail instead of just a pass/fail status.
- Comprehensive health checking – Monitor additional health metrics like SSD wear, estimated remaining lifespan, total data written, error counts, etc.
- In-depth diagnostics – Perform testing like checksum verifications, read scans, write verifications, latency benchmarks, etc. to identify problems.
- Customizable reports – Generate detailed PDF, HTML, CSV or other reports with customizable information on drive health and performance.
- Helpful tools – Provide extra capabilities like secure erase, firmware updates, and SSD optimization tools.
Advanced third-party utilities are the best option for comprehensive SSD testing beyond the basics offered by operating system tools.
SSD Error Scanning
One key test provided by many third-party utilities is error scanning. This reads through the entire SSD checking for bad sectors, blocks, or NAND flash memory cells. Error scanning helps identify readable areas of the drive that are prone to reliability issues or complete failure. The process involves:
- A full scan of the SSD reading every block.
- Checking each block for read errors.
- Logging any bad sectors or blocks that have read errors.
- Summarizing results when finished.
Tools like HD Tune have built-in error scanning capabilities. For tools without the feature, Windows allows manual error scanning using the command line CHKDSK tool. Many SSDs use onboard error correction, so minor errors may not indicate imminent failure. But expanding error counts can be a sign of component wear and reliability problems developing.
SSD Health Monitoring
For ongoing monitoring of SSD health, several third-party utilities provide convenient features:
- S.M.A.R.T. monitoring – Track all S.M.A.R.T. attributes over time instead of only viewing the current values.
- Wear level monitoring – View SSD wear percentage used and estimated lifespan remaining.
- Health dashboards – See overall health score and status indication in a simple dashboard view.
- Email alerts – Get notified if S.M.A.R.T. thresholds are exceeded or problems are detected.
- Usage tracking – Monitor SSD usage metrics like total data reads/writes, time powered on, power cycles, etc.
Actively monitoring SSD health metrics can provide advance notice before complete failure. Slow downward trends in metrics like remaining longevity or speed benchmarks may indicate an SSD is having problems.
SSD Optimization and Maintenance
To help avoid issues and keep an SSD running optimally:
- Update firmware – Install firmware updates from the manufacturer to fix bugs and improve performance.
- Secure erase – Periodically perform a secure erase to restore write performance that decreases over time as cells wear out.
- Low-level format – A periodic low-level format realigns cells and helps optimize writing.
- Over-provisioning – Maintain over-provisioning headroom through partition alignment and TRIM.
- Enable TRIM – Make sure TRIM is enabled in the OS so unused blocks are flagged for erasing.
Some third-party utilities provide advanced tools to help optimize SSDs through features like secure erase, low-level formatting, and TRIM enablement. Keeping the SSD firmware updated is also important for bug fixes and compatibility.
Conclusion
SSD storage provides much better performance than traditional hard drives. However, SSDs can still develop issues over time that degrade speeds or lead to failure. Testing an SSD periodically with benchmarking, error scans, diagnostics, and health monitoring helps identify problems early. Monitoring tools also provide insight into SSD usage metrics and remaining lifespan estimates.
While operating systems include basic tools for checking benchmark speeds and S.M.A.R.T. status, advanced third-party utilities offer much more comprehensive SSD testing and monitoring capabilities. Proactively testing SSD health can help avoid catastrophic failures and data loss.
