File copying from USB 3.0 External to internal HDD speed goes from 164MB/s to 0kbps

[projectcclarke]

Hi,

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my topic. When file copying from USB 3.0 External HDD to internal HDD the speed goes from 164MB/s to 0kbps then back up and down and up and down, when it 0kbps it takes a good while to start up again when it starts it blasts at 140-160MB/s for a couple of seconds then drops to 0kbps again.. It repeats until done.. help please!

 

Thanks in advance

Chris 

[Norbert V]

i have the same issue with one of my usb3.0 hard drives that i've just recently bought.  a Seagate Expansion 2TB model.  it gets the files over but sometimes shows +100mb/s speeds, than 0... but it's still transferring....  my older Toshiba 1TB  usb 3.0 model is constant when showing read/write speeds.... i'm not sure why this happens?! 

[projectcclarke]

Thanks for your speedy response... I too have a recently purchases Seagate Expansion except its the 4TB Model.. It quite frustrating as Im sure a more consistent speed is possible yet cant find a solution as of yet.. I thought, if anyone will know it will be this group!

[projectcclarke]

Well its video footage so it does vary, some are longer than others.. do you think that is the problem?

[projectcclarke]

Just now, wrathoftheturkey said:

You really need to start quoting people so they can see if you're replying to them. Could very well be though.

Thanks for letting me know about the quote, I thought you get a notification. Well if its the file size I guess that's an explanation. I'm just not sure if I'm happy with it, can it be improved?

[Norbert V]

i don't think it's related to the files size to be honest.

 

in my experience. moving the same file from my internal ssd to my external usb 3.0 drive, on the 2TB seagate drive, i see fluctuating speeds, on the older 1TB usb 3.0 drive i see constant speeds.    

 

it's probably to do with firmware on the sata to usb 3.0 controllers used ? or the controllers themselves... !? 

[mariushm]

It could also be a power problem, if the drive is powered completely from the usb cable. Maybe the hard drive uses more power than what's delivered through the usb 3.0 port, and basically the hard drive manages to start and process the request for data and push some data through only to have the dc-dc converter inside the external hdd case stop working because it can't receive enough "juice" from usb, so the drive loses power and restarts and the moment the drive restarts completely the sata to usb3 chip resends commands to read data from drive and the cycle repeats...

 

 

[projectcclarke]

18 minutes ago, Norbert V said:

i don't think it's related to the files size to be honest.

 

in my experience. moving the same file from my internal ssd to my external usb 3.0 drive, on the 2TB seagate drive, i see fluctuating speeds, on the older 1TB usb 3.0 drive i see constant speeds.    

 

it's probably to do with firmware on the sata to usb 3.0 controllers used ? or the controllers themselves... !? 

I agree, I have seen constant speeds with my other internal sata drive and SSD's it is just this external that seems to do it. 

 

7 minutes ago, mariushm said:

It could also be a power problem, if the drive is powered completely from the usb cable. Maybe the hard drive uses more power than what's delivered through the usb 3.0 port, and basically the hard drive manages to start and process the request for data and push some data through only to have the dc-dc converter inside the external hdd case stop working because it can't receive enough "juice" from usb, so the drive loses power and restarts and the moment the drive restarts completely the sata to usb3 chip resends commands to read data from drive and the cycle repeats...

 

 

 

I dont think its a power issue in that regard as it has an external power supply. The drive is a 3.5" powered by plug.

[meenmeen1103]

Just now, projectcclarke said:

I agree, I have seen constant speeds with my other internal sata drive and SSD's it is just this external that seems to do it. 

 

 

I dont think its a power issue in that regard as it has an external power supply. The drive is a 3.5" powered by plug.

I'm going to guess it's just the drive, or more specifically it's pcb/controller board/logic board/thingy where you plug cables. You could isolate that by hooking the same drive up internally rather than through usb if you are okay with dismantling the drive enclosure (I've managed to do this several times with different enclosures without breaking them.

[projectcclarke]

Just now, meenmeen1103 said:

I'm going to guess it's just the drive, or more specifically it's pcb/controller board/logic board/thingy where you plug cables. You could isolate that by hooking the same drive up internally rather than through usb if you are okay with dismantling the drive enclosure (I've managed to do this several times with different enclosures without breaking them.

I'm comfortable with the process. Not completely put off by that but would like to sort it if possible because Id like to have the portability of the external without having to dig in my case every time I want to take the drive elsewhere.

[meenmeen1103]

5 minutes ago, projectcclarke said:

I'm comfortable with the process. Not completely put off by that but would like to sort it if possible because Id like to have the portability of the external without having to dig in my case every time I want to take the drive elsewhere.

In that case, it would only verify that it isn't an issue with your PC, settings, cables etc and you could put it back in enclosure and keep using it that way. I'm almost certain that's the cause though.

[projectcclarke]

Just now, meenmeen1103 said:

In that case, it would only verify that it isn't an issue with your PC, settings, cables etc and you could put it back in enclosure and keep using it that way. I'm almost certain that's the cause though.

Yes, Ill try the drive as an internal and see if it works, then I guess I could buy a new enclosure or something if it turns out thats the issue. You don't think the ports are becoming bottle necked anywhere? I saw a video that suggested turning off quick removal in the properties of the drive to improve the speed.

[meenmeen1103]

1 minute ago, projectcclarke said:

Yes, Ill try the drive as an internal and see if it works, then I guess I could buy a new enclosure or something if it turns out thats the issue. You don't think the ports are becoming bottle necked anywhere? I saw a video that suggested turning off quick removal in the properties of the drive to improve the speed.

Oh. Yeah, test it with the quick removal off before anything else. If I'm right, that's a feature that just let's you unplug the drive without having to click 'safely remove' or 'eject' on taskbar. Definitely don't unplug drive while it's in use though

[projectcclarke]

 

2 minutes ago, meenmeen1103 said:

Oh. Yeah, test it with the quick removal off before anything else. If I'm right, that's a feature that just let's you unplug the drive without having to click 'safely remove' or 'eject' on taskbar. Definitely don't unplug drive while it's in use though

I'll give that a shot and see how it goes, thanks for your help everyone...

[kirashi]

I have read multiple reviews for both the Seagate Expansion and Backup Plus drives on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com that reveal similar speed fluctuations. (I'm on mobile right now so its difficult to look up said reviews, but they're there.)

 

Not everyone has these speed issues, but for those that do, it appears to either be a firmware issue with the controller itself, or their drives end up failing completely within a month or two of ownership, progressively getting slower and slower over that time.

 

Might want to just RMA it with Seagate, depending on how old it is.

[xGGAx]

Depending on the type of files being transferred, the interface and fragmentation on the disk you may see some drops in speed. A fragmented drive will take longer to read files since it has to look all over the place for every piece of data. Also, transferring several small files may have a similar effect to this. And even though USB 3.0 is rated at 5Gbps it never reaches that theoretical value. You could alleviate some of this by setting your drive to performance mode under drive properties like @meenmeen1103 said