Severe SSD and M.2 issues across multiple Kingston drives — performance drops to 0 KB/s and drives eventually become unusable

Understanding Persistent SSD Failures: A Closer Look at Kingston Drive Compatibility and Performance Issues

In the realm of computer storage, SSDs (Solid State Drives) are prized for their speed and reliability. However, some users encounter perplexing and persistent issues that challenge these expectations. A recent case highlights the troubling scenario of multiple Kingston SSDs—both SATA and M.2—experiencing severe performance degradation and eventual failure across different system setups.

The User Experience: Repeated Drive Failures Across Multiple Units

The individual involved purchased three Kingston drives over several months: two SATA SSDs and one M.2 NVMe drive. Despite the different models and purchase times, all experienced a similar pattern of failure:

Initial Performance: When first installed, the drives functioned normally, providing expected high speeds and stable performance.
Emergence of Issues: After operating for some time—often during activities such as file transfers, downloads, or gaming—the drives’ speeds plummeted to 0 KB/s. During these episodes, system freezes occurred, and the drives became unresponsive or undetectable by Windows.
Intermittent Recovery: Rebooting temporarily restored drive detection but did not resolve the underlying problem, which tended to reoccur.
Progressive Deterioration: Over continued use, the drives’ reliability diminished further. Windows would eventually refuse to read from or write to the drives altogether, suggesting severe malfunction or internal failure.

Troubleshooting Attempts and System Specifications

The user employed several troubleshooting strategies:

Performing multiple clean Windows installations.
Upgrading the motherboard to a Gigabyte B550M DS3H AC (revision 1.5).
Using different SATA cables and ports.
Testing drives via USB adapters.

Despite these efforts, the issues persisted consistently across different hardware configurations, indicating a problem that may extend beyond single-unit defect.

System Hardware Summary: