Defraggler allows you to create a benchmark of your entire drive. This is done by running a "random read performance” test of your drive's read speed.
It is also possible to benchmark individual files from the File list tab – just right-click the file in question > Choose Benchmark.
You may then compare this information to the manufacturer’s specifications for your drive. You can typically find that information by searching for the model number of your drive in your preferred search engine.
Comparing this information to the manufacturer's specifications will show you:
- If your drive is running as fast as it should be.
- If your drive is not at optimal performance.
This function may be safely used on solid-state drives, and indeed, solid-state drives will typically report much higher values than conventional hard drives in this test, as the data on these drives may be read much more quickly.
NOTE: It is normal for this value to vary slightly, as the test has a random component. Averaging together a small number of runs will give the best view of a drive’s overall performance.
To monitor the read performance of your drive over time, you can view the ‘Statistics’ tab for this drive, which will record the performance of the drive when doing certain tasks such as Analyzing or Defragmenting the drive; the bar graph for the drive may be moused over to view the average performance recorded during benchmarking for the selected period of time (such as ‘This Month’ or ‘This Year’).