Steam write speeds extremely fluctuating during install

[Art]

Hi so I have a WD NVME M.2 SSD with 215GB free out of 1TB and Steam is acting very odd trying to install things.

Here's a photo: https://ibb.co/gDCVL0k

As you can see, it peaks and goes down a lot. Making what would be a speedy install take 2-3 times longer.

Not only that, but Steam, even at the peaks, is only using like 10-15% of my write speeds according to task manager. This is really annoying as I know it could be really fast but it's simply not doing it.

Any help?

I should add, this is only during install, during download the speeds stay consistent to the download speeds, which is quite low anyway.

[Iceira]

Sounds more like you have unpacking and write issue if disk work at 100% and is busy, then network work as inteded and reduce speed because you cant keep up.

dont use steam manager use windows resource manager. , ( diffrence is steam focus on steam, and windows manager focus on the pc ) cpu disk network.

[Art]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

Sounds more like you have unpacking and write issue if disk work at 100% and is busy, then network work as inteded and reduce speed because you cant keep up.

dont use steam manager use windows resource manager. , ( diffrence is steam focus on steam, and windows manager focus on the pc ) cpu disk network.

Not sure what you are saying, but Network has nothing to do with this considering it is purely install. It has done all the downloading and the network is sat on 0 because it is no longer needed.

[Iceira]

disk near full also can do this last 10% or 200gb will effect disk performance that use more time looking for free space. this is a known pc issue sense last 20 years but most only learn it apox near wista/ win7

even see post with lesser 50% free on boot disk will effect performance, but again depend on how fast they are. or with cache as buffer.

[Art]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

disk near full also can do this last 10% or 200gb will effect disk performance that use more time looking for free space. this is a known pc issue sense last 20 years but most only learn it apox near wista/ win7

I've got 20% free, speeds are absolutely fine doing manual tests, only Steam is slow.

[Iceira]

Originally posted by Art:

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

disk near full also can do this last 10% or 200gb will effect disk performance that use more time looking for free space. this is a known pc issue sense last 20 years but most only learn it apox near wista/ win7

I've got 20% free, speeds are absolutely fine doing manual tests, only Steam is slow.

Try ask Brand harddisk support then, maybe you have other issue.

there is only check disk in the OS , rest is Driver and cable and controll driver or firmware to the SSD

[Art]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

Originally posted by Art:

I've got 20% free, speeds are absolutely fine doing manual tests, only Steam is slow.

Try ask Brand harddisk support then, maybe you have other issue.

I think it's an issue on Steam's side, but thanks for the help anyway!

[Iceira]

Originally posted by Art:

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

Try ask Brand harddisk support then, maybe you have other issue.

I think it's an issue on Steam's side, but thanks for the help anyway!

try steam beta, but if it dont help switch back.

[Art]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

Originally posted by Art:

I think it's an issue on Steam's side, but thanks for the help anyway!

try steam beta, but if it dont help switch back.

Might try this yeah

[Art]

Originally posted by Iceira W10:

Originally posted by Art:

I think it's an issue on Steam's side, but thanks for the help anyway!

try steam beta, but if it dont help switch back.

Seems to be stable now, but still really slow. But at least now it's not up and down up and down.

Thanks for the tip.

[Elucidator]

What are the pc specs, OS, network relates software and connection method?
What services are running on the background? (use resource monitor to check)
Your pc is likely doing something that bottlenecks it at least; if your pc can handle the tasks at once.

The Power Management profile, is it on High Performance?

[Art]

Originally posted by Elucidator:

What are the pc specs, OS, network relates software and connection method?
What services are running on the background? (use resource monitor to check)
Your pc is likely doing something that bottlenecks it at least; if your pc can handle the tasks at once.

The Power Management profile, is it on High Performance?

Yep, all is good. Win10 and like I said before, network doesn't make a difference because of it being only an install. But yeah it's stable too, slow but not shockingly slow (About 3-4MBps, 35mbps).

R5 3600
980ti
12GB RAM
drive in question is a Western Digital blue NVME 1TB SSD.

[Elucidator]

No, I meant like...
data is being send from the server, through the isp, through a... modem?, through a router, through a cable (or wireless) through a specific network interface chip, to a processor, to ram (for a moment) then back, then to a hard drive.
the whole setup basically, and the configurations for whatever is in between.

and that second thing was like "is there anything that slows down your computer as a whole", more or less (therefore causing fluctuations on the download)
Examples of services that can influence this: "Windows Telemetry", "Search Indexing Service", etc. (not that these have a lot of impact on their own, but stacked together, and you have a mess)

If it is not on the PC, it can be on any device between you and the steam servers.
like, the modem or the router or the isp.

If you connect Wirelessly, then the signal can be destabilized by other things such as cellphones, causing the router to reconnect (reestablish a connection) causing fluctuations in the download as well.


Edit: considering the NIC, some publishers (intel, qualcomm) have a software function on their NIC driver software that can cause your Wi-Fi chip to constantly try to make a new connection (in order to optimize it).
Well, if you have a lot of those things, then you get optimization chaos. Your phone does it then your pc does it again and then you phone again, then you pc, etc.
this can cause issues on download speed as well.

Since the NIC is usually soldered on top of the motherboard, even if you mentioned what motherboard it was I could find out more.

[Mad Scientist]

Originally posted by Elucidator:

What are the pc specs, OS, network relates software and connection method?

Finally someone asks the real questions.

The graph looks entirely normal for a part unable to keepup with the download, as we have to constantly tell users that these aren't basic downloads but require I/O due to encryption/compression, which other people mistaken for being exactly the same as anywhere else, we get to threads like these.

If you want more accurate responses, it's best to provide information, OP. Installing an NVME only gives you a high potential speed and sustained speed, it does not magically however, make up for the lack of power from other involved parts or connections.

Originally posted by Art:

Yep, all is good. Win10 and like I said before, network doesn't make a difference because of it being only an install. But yeah it's stable too, slow but not shockingly slow (About 3-4MBps, 35mbps).

R5 3600
980ti
12GB RAM
drive in question is a Western Digital blue NVME 1TB SSD.

You finally gave some information, but not what type of connection; WiFi / Ethernet etc.

You also cropped out too much from the screenshot; is your Steam set to the default MB/s download speed, or did you change it to Mbps? What is the EXACT speeds you're seeing? Provide a full screenshot, this cropped nothing really isn't helping but shows a standard slow to decompress/unpack before going back to a somewhat higher download speed.

Information is key, leaving things out, is entirely unhelpful.

[Art]

Originally posted by Elucidator:

No, I meant like...
data is being send from the server, through the isp, through a... modem?, through a router, through a cable (or wireless) through a specific network interface chip, to a processor, to ram (for a moment) then back, then to a hard drive.
the whole setup basically, and the configurations for whatever is in between.

and that second thing was like "is there anything that slows down your computer as a whole", more or less (therefore causing fluctuations on the download)
Examples of services that can influence this: "Windows Telemetry", "Search Indexing Service", etc. (not that these have a lot of impact on their own, but stacked together, and you have a mess)

If it is not on the PC, it can be on any device between you and the steam servers.
like, the modem or the router or the isp.

If you connect Wirelessly, then the signal can be destabilized by other things such as cellphones, causing the router to reconnect (reestablish a connection) causing fluctuations in the download as well.


Edit: considering the NIC, some publishers (intel, qualcomm) have a software function on their NIC driver software that can cause your Wi-Fi chip to constantly try to make a new connection (in order to optimize it).
Well, if you have a lot of those things, then you get optimization chaos. Your phone does it then your pc does it again and then you phone again, then you pc, etc.
this can cause issues on download speed as well.

Since the NIC is usually soldered on top of the motherboard, even if you mentioned what motherboard it was I could find out more.

I am on a MSI B450A pro max I think, the mATX B450 anyway.

I am connected directly to the router via ethernet, so no wifi interference. Like I said before, Steam beta has stabilised it, eg no more dips and peaks, but now it's just slow, hovering around 15MB/s which isn't great for an M.2 SSD.

[Art]

Originally posted by Mr. Gentlebot:

Originally posted by Elucidator:

What are the pc specs, OS, network relates software and connection method?

Finally someone asks the real questions.

The graph looks entirely normal for a part unable to keepup with the download, as we have to constantly tell users that these aren't basic downloads but require I/O due to encryption/compression, which other people mistaken for being exactly the same as anywhere else, we get to threads like these.

If you want more accurate responses, it's best to provide information, OP. Installing an NVME only gives you a high potential speed and sustained speed, it does not magically however, make up for the lack of power from other involved parts or connections.

Originally posted by Art:

Yep, all is good. Win10 and like I said before, network doesn't make a difference because of it being only an install. But yeah it's stable too, slow but not shockingly slow (About 3-4MBps, 35mbps).

R5 3600
980ti
12GB RAM
drive in question is a Western Digital blue NVME 1TB SSD.

You finally gave some information, but not what type of connection; WiFi / Ethernet etc.

You also cropped out too much from the screenshot; is your Steam set to the default MB/s download speed, or did you change it to Mbps? What is the EXACT speeds you're seeing? Provide a full screenshot, this cropped nothing really isn't helping but shows a standard slow to decompress/unpack before going back to a somewhat higher download speed.

Information is key, leaving things out, is entirely unhelpful.

To reiterate, I am talking solely on installation speeds, there is NO download taking place. Nothing.

I am on ethernet.