If you have a Mac mini (2018) with FileVault turned on, make sure to connect your primary display directly to Mac mini during startup. After you log in and see the macOS Desktop, you can unplug the display from Mac mini and connect it to your eGPU.
SSDs are gradually intruding into the HDD market and replacing the role of regular hard disks in laptops and high-end desktops. Solid State Devices are offering high performance compared to traditional spinning hard disks. This flash-based memory device is consuming less battery power to read and write data with relatively high-speed that guarantee more battery life for your laptops.
The SSD system will boot will be ready to start work in seconds. If you have apps installed on SSD, the drive loads your apps faster and copies Gigabytes of data within a few seconds. SSDs are offering high performance, high-speed and less power consumption. Since this is a new technology, still SSDs are lagging behind hard disks in terms of lifespan and reliability.
Here is the list of best Windows and Mac Free Tools to Check SSD Health and Monitor Performance.
Crystal Disk Info
Crystal Disk Info helps you to monitor Solid State Hard Disk’s health status and temperature. You can use this tool to check your SSD and other Hard Disk types. Once you have installed this tool, this tool can monitor your system hard disk performance in real-time while you working on the system.
This tool can check your disk’s Read and Write speed and S.M.A.R.T. In addition to this, this open source SSD tool can project a lot of information about your SSD. This software can show you the error rates of the disk including “read error rate”. The performance measuring scales like seek time performance, throughput performance, etc. can be viewed in real-time with total Power-on time.
Key Features:
- SSD Details (Firmware, Supported Features, Power On Hours, etc.)
- S.M.A.R.T. Information (Read Error Rate, Seek Time Performance, Power Cycle Count, etc.)
- Automatic Acoustic Management (AAM)/APM Control.
- Alert Mail and Alarm Options.
- Support most of the SSD Drives
Download for: Windows | Free
Read: Best External SSD for Mac, Windows and Android Device.
Smartmonotools
The Smartmontools package contains two utility programs (smartctl and smartd) to control and monitor your hard disk. This tool is offering the real-time monitoring of your Hard Disk. Smartmonotools can analyze and warn you about potential disk degradation and failure.
Smartmontools supports ATA/ATAPI/SATA-3 to -8 disks and SCSI disks and tape devices. This disk tool can run on Mac OS X, Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, OS/2, Cygwin, QNX, eComStation, Windows and runs from a Live CD.
Key Features:
- Real-time SSD performance monitoring
- Disk failure and degradation alert
- Supports all PC platforms
- Support most of the SSD Drives
Download for: Windows | Mac | Linux | Live CD | Free
Related: 10 Best PC Benchmark Software for Windows
Hard Disk Sentinel
HDSentinel is a hard disk monitoring software that supports Windows, Linux and Dos. This SSD monitoring tool is built to find, test, diagnose and repair SSD problems. Disk Sentinel is also capable to display SSD health. Whether it is an internal or external SSD connected with USB or e-SATA, this tool can scan and recognize your SSD problems and generate reports with the possible fix to solve the errors.
After you install Hard Disk Sentinel, the tool runs in the background and check the SSD health status and warns the user if found any error. This SSD Monitoring tool can measure the disk transfer speed in real time which can be used as a benchmark or to detect possible hard disk failures, performance degradations.
Key Features:
- Test and diagnosis of SSD errors.
- General error reports
- Run in the background in real-time
- Benchmark tool to alert performance degradations.
- Support most of the SSD Drives
Download the free version: Windows | Linux | DOS | Free
Download Premium Version: Standard | Professional | Professional Family | 30% Off Link | Paid
Intel Solid-State Drive Toolbox
The Intel Solid-State Drive Toolbox is drive management software that allows you to monitor your drive health, estimated drive life remaining and S.M.A.R.T. Attributes. This SSD Toolbox can run quick and full diagnostic scans to test the read and write functionality of an Intel SSD.
This tool can optimize the performance of an Intel SSD using Trim functionality and update the firmware on a supported Intel SSD. You can check and tune your system settings for optimal Intel SSD performance, power efficiency, and endurance. This tool supports a Secure Erase of your secondary Intel SSD. If you are looking for a new SSD, here is a couple of SSDs from Amazon that seems like best sellers.
