How To Update Your Ssd Firmware

Recently we've pored over our How To Upgrade SSD Firmware page, calculation several guides and updating a few others in order to give consumers a grasp on how to consummate a process which tin vary quite drastically from make to make. Some SSD manufacturers deliver their firmware updates in a client that downloads and updates your SSD with the simple click of a button, and they might even include some bonus features such as Deejay Clone, Secure Erase, Bulldoze Optimization, etc. On the other paw, some others provide a much more than bare-bones approach that is far less automated and requires the user to download a file from a very specific location, burn it onto optical media and have the arrangement kicking to it.

Recently we've pored over our How To Upgrade SSD Firmware page, calculation several guides and updating a few others in order to give consumers a grasp on how to complete a process which tin vary quite drastically from brand to brand. Some SSD manufacturers evangelize their firmware updates in a customer that downloads and updates your SSD with the simple click of a button, and they might even include some bonus features such as Disk Clone, Secure Erase, Drive Optimization, etc. On the other manus, some others provide a much more blank-bones arroyo that is far less automatic and requires the user to download a file from a very specific location, burn it onto optical media and have the organization kicking to it.

Ranking firmware update tools, we look at 9 SSD manufacturers – those from our list of The Brands That Affair. There are several factors that helped us arrive at our conclusions on which were the all-time updater tools, but these considerations were foremost:

Was in that location a special firmware upgrade tool or would we accept to burn onto optical media or use a USB flash drive?
Did we take to download individual firmware files and load them into the installer or was that process automatic and handled within the application?
How intuitive was the GUI?
What actress features, if whatever, were offered?

With these points considered, nosotros arrived at four tiers comprising the 9 Brands That Matter. Note that Seagate, being relatively new to the consumer SSD infinite, isn't included as it hasn't yet issued a consumer firmware update.

TIER ane

Samsung and Intel offer the most complete firmware update tools, going to a higher place and beyond the other SSD brands by providing extremely well-designed GUIs that are highly intuitive and deliver far more functionality than i would expect from an update tool. For Samsung, that's because their tool is embedded in company's Samsung Magician software which is actually a direction suite for tuning and optimizing SSDs, configuring performance settings and evaluating SSDs' wellness. Nosotros award major style points to Samsung every bit well, which has provided the most visually-appealing GUI. In comparison, Intel too provides a client that features a smooth layout and fantabulous usability. Users too gain admission to features designed to heave SSD operation and monitor wellness – not to mention a Secure Erase office to wipe the drive. Like Samsung'southward tool, Intel'south volition similarly automatically find updates and users won't have to become download firmware after finding the appropriate support site.

TIER 2

While not every bit visually stunning every bit the Tier ane clients and with slightly fewer actress features, SanDisk, OCZ and Corsair evangelize applications that simplify the process more the Tier 3 updaters, generally offerings extra features too. Their overall functionality vaults them essentially ahead of Tiers 3 and four. For instance, with all of the Tier 2 updaters, the application finds the latest update for users, meaning they don't accept to find the files on their SSD brands' support site and manually select them in the client. That feature along with the smooth layout, fifty-fifty if basic, got SanDisk a spot in Tier 2. OCZ and Corsair's applications also do that, and they get a step further by featuring a bunch of additional features such every bit Secure Erase, SMART and TRIM management, etc. They don't quite exude the overall refinement Samsung and Intel'south clients characteristic, but they are far beyond just being labeled "serviceable."

TIER 3

OWC and Kingston both utilize the standard SandForce-based client which is sufficient, but doesn't offer anything extra. The ii clients are almost-identical, and so we'll talk over them synchronously. Both require users to download the customer and to find the firmware update to download (or the grouping of updates that contains the one required). Additionally, they both display connected SSDs, enabling users to click, find the update and install it. The clients don't include other features and their respective GUIs are basic, but having said that, their utilitarian format is easy enough to piece of work within.

TIER 4

Clients from Crucial and Plextor circular out the firmware update tools we've evaluated, and they're in Tier 4 because though they do get the job done, they don't offering intuitive applications and their process delivers little in the way of automation. Further, users need to observe their specific drive and its capacity on the downloads section of their SSD brand'south back up site to get the exact firmware their SSD requires. All of this forces the user to spend fourth dimension manually updating firmware. Both Crucial and Plextor's methods request that consumers burn down ISO files onto optical media. Many users might not even have burnable media, and those that practise probably don't want to spend the time going through the procedure. We utilized an alternate road whereby we downloaded and used costless software called Universal USB Installer. This gets your USB wink drive to mimic an optical drive, enabling users to boot from information technology to install the firmware update. Needless to say, information technology wasn't as unproblematic as opening a client and clicking update. We were able to get the firmware updated, simply the process was more than taxing.

While many SSD buyers consider performance and toll as primary buying decision factors, ease of buying is something that shouldn't get left behind. With nigh SSD vendors offering multiple firmware updates a year, updates which are often meaningful in terms of operation or correcting errors, ease of drive direction will likely become an increasingly pregnant office of the buying procedure and will be something we continually monitor and update.

How To Upgrade SSD Firmware