[How To] Improve disk performance for high-speed external drives
Answer
The disk removal policy in Microsoft Windows OS is set to "Quick removal" by default, allowing users to eject external storage drives without using the "Safely Remove Hardware" option. However, a potential drawback is reduced write performance when using high-speed external storage devices like a Thunderbolt SSD enclosure.
To achieve better disk performance, manually switch the default policy from "Quick removal" to "Better performance" and enable write caching.
To prevent any data loss or corruption, please note that when "better performance" and "Enable write caching" are enabled, the external disk must be safely removed in System Tray before disconnecting it.
Below are the methods to improve disk performance.
Methods A: Via Disk Management
1. Right-click Start and open Disk Management.
2. In the lower pane, right-click the disk number corresponding to the external hard drive (e.g., Disk 2) and select "Properties".
3. Go to "Policies" tab and select "Better performance".
4. Check"Enable write caching on the device" and click "OK" to apply the changes.
Methods B: Via Device Manager
1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand "Disk drives".
3. Right-click on the external hard drive and select "Properties".
4. Go to "Policies" tab and select "Better performance".
5. Check "Enable write caching on the device" and click "OK" to apply the changes.
Q: How to choose the most suitable disk policy?
The suitable settings depend on the type of devices and usage habits.
When to select "Better Performance":
1. High-speed external drives: When using a Thunderbolt SSD or Thunderbolt SSD enclosure, selecting this option helps prevent write speed limitation.
2. Professional workloads: For users who frequently handle large file transfer such as photographers or video editors, and require maximum performance.
When to select "Quick Removal":
1. Regular USB flash drives: For devices usually used for transferring small files.
2. Maximum convenience: If requiring to frequently plug and unplug the device across different computers and prefer not to complete the ejection process each time.