Key Features:
- Monitor Drive health.
- Estimate SSD drive life.
- S.M.A.R.T. attributes even for non-intel drives.
- Trim functionality
- Performance boost feature.
- Most features are available for Intel SSD Drives
Download for: Windows | Mac | Linux | Free
Crystal Disk Mark
If you need a real benchmarking tool to test your hard disk, Crystal Disk Mark is the right tool. This tool can test your Hard Disk in Sequential Reads/Writes, Random Reads/Writes and QD32 Modes.
If you want to compare your SSD performance, Read/Write speed in random and sequential with other manufacturers, or want to confirm your SSD is offering the same performance manufacturer specified, this is going to be the best open source tool to check the disk or multiple disks based on their read-write performance.
Key Features:
- SSD Details (Firmware, Supported Features, Power On Hours, etc.)
- SSD benchmarking and monitor performance.
- Compare SSD performance with standard data.
Download for: Windows | Free Best servers for minecraft.
Samsung Magician
Samsung Magician software features simple, graphical indicators show SSD health status and Total Bytes Written (TBW) at a glance. You can decide SATA and AHCI compatibility and status. The updated Benchmarking feature lets users test and SSDs to compare performance and speed. This tool can use to optimize your Samsung SSD with three different profiles like Maximum Performance, Maximum Capacity, and Maximum Reliability along with detailed descriptions of each OS setting.
Samsung Magician tools let you check the sequential and random read/write speeds. This tool helps to optimize SSD, make sure your system is running always fast and up to the benchmark. The additional option can check TBW (Total Bytes Written), to assess the overall health and estimated remaining lifespan of your SSD. The system Compatibility Check to make sure no conflict with the SSD. The system and Secure Erase allows to wipe out the SSD securely to avoid and sensitive data loss. If you are a Mac user, you are out of luck with this tool, Samsung magic is available only for Windows.
Key Features:
- SSD Details (Firmware, Serial Number, Power On Hours, etc.)
- S.M.A.R.T. Information
- Log temperature
- SSD drive lifetime check.
- Health monitoring
- Disk Error Information Check
- Most features are available for Samsung SSD Drives
Download for: Windows | Linux | Free
Crucial Storage Executive
Crucial SSD tool is a free SSD software to optimize the SSD performance. It can automatically update curial SSD firmware, perform an SSD health check and tweak for the best performanc.e. If you are worried about the security of your data, you can directly set or reset disk encryption password from Crucial SSD Software dashboard. Crucial offer the Momentum Cache feature the SSD operations unto 10 times faster. The software support only Windows at this moment.
Key Features:
- Firmware update.
- Monitor SSD’s operating temperature.
- Real-time monitoring of SSD health.
- Features support for Crucial SSD Drives.
Download for: Windows | Free
Toshiba SSD Utility
SSD Utility is for Toshiba Drives, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based tool for managing OCZ SSDs. The dashboard provides a real-time overview of system status, capacity, interface, health, etc.
In addition to this real-time overview, the tool keeps update SSD firmware. Toshiba Utility can show you how much life left in the SSD, and correct the modes to achieve the best performance of SSD. The SSD tuner lets you tune the SSD for long-term life. The Toshiba SSD utility let you find out if your SSD is hooked up to the suitable ports. This SSD Utility can set in the correct modes to achieve high performance.
Key Features:
- Real-time overviews of the system status
- SSD health information
- The life expectancy of SSD
- Tweak for high performance
- OS Tuner to chose SSD operate-mode
- Most features are available for Toshiba SSD Drives
Download for: Windows | Mac | Free
Kingston SSD Manager
Kingston SSD manager is designed for Kingston SSD users to monitor the performance and health status. The software can be used to update the SSD firmware, disk usage check, disk over provision, etc. The Kingston software can securely erase all data from the SSSD without any trace to score all your information. The software support only Windows.
Best money management software for mac 2015. The personal finance accounting software supports pie diagrams and line graphs to show income, personal investing and other transactions. With this data, you can see where your cash is going and also helps get essential information of deciding where to cut back in order to save.
