Spinning Beachball when using Apacer SSD Panther AS340 960Gb

maizblues wrote:

From the DriveDX report:

SMART Error Log Version: 1

Warning: ATA error count 0 inconsistent with error log pointer 1

Not a good sign.

From the DriveDX report:

Error 0 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 0 hours (0 days + 0 hours)

Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:

CR FR SC SN CL CH DH DC Powered_Up_Time Command/Feature_Name

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---------------- --------------------

b0 d5 01 06 4f c2 00 00 00:00:00.000 SMART READ LOG

Error -1 occurred at disk power-on lifetime: 0 hours (0 days + 0 hours)

After command completion occurred, registers were:

04 51 00 00 00 00 40 Error: ABRT

Commands leading to the command that caused the error were:

b0 d0 01 00 4f c2 00 08 00:00:00.000 SMART READ DATA

It seems like the hardware Secure Erase "fixed" the drive enough to show some logging errors. The drive's SMART log isn't working correctly here. The error numbers should be increasing in a positive direction and not have any negative values, plus those errors all occurred at 0 hours which isn't true. Plus there are the actual errors themselves.

I just had a brand new OWC SSD which uses the same (or at least very similar SSD controller to the Apacer) which has issues logging SMART errors as well and is being replaced under warranty.

Also attribute #195 HW ECC Recovered has increased a bit more since your earlier report.

Get the APacer SSD replaced under warranty. You can show Apacer the two different DriveDX reports for before and after the ATA Secure Erase.

There is one UDMA CRC Error which is usually an issue with the SATA cable, but there is only one error.

The rest of the SMART attributes look Ok, although there are a few which are unknown because the vendor hasn't published the specifications. I think this is the same controller the recent OWC SSDs use as the same attributes are unknown and the firmware version is in a similar format. I really don't know why these manufacturers bother to provide SMART attributes if cannot be bothered to publish the specifications so the attributes can be useful.

I have had a couple of the more recent OWC SSDs have some odd problems. I'm not aware of any performance issues, but there have been some firmware issues. I'm not a fan of this SSD controller.

I would remove the SSD and boot it externally using a USB to SATA Adapter/dock/enclosure. This will do two things. It will eliminate the internal hard drive cable as the problem (I know you replaced it) and it will also eliminate a compatibility issue with the SSD and the MBPro's SATA controller.

The only other thing you can do is try a hardware Secure Erase which will reset the SSD to factory defaults and restore any lost performance. I've also had the Secure Erase fix odd SSD issues as well. The easiest way is to create a bootable Parted Magic USB drive using Etcher (Mac/Windows/Linux). Option Boot the Parted Magic USB drive and select the orange icon labeled "EFI". On the Parted Magic desktop there should be an icon for erasing drives. Within the app, you want to select the "ATA Secure Erase" option. Do not select the "slow" erase option as it will not reset the SSD and will just cause undue wear to the SSD and it will just make the problem worse. The ATA Secure Erase should only take a few minutes to complete. You can get the last free version of Parted Magic from the MajorGeek's mirror link here.

Just make sure to backup your data first since the Secure Erase will wipe all data from the drive with no hope of recovery.

DriveDX should allow you to run the SSD's internal selftest. I believe the trial period only allows you to run the short selftest. You might be able to bypass this limitation by using the Terminal and running the command manually using the following format where I'm assuming DriveDX is located in the Applications folder so adjust the path accordingly:

sudo  /Applications/DriveDX.app/Contents/Resources/smartctl  -t  long  /dev/disk0

To view the results of the selftest wait at least until the estimated time has expired as reported in the output of the previous command, then you can run the following command:

sudo  /Applications/DriveDX.app/Contents/Resources/smartctl  -l  selftest  /dev/disk0

I don't have access to a Mac at the moment, so the path to the "smartctl" tool inside the DriveDX app may be not be correct. "smartctl" may be located in yet another sub-folder.

Make sure to keep us updated so it will help other users.

OMG their website is awful to navigate. Plus their OS independent firmware updater appears to use DOS so it will not boot on UEFI only systems like a Mac unless the updater can be burned to a CD.

Do you have TRIM enabled? If not, then you may need to Option Boot and let the laptop sit at the Apple boot picker menu overnight so that the SSD's internal garbage collection routines have time to run and hopefully finish their housekeeping duties to restore performance. If you don't use TRIM, then you should uncheck "Put hard disk to sleep when possible" in the Energy Saver System Preferences so the SSD's garbage collection can work when the SSD and laptop are idle.

If you want to check the health of the SSD, you can use DriveDX assuming this SSD supports SMART. I'm not sure how accurate DriveDX is for reporting the health of an SSD. The DriveDX report may contain useful information if SMART is supported. There is also an option to run the drive's internal selftest if supported by the SSD. Feel free to post the DriveDX report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

If you don't have a software issue and the above does not help, then the only other possibility is to try a hardware based Secure Erase which if supported by the SSD should reset it to factory defaults and restore any lost performance. It can also get an SSD out of any weird states it may be in.

If you have not done so since enabling TRIM, you should restart your Mac in Safe Mode (hold shift at startup) and allow it to complete its automatic disk check as it starts up. You will need your Userid and password to log in, even if you normally auto-login.

When you turn TRIM on, that sets a parameter in that instance of MacOS, but it does not remove the OLD unused data blocks at that time.

When you invoke Safe Mode, the setting of TRIM in your instance of MacOS is honored, and the automatic Disk Repair in Safe Mode will TRIM what may be a whole lot of unused data from your Boot SSD that may be slowing your Mac.

It is easy to do and only takes about five minutes, so it is definitely worth a try. When you next restart in regular mode, it will take a moment longer [once] because some caches are rebuilt.

You've changed the SATA cable and the computer functions normally with an internal hard drive but not the SSD? Replace the SSD. I trust Crucial Tech SSDs and SSDs from macsales.com

If it is indeed the SSD it might be defective and therefore replaceable under warranty. I'm not familiar with the brand but I do know some SSDs aren't entirely compatible with older Macs. The vendor should be willing to replace with a different brand.

maizblues wrote:

HWTech,

1- Cable issue, I just change the new one, and it actually works well when using the old Hdd.

Whether it works with the hard drive is somewhat irrelevant. A lot of users only find out the hard drive cable is defective after using an SSD. Even though you did install a new cable, there is always a slight chance the cable could be somewhat defective which is only noticeable when using the SSD. Do you still have the original Apple drive cable to test with the SSD?

You have the required 6GB of RAM to avoid slowness, but there is another factor showing on your report. Your battery has been through over 2300 charge cycles and shows status replace now.

When the battery is working properly and is charged, the Mac can "borrow" extra needed power from the battery, and can run at top speed on power adapter without fear of overdrawing the power and shutting the Mac down on power overdraw.

If the battery condition is not good, software deliberately slows your Mac down, since running too fast or doing things that are too demanding can cause a sudden power shortage, and an emergency power-down on overdraw.

You may need to replace that battery to get your speed back. OWC.net sells respected replacements.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

You may need to replace that battery to get your speed back. OWC.net sells respected replacements.

The battery is the same as in the mid-2012 model that's still a current model. I know theoretically they've discontinued hardware support, but I don't think it would hurt to ask. I know the battery replacement is pretty easy, but all in all I'd think an OEM battery would be preferred.

In summary:

You appear to be using an SSD device that is far off the beaten path, and will have to blaze the trail yourself if you want to keep using this device.