Steam 100% disk usage at only 1mb/s?

[lunchbox549]

I'm using a WD Blue SN570 500GB SSD and only Steam downloads create this issue. I have run tests on the SSD and no issues. Battlenet also has no issues using full disk speed and disk usage at a regular amount in task manager. In steam during patching it will spike to maybe 13mb/s then ramp down to barely 1kb/s still saying disk usage at 100% in task manager. I've set steam to priority and no other programs are using the disk. Network speed around 500mb/s. The download will be very fast but then when it's patching the SSD will turn into a turd for some reason. Again this is only on Steam and I'm not sure why. Anybody else have this issue?

[Jerry]

Steam downloads are pretty demanding, as the installation happens "on the fly". Files are written, unpacked, processed and installed at once.
If your hard drive or CPU cannot keep up with what your network is delivering, you get those regular dropoffs. Happens to many people with fast internet connections around here. If you are feeling uneasy about it, consider limiting your download speed on Steam or doing the downloading on a faster machine and copying it over to yours later.

[lunchbox549]

CPU usage is only at 2% it's an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X 8 core. Would this just be a Steam issue then and no way to fix?

[Satoru]

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

CPU usage is only at 2% it's an AMD Ryzen 7 3800X 8 core. Would this just be a Steam issue then and no way to fix?

Steam patching is disk and cpu intensive. Look at your disk utilization while patching and you’ll likely see it capped at 100%

[lunchbox549]

Yes, that is what the issue is. SSD usage is at 100% when patching only at 1mb/s. But other platforms like Battlenet do not have this issue and the SSD can easily get to speeds of 300mb/s without saying the disk usage is at 100%. This only happens in Steam and I am not sure why

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

How download works on steam, is depending how the game dev package their games, and patches / updates.

You have two bars when viewing download.
- Blue bar for Download.
- Green bar for unpacking, or overwriting.

Devs can choose to send package raw but not idea at all, which why games downloads are compress, which why game has to unpack when download.

For updates this depends how devs can apply updates to their games.
- Simple unzip, overwrite, and finish.
- Unzip, unpack game file, overwrite, repack game file, and finish.
- Possibly both depending on the dev how they made their game.

The 2nd part takes longer, may even see low writes speed, is because it either un/re-packing file, now I didn't talk about multiple packages download, as depending on the game dev they might download one pack at a time, unpack, and do the stuff it need to do, then download the next pack, until finished, some devs just do it in one big pack.

Reason to compress game file, is to save storage on drive, but if get raw, then game may be upwards of 3x it size, example a 10GB game that compress can be like 20GB if it wasn't compress at all.

So it just depends how game devs package their game overall.

[Satoru]

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

Yes, that is what the issue is. SSD usage is at 100% when patching only at 1mb/s. But other platforms like Battlenet do not have this issue and the SSD can easily get to speeds of 300mb/s without saying the disk usage is at 100%. This only happens in Steam and I am not sure why

Steam's patching process worsk like this

1) a small delta patch is downloaded
2) the system reads the original file
3) the system then calculates what parts of the original file need to be changed
4) the system writes out the new file using these calculations

This is all disk and cpu intensive.

The #1 bottleneck for steam's patching process is your anti-virus obliterating the patching performance by scanning every single byte that gets written. Whitelist steam and steam files from your anti-virus

[M i k i]

change PC

[Deadshot]

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

I'm using a WD Blue SN570 500GB SSD and only Steam downloads create this issue. I have run tests on the SSD and no issues. Battlenet also has no issues using full disk speed and disk usage at a regular amount in task manager. In steam during patching it will spike to maybe 13mb/s then ramp down to barely 1kb/s still saying disk usage at 100% in task manager. I've set steam to priority and no other programs are using the disk. Network speed around 500mb/s. The download will be very fast but then when it's patching the SSD will turn into a turd for some reason. Again this is only on Steam and I'm not sure why. Anybody else have this issue?

Hello. Did you find a solution yet?
I have the same problem with the same SSD. Running on Ryzen 7600X.

[lunchbox549]

Originally posted by Deadshot:

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

Hello. Did you find a solution yet?
I have the same problem with the same SSD. Running on Ryzen 7600X.

Nope still haven't figured it out. I haven't been able to find anything that works even after trying every suggestion

[Iceira]

No you have not tried every suggestion, there is simple a limt, in how to explan how disk works, you are in faulty finding progress, thats not same as other suggest you what if this and that, have you checked with other disk or check disk in other pc,

This is to ruleout you pc have a issue or disk work fine in other pc. because you can blaim own software or the option you did or not did in current pc, thats fine by me, but maybe explan alot if disk is not a issue on other pc, and this is own pc that cause this, and dont come back with i did not know what write behind cache is or not or cable issue or disk itself.

