Read/write speeds measure the performance of a storage device. Read speed refers to how long it takes to open a file from the device, and write speed is how long it takes to save a file to the device. Perform read/write speed tests on internal and external hard drives, as well as storage area networks and USB flash drives.
How to Use CrystalDiskMark | What Do the Numbers Mean?
Read and write speeds are usually recorded with the letters ps (per second) at the end of the measurement. For example, a device with a write speed of 32 MBps means that it can record 32 megabytes of data per second. It is also common for speeds to be expressed in MB/s.
CrystalDiskMark, a freeware program for Windows, tests the read/write speeds of internal and external drives. Select a custom file size between 500 MB and 32 GB and choose whether to use random data or all zeros to perform the test. Set the number of passes to perform.
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test is a similar tool for Macs. ATTO Disk Benchmark and HD Tune are a couple of other free benchmark tools that check a drive’s read and write speeds. The former works for both operating systems.
