Mac Mini late 2014 slow ssd speed

[yaf]

Hi. Just replaced the old hdd in my mac mini late14 with the new WD Blue SSD 500gb, everything seemed to be fine.
But disk speed test shows this picture:

write ~270mB/s, read ~ 500mB/s and WD SSD specifications say "write - up to 500mB/s"
So is it normal for mac mini, this kind of speed? Or I've got sort of a faulty ssd? Or I've done something wrong while installing the SSD?

 

[ferrarr]

Can you provide the full specs of the Mini? Also, how did you perform the speed test specifically? The last time I used the BlackMagic Speed Test, it required boring from a different disk that was to be tested?

 

[yaf]

Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini7,1
Processor Name: Dual-Core Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 3 MB
Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled
Memory: 8 GB
Boot ROM Version: 245.0.0.0.0
SMC Version (system): 2.24f32

I just click the button "speed test start" without any other actions

 

[ferrarr]

Maybe it was another program I was thinking of? I did just download it again from the macOS App Store. It tested my drive as well. I have the same Mac as you have, except my after market SSD drive (Crucial) is from 2015.



How full is your drive? Were there any other apps running when you tested it?

 

[yaf]

It’s 2/3 full, no apps in background. I think I’m going to forget about this speed after a couple of days but now I’m a bit concerned if everything is ok with the ssd

 

[jasongoldworthy]

its not that the ssd is bad its the brand always go for a Samsung or crucial SSD as they perform much faster than WD drives.

 

[chscag]

its not that the ssd is bad its the brand always go for a Samsung or crucial SSD as they perform much faster than WD drives.

I have to agree. However, I may be prejudiced against WD since I have had nothing but problems with their drives and their support. Stick with Samsung as they seem to do much better with quality control. I have two Samsung external SSDs which are fast and thus far, problem free. (knocking on my head)

 

[MacInWin]

I have to agree. However, I may be prejudiced against WD since I have had nothing but problems with their drives and their support. Stick with Samsung as they seem to do much better with quality control. I have two Samsung external SSDs which are fast and thus far, problem free. (knocking on my head)

Just to be a contrarian, I refuse to have anything Samsung at all. My experience is the exact reverse of chscag's. Samsungs have always failed early and spectacularly and Samsung support is abysmal, while all my WD drives are still trucking. YMMV.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Hi. Just replaced the old hdd in my mac mini late14 with the new WD Blue SSD 500gb, everything seemed to be fine.
But disk speed test shows this picture: <snipped>

write ~270mB/s, read ~ 500mB/s and WD SSD specifications say "write - up to 500mB/s"
So is it normal for mac mini, this kind of speed? Or I've got sort of a faulty ssd? Or I've done something wrong while installing the SSD?

Coincidentally enough, I just put that exact same SSD in that same model Mac mini. I get similar results using Blackmagic's software, so rest assured you didn't get a lemon. Bear in mind that WD hedges the specs by saying "up to" 500 MB/sec. Reaching that speed depends on a lot of variables, and the hardware in the 2014 Mac mini may not support that. How the drive is formatted (APFS vs HFS, for example) may impact it also. For comparison's sake, the Apple SSD in my 2019 MacBook Air has write speeds of around 1000 MB/sec. But this is much faster hardware, including the SSD itself. Even by WD's best case scenario, their drive is still half the speed of the one in this MBA.

I have another one of these WD Blues in a USB-C enclosure, so let me test that for laughs on my MBA or iMac (also 2019) to see what results I get, along with the old OWC drive that I just pulled out. The speeds should be close to what they'd be internally on the newer Mac. I'll post back with a followup.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Ok, so I'm testing a pair of SSDs via a USB-C external enclosure on my 2019 iMac. The speed test should be roughly comparable to what they'd be if they were an internal drive thanks to the nature of USB-C. Here's what I get:

The OWC Electra 6G, formatted in HFS+, gets write speeds of about 265 MB/sec and read speeds of about 503 MB/sec. I then reformatted it using APFS, I get write/read rates of about 285/497 MB/sec. So slightly faster write speeds but about the same read speeds just by changing how it's formatted. Using APFS (encrypted) and I get write/reads of 148/404 MB/sec. Pretty significant and expected due to encryption. I should point out that this drive may have a failing controller since the Mac mini I took it from was having issues waking from sleep and sometimes rebooting and failing to find the drive. So these results may not be wholly representative of a new drive. Its write speeds are supposed to be "up to" 407 MB/sec, but it is falling well short of that.

Using my other WD Blue SSD, again on my 2019 iMac using a USB-C enclosure, formatted in APFS, and I get write/read rates of around 440/480 MB/sec, which is pretty close to WD's best case rates. So I think it's fair to say that the write speed limitations you (and I for that matter) are seeing is perfectly normal and just a function of the slower hardware in the Mac mini.

EDIT: I just wanted to link to a review on Tom's Hardware that was one of the things that convinced me to go with the WD Blue over the other options. They thoroughly tested the drive and were very satisfied with the performance.
WD Blue 3D And SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD Review - Tom's Hardware | Tom's Hardware

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Just to be a contrarian, I refuse to have anything Samsung at all. My experience is the exact reverse of chscag's. Samsungs have always failed early and spectacularly and Samsung support is abysmal, while all my WD drives are still trucking. YMMV.

I'm with you. Although I haven't used WD SSDs before recently, I've had very good experiences with their HDD line. I avoid Samsung at all costs mainly because I think they are grossly unethical in a lot of ways. Every company has their warts, but Samsung just seems fundamentally corrupt. That aside, I've certainly not read anything good about their support either.

 

[chscag]

I like vanilla and you like chocolate. LOL

I think we all have had bad experiences with certain devices and maybe other things....

I'm still driving my 1998 Mustang, but I wouldn't give you three cents for the dealer who originally sold it to me in 1998. Does that mean all Ford dealerships are bad? No.

I've had good runs with Samsung SSDs and wouldn't hesitate to buy another. The WDs I've had with the exception of some very old ones were all duds and my dealings with RMAs and their customer service in general has not been very stellar.

Again, my personal experience.

 

[MacInWin]

Yep, that's why they race horses...