SSD Tweaker review

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SSD Tweaker is an analysis and optimization program for Solid State Drives connected to devices running all supported versions of Windows.

Being an early adopter is not always easy. While you get your hands on the latest technology, you are also exposed to bugs and issues of first generation hardware or software.

If you bought a first or second generation Solid State Drive (SSD) for instance, you may have experienced this first hand.

The performance of these drives was fine in the first couple of weeks or even months of use, but it went down rather quickly afterwards up to a point where data access was slower than on the slowed platter-based hard drives.

Second generation drives can sometimes be saved by applying a firmware patch that will add trim support, and a software solution that’s called Wiper. Trim needs to be supported by the SSD’s firmware and the operating system.

While all modern operating systems support Trim, this was not the case in the past.

Trim is a command that the operating system can send to the flash storage controller letting the controller know which data is not longer needed to speed up write processes. But this speed gain diminishes with the fill rate of the drive which is why most manufacturers suggest that SSDs should only be filled up to 80% of their capacity.

Wiper is  a software based trim with the difference that it will only perform its operation on execution and not all the time.

First generation SSD users on the other hand usually have to live without trim or wipers. That’s where third party programs like SSD Tweaker can help.

SSD Tweaker

ssd tweaker auto tweak

SSD Tweaker is available as a limited free version, and a commercial version.

Note: The program requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. Depending on the operating system you are using, you may get a prompt after installation of SSD Tweaker that the .NET Framework needs to be installed before you can run the program.

SSD Tweaker displays its options in tabs on start. The first lets you auto tweak the Solid State Drive, but you may also switch to the standard and advanced tweaks tabs instead to make adjustments manually.

Since you don’t really know what auto tweak does, it is recommended to make adjustments manually instead. Only standard tweaks are available in the free version while advanced tweaks are reserved to the SSD Tweaker Pro.

Standard Tweaks

ssd tweaker

The following tweaks are provided:

  • Disable Windows Prefetch.
  • For Windows XP systems: disable Indexing Service and System Restore Service.
  • Page System Code to SSD.
  • Disable Large System Cache.
  • Limit NTFS Memory Usage.
  • NTFS 8.3 Name Creation (16bit).
  • Enable File Date Stamping.
  • Enable Boot Tracing.
  • Disable Windows Superfetch.
  • Disable Windows Indexing Service.
  • Enable Windows 8 Autostart Delay.

You can move the mouse over any item listed on the page to display a description of what each tweak does.

Advanced Tweaks

advanced tweaks

As mentioned before, Advanced Tweaks are only available in the Pro version. The following tweaks are provided:

  • Enable Application Experience.
  • Enable Desktop Window Manager.
  • Enable TabletPC Input Service.
  • Enable Vista Aero Theme.
  • Enable WebClient Service.
  • Enable Windows Hibernation.
  • Don’t Unload DLL Files.
  • Clear Pagefile at shutdown.
  • Disable Windows 7 TRIM.
  • Disable DIPM Support.

Most of the tweaks can be changed manually in the Windows Registry or using other native tools provided by Windows. It may take some research though to find the right Registry key and setting to make the changes, but since this is a one-time only operation, it is worth consideration.

Verdict

Modern Solid State Drives ship without the flaws or shortcomings of first or second generation drives. This makes a program like SSD Tweaker less useful, as you don’t really require it to keep a Solid State Drive alive and kicking anymore.

Some of the tweaks are beneficial on the other hand, and you may want to consider applying them regardless of state of the SSD on your system.

The portable software will display several options in its interface that can be used to enable or disable write intensive functions of the Windows operating system.

The program is compatibly with all 32-bit and 64-bit  Microsoft operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 7.

You find additional optimization tips in our Optimize Slow Solid State Drives guide.