Precision 5510: Very slow SSD performance

Toshiba and Samsung both distribute NVMe drivers. Alternatively, you could use the Intel RST driver if you boot the system in RAID mode. (Getting that to switch on a running Windows 7 system may be a trick, as you have discovered, but if you are willing to reinstall the OS from scratch, it is pretty simple to load the driver at install time.)

I'm curious what driver you are currently using. Obviously, it is working (although slow). In Device Manager, can you look under "Storage Controllers" and see?

 

This drive is Toshiba though.

Im using the Intel RST driver and by default the system was in RAID

Intel Chipset SATA RAID Controller. 15.2.0.1020 is the version.

 

Oh, if the system is in RAID mode, the Intel RST driver is the only one that you can use. Other NVMe drivers will require that the system be in AHCI mode.

We have some 5510's and have never experienced the slow SSD issue, using RAID+Intel RST. (However, our systems all came with Samsung drives, and we are using Windows 10.)

 

You mention you had trouble switching from RAID to AHCI, but what happens when using the Toshiba NVMe drivers in RAID? *edit: nevermind, just read aarons comment regarding RAID above.

Perhaps also try disabling Legacy Mode in BIOS. Not sure about Toshiba drivers, but Intel NVMe drivers require UEFI Non Legacy set in BIOS according to pages 6 and 7 of doc http://download.intel.com/support/ssdc/hpssd/sb/nvme_boot_guide_332098001us.pdf
They also recommend Compatibility enabled or auto... in some Dell precisions I think this is controlled by Fast Boot set to Thorough. (may not be a BIOS setting for this on 5510 though)

 

So your suggestion is to disable legacy mode in the BIOS? Is that correct?

I believe it is indeed set to Thourough.

My main issue is the following: If the Precision 5510 has issues in Windows 7 (perfectly normal) then why sell it with Windows 7 as a option? Do not allow that option.

Why? Because now the person this laptop was for, does not want Windows 7 and I have to figure out a way how to get this to work. That or look for a alternative (which is what I am looking for now)

 

The best way to get it to work properly is to do a clean install of Windows 10. Surely the Windows 7 was installed as a downgrade from Windows 10? Use a keyfinder software to see if there is a Windows 10 key in the BIOS. Or just download the Dell Windows 10 image from the Dell support website (enter the notebook's service tag) and see if it will install (you might want to make a backup image first).

John

 

consider when SSDs were first being sold with Precisions in late 2009 and early 2010. Back then we could still order 32bit XP preinstalled instead of the default 64 bit Win7. XP gave me issues with the SSD optimization although it was a supported OS option. A month or two later I wised up and installed 64 bit win7 (and added 8GB ram ) and put XP inside a VM to comply with my workplace requiring XP. But then I discovered that the delivered BIOS was in RAID (delivered from Dell that way) and at the time Win7 TRIM wouldn't operate for SSDs unless using AHCI. I had to reinstall the OS to change from RAID to AHCI because I couldn't get to switch without BSOD even after adjusting registry.

So this is nothing new... NVMe just introduces more complexity

 

I just mentioned the person does not want Windows 10.

It came with Windows 7 installed.

 

You said at the end of your post here that they did not want Windows 7. I interpreted that statement as meaning there had been a change in requirements.

Anyway, here's a report that the OCZ (=Toshiba) NVMe driver (I had previously provided the link) works OK with Windows 7. Change the notebook to AHCI and try it. You may have to manually load the driver through device manager.

John

 

Already tried that. Did not work.