Windows 11: Microsoft fixes NVMe SSD Performance Issue

Windows[German]In Windows 11, there was a performance issue with certain NVMe SSDs. With certain random write operations, the throughput performance dropped up to 45% compared to Windows 10. The whole thing was discussed in forums on the Internet. After I picked up the whole thing on the blog, it also led to "not comprehensible" type discussions in the comments. Now, however, Microsoft seems to have addressed and fixed exactly this problem with one of the latest Windows 11 updates.


Advertising

Performance drop with NVMe SSDs

I had addressed it only within my German blog in the post Windows 11: Performance issues with NVMe-SSDs?  – and asked my reader about their experience. The topic raised here, after I found a mention on Windows Latest auf, that users of Windows 11 were complaining that they were only getting 45% of the throughput than Windows 10 machines in benchmarks under that OS in random write tests. Here are the benchmarks with CrystalDiskMark for Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Windows 11: NVMe SSD Benchmark

Windows 10: NVMe SSD Benchmark 
SSD Benchmarks

In the Random 4K test (RND4K Q32T16), the NVMe SSD drops to 983.50 MB/s in the write rate in Windows 11, while Windows 10 manages 2124.78 MB/s there. The differences are much smaller when writing sequentially to the NVMe SSD. The only drawback: A newer version of the Crystal Disk Mark benchmark program was used for Windows 11 than for Windows 10 – and similar systems were used in tests.

But the feedback from my German blog readers was more or less a  criticism, that apples were compared with oranges. Well, I would have accepted that for minor performance drops, but not for such serious differences in benchmarks. But I left it at that and did not pursue the topic further – the information was in my blog. 


Advertising

Microsoft fixes the non existing NVMe SSD issue

Recently German blog reader MrX1980 left the following comment in my German blog, pointing to a post from Windows Latest and a patch from Microsoft (thanks for that).

Supposedly fixed with KB5007262 and only affecting the C partition: Microsoft admits another Windows 11 bug is slowing down PCs (storage drives)

In the support article for the Windows 11 preview update KB5007262 from 11/22/2021, Microsoft then admitted to a problem with NVMe SSDs. It states:

Fixes an issue that affects the performance of all disks (NVMe, SSD, Hardisk) on Windows 11 by performing unnecessary actions on every write. This issue only occurs when the NTFS USN journal is enabled.  Note that the USN journal is always enabled on the C: disk.

So the whole thing only occurs on the C: drive, but the unnecessary actions on writes were confirmed. I had indeed reported about this preview update in the blog post  Windows 11 Update KB5007262 fixes printing errors and many other bugs (2021/11/22).

However, I hadn't noticed such an entry – and when I checked my blog post, I couldn't find the entry in question. It looks like this was added to the support post after the fact. Long story short: It looks like Microsoft simply fixed the NVMe SSD bug in the preview, which leads to performance degradation and doesn't exist according to blog readers. The update should be distributed to all Windows 11 users on December 14, 2021.

Similar articles
Windows 11: These features disappear
Windows 11: No TPM required?
Windows 11: Rollout is the starting October 5, 2021
Windows 11: Hardware requirements
Windows 11 officially released
Windows 11: Known issues (October 5, 2021)
Windows 11: Microsoft enforces TPM 2.0 on virtual machines
Windows 11 officially released
Windows 11 IoT Enterprise only with 36 months support
AMD warns: CPUs run up to 15% slower with Windows 11
Windows 11: Most hardware don't fulfill the minimum requirements, Microsoft reveals by-passing trick
Windows 11: File Explorer has a Memory Leak
Windows 11 also floods folders with empty TMP directory garbage
What's new in MDM for Windows 11
WSUS displays all Windows 11 clients as Windows 10 Enterprise
Windows 11: Expired certificates block build-in apps from Nov. 1, 2021
Windows 11: Out-of-band update KB5008295 fixes app start issues (2021/11/05)
Microsoft's deployment of Windows 10 21H1, 21H2, and Windows 11
Prevent upgrade to Windows 11
Windows 11: Microsoft confirms problems with Intel Smart Sound technology
Windows 11: Microsoft enforces Edge browser in several protocols, bricks EdgeDeflector
Microsoft, sustainability and Windows 11 as an environmental disaster
Windows 11: Microsoft speeds up rollout – new Media Player app
Windows 11 Update KB5007262 fixes printing errors and many other bugs (2021/11/22)
Nextcloud files competition complaint against Microsoft over OneDrive and Teams in Windows 11
Windows 11 and the slow Explorer
Windows 11: Microsoft tries to stop users from downloading Chrome
Windows 11: Fix for broken Outlook search
Windows 11: Performance issues with NVMe-SSDs?


Cookies helps to fund this blog: Cookie settings
Advertising


##1

This entry was posted in issue, Windows and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Windows 11: Microsoft fixes NVMe SSD Performance Issue

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *