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[Q] Slow/Poor micro-sd performance

Hi, i bought some days ago an 8GB class 10 micro sd card, hoping it would speed up my phone (i was using app2sd+ with Kyrillo's ROM v7.1).
I didn't notice any diference compared to my old 4GB class 2 card, so i installed SD Tools app to test the speeds, and i realized all the cards i put in my phone get 4MB/s as the maximun write speed, i tried many different sd cards, class 2 and 10 and there's no difference. Then i tried the same cards in my girlfriend's Galaxy Ace and the speeds were much higher, 7~12 MB/s write speed.
I thought it was a rom problem, so i backed up with Titanium Backup and flashed a stock ROM (JPM), but the speeds remain the same (around 4 MB/s for writing), i also tried changing the buffer size from 128kb to 1024, 2048, 4096 with "SD Booster" and "SD Speed Increase" apps, but no good results...
Could my phone be faulty?
Is there any configuration i can try to make my sd card faster? any command line?
What are the speeds you reach with "SD Tools" and classes of your SD card?
Best Regards!

I'm not sure, but I think there's nothing you can do....
Mine is a 16GB class 6 and it's the same, whatever I try. Before had 8GB - was the same.
Whatever I wrote into the 'read ahead buffer'...
But maybe anyone else has an idea?

Try changing the buffer to 0 as sometimes that works.
Sent from my GT-I5800 using XDA App

dilzo said:
Try changing the buffer to 0 as sometimes that works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TNX for the tip, but unfortunately SAME RESULT...

i also get the same speeds..
i think thats a bug with sd tools.
By the way has any one tried data2sd/apps2sd v3? do you face lags?
also do you people have SD or SDHC

I belive that sdtools has a bug. Or is seriously faulty. I have 16GB class 2 sdcard and sdtools claims that my read and write speeds are equivavlent to class 6 card (values range from 6.x/6.x to 8.x/7.x, write/read, respectively (depending on read_ahead_kb values). And I know for a fact that this really cheap sdcard does not have such performance. You can try antutu benchmark, free app on market, which provides a bit more accurate results plus you can select what to benchmark. My card gets 3.0MB/s read and 2.0 MB/s write with default buffer values. Which is more accurate than sdtools. Especially because disks (any kind) usually have higher read rate than write rate (because it is easier to read data than to write it and 'cause we usually perform much more reading than writing, so it is optimized for read operations).

mrvek said:
I belive that sdtools has a bug. Or is seriously faulty. I have 16GB class 2 sdcard and sdtools claims that my read and write speeds are equivavlent to class 6 card (values range from 6.x/6.x to 8.x/7.x, write/read, respectively (depending on read_ahead_kb values). And I know for a fact that this really cheap sdcard does not have such performance. You can try antutu benchmark, free app on market, which provides a bit more accurate results plus you can select what to benchmark. My card gets 3.0MB/s read and 2.0 MB/s write with default buffer values. Which is more accurate than sdtools. Especially because disks (any kind) usually have higher read rate than write rate (because it is easier to read data than to write it and 'cause we usually perform much more reading than writing, so it is optimized for read operations).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
antutu give me 3.x and 4.x for write and read speed respectively!!
8gb class 10

That is odd. Do you have a card reader? Maybe you can bench from pc and see the results. I have only 2 sdcards, both class 2 and the results I get are to be expected from class 2 cards. There is also possibility that it is a low quality component. If you feel like it try to investigate, get cards info like serial, model and manufacturer and see what you'll discover. Nowadays people are selling everything claiming it to be a better than actually is. I remember reading tests regarding SD 's where they said that same card type from same manufacturer performed about 10 times worse just because one was.made in China and the other in taiwan, or something like that. I personally would do some research but it's up to you.

mrvek said:
That is odd. Do you have a card reader? Maybe you can bench from pc and see the results. I have only 2 sdcards, both class 2 and the results I get are to be expected from class 2 cards. There is also possibility that it is a low quality component. If you feel like it try to investigate, get cards info like serial, model and manufacturer and see what you'll discover. Nowadays people are selling everything claiming it to be a better than actually is. I remember reading tests regarding SD 's where they said that same card type from same manufacturer performed about 10 times worse just because one was.made in China and the other in taiwan, or something like that. I personally would do some research but it's up to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i did a bench mark from laptop's card reader.. it was way over 18 mbps.. cancelled the benchmark in the process as it was taking too long.. but half way read speed was definitely above 18mbps.. Also my sdhc's manufacturer is transcend. I hope this company wont betray us!!

well, in that case it might have to do with phone configuration/programming. Maybe devs could figure out why the phone does not utilize full potential of the sdcard. Perhaps low ram, (relatively) "slow" cpu, something...

mrvek said:
well, in that case it might have to do with phone configuration/programming. Maybe devs could figure out why the phone does not utilize full potential of the sdcard. Perhaps low ram, (relatively) "slow" cpu, something...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. Hope some dev is listening!!

I have the same problem.
Samsung Galaxy 3 GT-i5800, Android Froyo firmware v2.2 build XWJPL.
I tested with two class 10 microSD cards, quality ones, but got poor transfer rates.
card1: Transcend 8GB MicroSDHC Class10 (TS8GUSDHC10) - up to 20 Mb/s
card2: Samsung 8GB SDHC Plus Class10 (MB-MP8GA/EU) - Read max. 24 Mb/s, Write max 21 Mb/s
Samsung 8GB cl10 test result (SD Tools app): Write: 4.4 Mb/s; Read 5.1 Mb/s
The card write speed should be higher than 10 Mb/s

[Q] What to do about a slow SDcard affecting performance?

I have just benchmarked my 8G removable storage card, and got only 1.31MB/s write speed. The two internal cards got 1.73MB/s and 1.47MB/s respectively. Is this slowing down my system? I often notice that Elixir's widget shows that the system is using the disk intensively (shortcut to top shows iowait above 50%). What can I do about this?

gromky said:
I have just benchmarked my 8G removable storage card, and got only 1.31MB/s write speed. The two internal cards got 1.73MB/s and 1.47MB/s respectively. Is this slowing down my system? I often notice that Elixir's widget shows that the system is using the disk intensively (shortcut to top shows iowait above 50%). What can I do about this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
set cache
optimal set is 2048
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sdincrease.it

Last updated May 17, 2011...for Android 1.6 and up? :silly: I'm not sure this would really help. Setting the cache size would help to optimize for speed. It wouldn't help poor performance.

gromky said:
I have just benchmarked my 8G removable storage card, and got only 1.31MB/s write speed. The two internal cards got 1.73MB/s and 1.47MB/s respectively. Is this slowing down my system? I often notice that Elixir's widget shows that the system is using the disk intensively (shortcut to top shows iowait above 50%). What can I do about this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would buy a higher class card.
maybe my memory is off but that write speed seems really low, unless you have a class 2 card, then its still low.

bweN diorD said:
i would buy a higher class card.
maybe my memory is off but that write speed seems really low, unless you have a class 2 card, then its still low.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a Kingston 8Gb "MicroSD HC" SDC4. I don't know if it's class 2 or not.
Also, does it really make a difference? If the system is thrashing the disk, then all the usage should be in the two internal sdcards. Is that right?
What kind of card would be a good replacement?

gromky said:
It's a Kingston 8Gb "MicroSD HC" SDC4. I don't know if it's class 2 or not.
Also, does it really make a difference? If the system is thrashing the disk, then all the usage should be in the two internal sdcards. Is that right?
What kind of card would be a good replacement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a class 4 which means the r/w speed should be higher than you are reporting. IMO either your phone can't support any higher speed or something is wrong with the card.
The class of the card does matter and can cause some operations to be slower in comparison to say a class 10 card.
I don't know why your phone is thrashing the card, unlikely normal, but it could be. Other possibilities are issues with the phone software, or issues with the card like partial corruption or bad sectors, even bad pics or vids can cause the system to scan the card too much.
Look in battery stats and see if the media scanner usage is high, this would indicate a corrupt file.
Alternatively, I would test the card for errors. Grab a card tester from Google search, put the card in your PC, copy the entire contents to your PC, run the test program. If no errors, put the card back into the phone and format, then copy back your files.
If errors, get a new card. I have always bought sandisk class 10 from an eBay reputable seller. Read up on the seller wherever you get it from so you don't get a fake card.
Sent from my LG-VS980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

bweN diorD said:
Its a class 4 which means the r/w speed should be higher than you are reporting. IMO either your phone can't support any higher speed or something is wrong with the card.
The class of the card does matter and can cause some operations to be slower in comparison to say a class 10 card.
I don't know why your phone is thrashing the card, unlikely normal, but it could be. Other possibilities are issues with the phone software, or issues with the card like partial corruption or bad sectors, even bad pics or vids can cause the system to scan the card too much.
Look in battery stats and see if the media scanner usage is high, this would indicate a corrupt file.
Alternatively, I would test the card for errors. Grab a card tester from Google search, put the card in your PC, copy the entire contents to your PC, run the test program. If no errors, put the card back into the phone and format, then copy back your files.
If errors, get a new card. I have always bought sandisk class 10 from an eBay reputable seller. Read up on the seller wherever you get it from so you don't get a fake card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, so it shouldn't be this slow. Class 4 should be enough. The problem shouldn't be my phone, it's a Xiaomi Hongmi/Redmi and it was manufactured last year.
I've checked the battery usage and media scanner isn't listed. Do you know how I can figure out which program is thrashing the disk?
It's a microSD card so it won't go in the computer. I have a USB adapter somewhere, but those greatly slow performance.

gromky said:
Ah, so it shouldn't be this slow. Class 4 should be enough. The problem shouldn't be my phone, it's a Xiaomi Hongmi/Redmi and it was manufactured last year.
I've checked the battery usage and media scanner isn't listed. Do you know how I can figure out which program is thrashing the disk?
It's a microSD card so it won't go in the computer. I have a USB adapter somewhere, but those greatly slow performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Class 4 should be running at 4mb or better.
Sorry I don't know how to tell what is causing the excessive r/w on the card.
Most newer PC's have a SD card slot, you just need the adapter that frequently comes with the card.
The performance through USB isn't really relevant, that's not the purpose of connecting it to the PC. You want to check it for errors or damage. A slower connection method will just make the process take longer.
Just follow my previous post instructions and backup your files first. I think the checking program is going to format the card to run its tests, its been a long time since I used it, I don't remember exactly.
Later when I get home I can help you find a program if you haven't found a good one by then.
Sent from my LG-VS980 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

gromky said:
Ah, so it shouldn't be this slow. Class 4 should be enough. The problem shouldn't be my phone, it's a Xiaomi Hongmi/Redmi and it was manufactured last year.
I've checked the battery usage and media scanner isn't listed. Do you know how I can figure out which program is thrashing the disk?
It's a microSD card so it won't go in the computer. I have a USB adapter somewhere, but those greatly slow performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, this is what i used last time http://sosfakeflash.wordpress.com/2...standard-in-detecting-usb-counterfeit-drives/
there is a "direct" download link a little down the page.
the tool was made for checking for fake cards, but if you give it a quick read, you will see its going to check for errors, report the condition of the card, and more.
hope that helps.

Samsung 128GB Pro Plus SD card slow?

I just bought a Samsung Pro Plus 128GB SD Card but it's very slow.
A1 test result was R:59MB/s W:28MB/s
I am fully aware S7's SD interface not good enough for the card's full speed(R95/W90)
But from what I read elsewhere, at least it has R70/W60 in A1 TEST.
My result is way below. Any idea why? Maybe I need to format the card to specific format like exFat? Thanks!

The speeds sounds about right. It's the S7's SD card interface that's the problem. It seems to max out about 28 Mbps write and depending on the card anywhere between 60-70 Mbps read. So yours seems to be good.

gunemalli said:
The speeds sounds about right. It's the S7's SD card interface that's the problem. It seems to max out about 28 Mbps write and depending on the card anywhere between 60-70 Mbps read. So yours seems to be good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply Gunemalli but I am sure I've seen somewhere people posting A1 benchmark with over 60MB/s write speed.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

After Ten Tests these are my Maximum results.
My SD Card: Lexar 1000x U3

Update:
I dont get More than 37 MB Write Speed

darkinners said:
I just bought a Samsung Pro Plus 128GB SD Card but it's very slow.
A1 test result was R:59MB/s W:28MB/s
I am fully aware S7's SD interface not good enough for the card's full speed(R95/W90)
But from what I read elsewhere, at least it has R70/W60 in A1 TEST.
My result is way below. Any idea why? Maybe I need to format the card to specific format like exFat? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is also slow. I too noticed it from day 1. Samsung is not dump to giveaway high class 128GB cards to everyone. Most of them should have got those which didn't even pass quality testing.

hardware and/or software limitation. that card can obviously do faster.
chances are it wont be addressed, ever, sadly, which is a shame, so is sammy not offically working with adoptive storage out-of-box, but that has its own issues and limitations.

SDHC Card

So I bought a Samsung EVO+ SDHC card on Amazon and I am trying to figure out if I got hosed. It is a UHS-1 card and is supposed to get write speeds up to 20MB/S, but I am getting 5-8... I have it mounted as an external card. I've tried 2 different speed test apps on Android. Do these speeds sound like what I should be expecting?
When I put the card in, I originally set it as internal, but the phone gave me a warning the card was slow (another not-so-good sign).
Should I try to return it to Amazon and just buy some place locally?

Link to item?
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I bought this SanDisk Extreme 64GB MicroSDXC UHS-1 card about two weeks ago, working great! No speed warning when I set it as internal. Rated up to 90 MB/s, and I just measured 61.82MB/s Read & 55.87MB/s Write. Maybe you got a knockoff?

This is the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0118LR9Z8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Which app did you use to test the speed? I am wondering if my issue was that I was looking at random write speeds instead of sequential. I found several references around the Interwebs that show similar performance. The faster speeds seem to be sequential writes..? Could that be my issue?
One of the apps I tried did identify it as an actual Samsung card, but perhaps it was a slower class card relabeled?

I used A1 SD bench.

I tried 2 different Evos and can Evo+ and the phone didn't like any of them.
I had to but a Pro+ for it not to contain about the card bring slow.

TheKaz said:
This is the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0118LR9Z8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note - the Samsung card is a U1, compared the SanDisk Extreme which is U3. Big difference, lol. Make sure to get a UHS-1 U3 or higher card to eliminate speed issues.

Backing up to Samsung account problem with SD card

I can get my phone to backup to the Samsung account and cloud but if my sdcard is In it takes an ungodly amount of time to calculate the amount of music I have on the sdcard so I give up.
I've switched it dso it doesn't backup my music (which is on the 128gb memory card) but it still wants to calculate it every time.
I want to be able to backup without having to take the memory card out
Any ideas?

mikeyaj said:
I can get my phone to backup to the Samsung account and cloud but if my sdcard is In it takes an ungodly amount of time to calculate the amount of music I have on the sdcard so I give up.
I've switched it dso it doesn't backup my music (which is on the 128gb memory card) but it still wants to calculate it every time.
I want to be able to backup without having to take the memory card out
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have wifi turned on?

yes
it works perfectly........... but only when the sd card is out of the phone. before backing up it seems to want to calculate how much music is on the sd card

mikeyaj said:
yes
it works perfectly........... but only when the sd card is out of the phone. before backing up it seems to want to calculate how much music is on the sd card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a 200Gb card with loads of images and music and don't have any issues. Did you disable any services with Package Disabler pro? That might be an issue as when you restore a backup from the cloud you have to re-enable all services.

Could be a fake SD card. Did you buy it from a reputable seller? Fake cards can be incredibly slow or take ages to scan contents because they often use shady tactics to make the card appear to be 128Gb for example when accessed on a phone or PC while in reality being much smaller in capacity (2-16gb etc). These fake cards can look incredibly convincing too so dont be fooled by an elaborate copy.

Here's an app from the Play Store that can check if you have a counterfeit sdcard, SD Insight. The app isn't compatible with the S8 but if you have an older phone you can test your sdcard.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.humanlogic.sdi

Card has been used in 3 Samsung phones. Never had this issue before. Is not a fake card and not disabled and packages

mikeyaj said:
Card has been used in 3 Samsung phones. Never had this issue before. Is not a fake card and not disabled and packages
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its been with you for at least 3 phone cycles, was the speed ever really that good to begin with? It sounds like it may be an older card perhaps. Keep in mind, technology moves quick.
If you happen to be using a card that was cheap/midrange only a couple years ago, it would stand to reason that it may be underwhelming and feeling pretty slow by today's standards.
Download an app along the lines of "A1 SD Bench" and run a test for me. Post your Read/Write speed results in here for us when you're finished.
If the result of this test is poor you may want to look at the newer UHS-I supported cards if speed is becoming an issue.

I bought the card pretty much when 128gb micro SD cards were released and use it every day in the phone with no problems to play music and store pics
To be fair I presume that means it's old tech and I've been meaning to replace it. Just bought a brand new Samsung 256gb one.
Don't understand what any of the jargon means regarding sdcards and can't be bothered to test the issue.
To be fair it never occurred to me that the card is a bit long In the tooth as I've used it with the s7 edge with no probs. So just surprised the s8 struggles

mikeyaj said:
I bought the card pretty much when 128gb micro SD cards were released and use it every day in the phone with no problems to play music and store pics
To be fair I presume that means it's old tech and I've been meaning to replace it. Just bought a brand new Samsung 256gb one.
Don't understand what any of the jargon means regarding sdcards and can't be bothered to test the issue.
To be fair it never occurred to me that the card is a bit long In the tooth as I've used it with the s7 edge with no probs. So just surprised the s8 struggles
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why even bother posting if you "you can't be bothered to test the issue?"

Because I decided I wanted to.
I tend to do what I want and considering the card is in 100% working order what's the point.
If times have changed and I've gotten to answer that it's old tech I can replace it with newer tech.
Thanks for your help but I can assure you I'll post what I want, when I want, how I want. I don't have to do anything I don't want to when I've already been told the card is old tech

mikeyaj said:
I bought the card pretty much when 128gb micro SD cards were released and use it every day in the phone with no problems to play music and store pics
To be fair I presume that means it's old tech and I've been meaning to replace it. Just bought a brand new Samsung 256gb one.
Don't understand what any of the jargon means regarding sdcards and can't be bothered to test the issue.
To be fair it never occurred to me that the card is a bit long In the tooth as I've used it with the s7 edge with no probs. So just surprised the s8 struggles
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes, I figured that was the case. It will be interesting to know if that new card solves your problem. If you still want to run a quick benchmark on your old card its not as involved as it sounds. If you use the app I recommended before you just choose your SD card in the UI and it should only take a few minutes to run a speed test.

Read speed: 33.97 mb/s
Write speed: 10:78 mb/s
Presume this is rubbish. I bought the SanDisk card the week 128gb cards were released in the UK so it's quite old now but never had any problem with it.
All photos and all my music is on the card. Never had any issues with it. Have now purchased the following:
Samsung MB-MC256DAEU 256 GB EVO Plus MicroSDXC UHS-I Grade 3 Class 10

My 2 year old 200Gb card:
Read 1692.00MB/s
Write 14.81MB/s

mikeyaj said:
Read speed: 33.97 mb/s
Write speed: 10:78 mb/s
Presume this is rubbish. I bought the SanDisk card the week 128gb cards were released in the UK so it's quite old now but never had any problem with it.
All photos and all my music is on the card. Never had any issues with it. Have now purchased the following:
Samsung MB-MC256DAEU 256 GB EVO Plus MicroSDXC UHS-I Grade 3 Class 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow, that write speed is pretty terrible. The read speed is "passable" I guess but still below average and well below the UHS-I cards.
I had one of the first 64GB Sandisk cards (around the time of the Galaxy S4 I'd like to say?) so I know what you mean but that thing was relegated to my drawer long ago after I realized just how agonizingly slooow it was.

xeathpk said:
Oh wow, that write speed is pretty terrible. The read speed is "passable" I guess but still below average and well below the UHS-I cards.
I had one of the first 64GB Sandisk cards (around the time of the Galaxy S4 I'd like to say?) so I know what you mean but that thing was relegated to my drawer long ago after I realized just how agonizingly slooow it was.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it isn't slow
it's perfect for listening to music from and saving all pics to. perfect to the point of there would be no need to change the card. exceptional performance.
why the s8 has issues trying to calculate the amount of music on it to back-up even when i've toggled it NOT to backup music is a bit of a stupid upgrade on the s8 when the s7 was fine.
maybe samsung haven't figured out that most sd card users just throw pics, film and music on it so it doesn't need to be super fast as they've toggled off the backup option. seems to be a really strange software decision to try and calculated stuff to back up you don't want backing up lol

Objectively it is on the slow side but I understand what you mean. If all you plan on doing is copying a load of files to it once and only need it to access a few songs or pics here and there than you're right it should be fine. Let us know if you're able to solve your issue with a new card or whether the problem persists. :good:

xeathpk said:
Objectively it is on the slow side but I understand what you mean. If all you plan on doing is copying a load of files to it once and only need it to access a few songs or pics here and there than you're right it should be fine. Let us know if you're able to solve your issue with a new card or whether the problem persists. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used it all an excuse to buy the 256gb card though.
Is the one I've bought any good?
Samsung MB-MC256DAEU 256 GB EVO Plus MicroSDXC UHS-I Grade 3 Class 10

Its quick as hell. "Up to 95MB/s Read and 90MB/s Write speed with UHS-I, Class 10 and U3 compatibility."
It should serve you well for quite a while I'd imagine. Even I'm tempted to get one right now.
Waterproof (IEC 60529, IPX7)
Temperature-proof
X-ray-proof
Magnetic-proof
10 year warranty
Not bad, not bad.

I've never had a Samsung card . Always had the sandisk ones