I have a 8 months old My Book Essential 2TB external HDD and 1 month ago my motherboard died so i had to buy a new motherboard and CPU and i recently tried my HDD with the new MB but the USB3.0 speed has dropped to 30 MB/s, i am sure that it was between 80-130 MB/s with my old motherboard. Every necessary driver is installed and google didn't help also, the USB cable is plugged in the correct slot. When i first start transfering a file, first it begins at 130 MB/s then it drops to 30 MB/s. It's even the same speed with a 3 gb file and a 30 gb folder Ext. HDD: My Book Essential 2 TB MB: MSI B85-G43
For USB 3.0 you need everything on the same hub to be USB, so if anything else is plugged into that hub that isn't fully USB 3.0 it will slow it down. Sometimes multiple ports on the computer are linked to the same hub. For USB 3.0, you need a USB 3.0 cable, plugged into the USB 3.0 port, and the USB 3.0 cable to be plugged into a USB 3.0 device, and these factors must be true for everything else plugged into the same hub. Keep in mind a USB 3.0 cable IS different to a USB 2.0 cable. The speed that you are getting, 30 MB/s, sounds about right for USB 2.0. The claimed speed of USB 2.0, being 480MBPS, was complete bs, it's literally impossible to get that speed. USB 3.0 on the other hand, is much easier to reach the claimed speed due to the way it works (being bi-directional instead of USB 2.0 which is uni-directional). Bi-directionality is important as even if the transfer is one direction, the signalling is both directions. What it sounds like, possibly, is that you have another USB device that isn't USB 3.0 plugged into a different port on the computer that is linked to the same internal hub. Try unplugging every USB device possible apart from the drive, restart, and try again. Try using different ports for the keyboard/mouse (if you have a separate USB dongle for the keyboard and mouse, unplug the keyboard one and just leave the mouse). You will possibly need to at least unplug and replug the external drive in each time you change the USB ports so it reinitialises as USB 3.0. If you plug in a USB 2.0 device in after it is already running at USB 3.0 it will drop to USB 2.0, but I'm not sure if it resets to USB 3.0 speed automatically once the USB 2.0 device is removed (without first unplugging it and plugging it back in).
I only have 2 USB 3.0 ports which are empty (only using 1 for the ext. HDD), i have the necessary cable for USB 3.0 that came with the ext. HDD (thinner and with a blue color) But like i said, before the motherboard change i was getting speeds between 80-120 MB/s.
Yeah 80-120 MB/s sounds about right for USB 3.0 and a mechanical drive. 30 MB/s definitely sounds like USB 2.0 speeds. In fact, it's pretty much spot on for USB 2.0... Are you running Windows 7 or 8?
I tried what you said (changing keyboard, mouse slots, restarting pc) didn't help i am using Windows 7, 64 bit. Maybe i should re-install Windows, because my DVD drive keeps appearing and disappearing for no reason, can the USB problem be software related?
Windows 7 only supports USB 2.0, USB 3.0 support requires drivers. Are you running the latest USB 3.0 drivers (for Intel Haswell boards, Intel 2.5.0.19)? The MSI driver support page for your board actually links the latest version available under the Windows 7 x64 driver page. This driver is an actual driver, not just an INF like the Intel chipset driver. The Intel chipset driver is just so the devices show correctly in the device manager, and so Windows can properly utilise the generic drivers for the device if required (there are also proper Intel drivers and performance drivers for AHCI etc that are proper separate drivers). Since Windows 7 does not include USB 3.0 support, the INF would be useless, and would operate the USB 3.0 ports at USB 2.0 speeds. The INF driver may install one of the following in Windows 7 that will only operate at USB 2.0 speeds: Intel(R) 8 Series/C220 Series B xHCI HC - 8C31" Intel(R) 8 Series USB eXtensible Host Controller - 9C31 I did a quick look and those are the USB 3.0 relevant devices for Haswell boards. Also, are you running the latest BIOS for your board (currently 3.2)?
I had the USB software from the motherboards disc installed, i removed it and got Intel USB3.0 Driver from the MSI site (version 2.5.0.19) now everything is back to normal, THANK GOD! Also thanks a lot for your help!
