I recently upgraded my nic to a 10gb card. My server is pretty old but runs like a top. I have a 512 GB samsung SSD setup as cache. I have my workstation and server connected to 10GB switch via a DAC cable and everything seems to be working fine. However, when I try and transfer a large file, like a 60GB file, it hums along at 500 MB/s for about 40 seconds then drops to 80 MB/s. I am wondering if it is my SSD, CPU (old) or some setting I should change.

 

Any help is appreciated.auburn-diagnostics-20240815-1115.zip

Look up the specs on your SSD, it's probably got a "fast" section that is filling up on large transfers.

That may be it. It has 42GB of turbo write. I had no idea. That info is buried and not in their standard specs. 

That's fairly typical unfortunately for most SSDs today, and you have a QLC model, so it's more affected than TLC models, like the 870 EVO, which is one of the few that can still sustain a high write speed.

I really don't need 1TB (which is what I have now). Also there are some errors on my current cache drive. For $55 I could by the 500GB version of the EVO.

 

Would this solve my problem of limited turbo speeds for 100GB files?

https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-500GB-Internal-MZ-77E500B-AM/dp/B08QBMD6P4/ref=asc_df_B08QBMD6P4/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=692875362841&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5722533018106623447&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008123&hvtargid=pla-2281435180938&mcid=789e57033e423e47ba624b30a23301bf&hvocijid=5722533018106623447-B08QBMD6P4-&hvexpln=73&gad_source=1&th=1

The 500GB EVO can sustain 300MB/s after the pseudo SLC cache is exhausted, which is much better than the QVO, but you would need the 1TB model for constant 500MB/s:

 

Hmmm... do they make faster versions or is this a SATA limiation? My server is old so no NVME.

It's not easy currently, older 500GB (and even some 250GB) MLC models could easily keep up with 500MB/s for the whole device, but those are only found used nowadays.

 

I have some older 128GB MLC Samsung drives that I use on my test server, that can sustain 400MB/s.

I might just live with it for now. I have been thinking about upgrading my server for 4K transcoding. Just another advantage to upgrading.