If you talk with own Brand Hard disk support , they give a ratts butt about you OS issue, they see and test disk every day in such place , and they only look at hardware, do it work as it was build for, and its here its either a Yes or NO.

I know you do not like the reply, but there is a reason someone should tell you this. because do product hold what it was made for, and thats not same as user do things or made it worse.

ps.
Do note i have seen weak server pc here at steam, they think they can play games on such piece of trash, because some point in time a server was faster in throughput, but they forgot the cou and gpu issue with it. i did not say you have such, but as i point out, not all is seem as a standard pc. and about steam healper above here point out alot of the things. that most user forget, steam use all device in our pc. if they could use GPU to unpack data i bet they will have done so. ( they have done this seen modem age, things is compressed for max service output and i doubt they will ever go away from this, same as pre-allocation of space. )

that day you can proof its not a advange any more, untill then they will not bend to shall we call it steam core rules.

and i can tell you this, in network if you cant recive data fast enough, then its You that tell steam server hold reduce speed, this is fact and not even to debat, so seen from a network point of view , work as intended, so whatever that is is in your end, test with other pc then to ruleout network transfer issue and same time you just proof steam and ISP is not the issue.

there are many ways to try solve process of faulty findding, i use such everyday, my issue, or ISP, or steam in other end. ( dont forget work with IT, and its just a tool to fast narrow down where issue is, has nothing to do with this case, but seen as help with where do this issue is coming from. ( so technicaly you can say i will always narrow things down and get target, problem is i have a borderline, and can be seen as not my problem what happend at CPE end customerhas under 3 minute of free service while my laptop shutdown. rest is customer own IT department issue, and you can find alot of things on 3 minute if customer give green GO while it happend, and if you knew howf many times i have seen error within that time.

anyway, try see that device as test subject in other pc or use spare pc to test line, whatever works here.

thats the problem with 1 pc only and what cause this.
any production worker on any production line know this, then 10 unit is made and 1 do not live up to the others, ppl can learn alot about this, test with spare pc.

gl with it.

[blevins]

Originally posted by Satoru:

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

Yes, that is what the issue is. SSD usage is at 100% when patching only at 1mb/s. But other platforms like Battlenet do not have this issue and the SSD can easily get to speeds of 300mb/s without saying the disk usage is at 100%. This only happens in Steam and I am not sure why

Steam's patching process worsk like this

1) a small delta patch is downloaded
2) the system reads the original file
3) the system then calculates what parts of the original file need to be changed
4) the system writes out the new file using these calculations

This is all disk and cpu intensive.

The #1 bottleneck for steam's patching process is your anti-virus obliterating the patching performance by scanning every single byte that gets written. Whitelist steam and steam files from your anti-virus

Hey how do you whitelist steam on antivirus?

[Deadshot]

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

Nope still haven't figured it out. I haven't been able to find anything that works even after trying every suggestion

You might have got it to work by now... But I'll tell you how i got it "fixed". You just need to disable disk write caching:
Go to "Device Manager"-> Expand Disk Drives -> Right click the Ssd and select properties -> policies tab -> You can uncheck "Enable write caching".

Hope I could help someone :)

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by pooch:

Originally posted by Satoru:

Steam's patching process worsk like this

1) a small delta patch is downloaded
2) the system reads the original file
3) the system then calculates what parts of the original file need to be changed
4) the system writes out the new file using these calculations

This is all disk and cpu intensive.

The #1 bottleneck for steam's patching process is your anti-virus obliterating the patching performance by scanning every single byte that gets written. Whitelist steam and steam files from your anti-virus

Hey how do you whitelist steam on antivirus?

Depends on your particular product, really. Search for "|product name| how to whitelist". Generally, it's somewhere in settings.

[Elucidator]

It maybe the same bug that I have seen with other users.
Try disabling write caching on the device and see if that makes a difference.

Originally posted by Deadshot:

Hope I could help someone :)

You should fix your quote, didn't notice you already offered this option.

Disabling this setting, and re-enabling it may also fix the issue.
Keep in mind that if it is caused by this setting, it is a bug.
I heard in another thread that not just Steam is affected, but also any Diagnostics tool that would scan the SSD for issues.

I recommend contacting Western Digital about the issue.

[Abu Ra3d Gorilla]

Originally posted by Deadshot:

Originally posted by lunchbox549:

Nope still haven't figured it out. I haven't been able to find anything that works even after trying every suggestion

You might have got it to work by now... But I'll tell you how i got it "fixed". You just need to disable disk write caching:
Go to "Device Manager"-> Expand Disk Drives -> Right click the Ssd and select properties -> policies tab -> You can uncheck "Enable write caching".

Hope I could help someone :)

nice thank you i have same issue but now ssd works fine