Key Features:
- SSD Drive details (Model name, firmware version, etc.)
- Monitor drive health in real-time.
- Disk usage log.
- View and export SSD health report.
- Designed for Kingston SSD.
Download for: Windows | Free
SSD Life
SSD Life is a dedicated tool for Solid State Drives. This tool can measure your SSD’s lifespan. You can back up your data before your SSD take its last breath. This is the best tool to install on your computer and monitor SSD’s health. SSD Life can display the disk data in real-time to inform you about any critical defects. SSDLife is checked with most of the SSD drives to check compatibility. This SSD tool can work with most SSD manufacturers such as Kingston, OCZ, Apple MacBook Air built-in SSD.
Key Features:
- Drive details (Trim support, Firmware, etc.)
- SSD health status
- Lifetime calculation of SSD
- Support most of the SSD Drives
Download for: Windows (free trial)
SsdReady
Do you ever wonder how long your SSD is going to last? This is a tool you must have to install on your computer and let it run in the background. This tool track daily Writes and the total usage of your SSD on a daily basis. SSDReady tool can predict how long your SSD going to live. This will give you enough time to prepare and shop around for next SSD. In addition to this, this Solid Disk tool can feedback you what to optimize if it finds too many disks writes, to extend your SSD life.
Key Features:
- Drive details (Trim support, Firmware, etc.)
- Predict lifetime of SSD
- Support most of the SSD Drives
Download for: Windows
SSDs are more fragile than HDs when you compare the lifespan. However, these tools let you check the performance and lifespan of the drive. For Mac users, there are not many tools available to maintain and check performance for SSD. Most of the tools are build for Windows users. However, we listed the best SSD Tools for Mac to Maintain SSD Drive.
There are several tools available to Tweak SSD or enable TRIM on SSD to improve performance. These tools are recommended to use if you see any performance issue while working on your system with SSD. There are SSDTweker and TRIM Enabler to try on your SSD for performance improvement and we provided the list of tools on Tools to Tweak SSD article.
Once you made up your mind to buy SSD, please see our recommended list of SSDs for Mac, if you own a Windows system, please refer the list for best Solid State Drives for Windows. It is always better to keep an eye on your SSD. Install at least one SSD health monitoring tool for your laptop. To be safe, keep a backup disc for the entire system. Backup up your computer once in a month or a week based on your computer use.
This app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices.
Description
#1 best-selling iPad app in US, Japan, UK, Germany, and 17 other countries!
Duet turns your iPad or iPhone into the most advanced extra display for your Mac & PC. Developed by a team of ex-Apple engineers, Duet offers unparalleled performance and display quality - all with zero lag.
— DO MORE —
Be twice as productive by multitasking with two screens. And for those that travel, have a portable way to stay productive.
— INCREDIBLY SIMPLE —
To get started, plug your iPad into your desktop using your charging cable. The free Duet desktop app will automatically detect your device, and transform it into a high performance touchscreen display.
There’s no need to worry about unreliable Wi-Fi, laggy performance, pixelated screens or managing network passwords.
— TOUCHSCREEN —
Interact with Mac & PC like never before, with touch & gestures, including two-finger scrolling, pan and zoom.
And with our latest release, you can even add a touch bar to any iPad with any Mac.
— PERFECT FOR APPLE PENCIL —
With Duet Pro, you can turn your iPad and Apple Pencil into a professional graphics tablet. We’ve re-engineered our rendering algorithms for ultra-responsive drawing, optimized specifically for designers, illustrators and artists.
Duet Pro also unlocks pressure & tilt sensitivity, hover, palm rejection, and more to seamlessly draw in the most powerful programs for professionals. Get precise control in Photoshop, Corel Painter, Lightroom, ToonBoom, Illustrator, Manga Studio and more.
— PRESS —
TechCrunch - 'Feels Like Magic'
TIME - 'Getting Work Done Faster and More Efficiently'
The Guardian - 'Lag-free'
Forbes - 'The simple thing to note is this..Duet Display works.'
The Verge - 'Glorious Fluidity'
Lifehacker - 'It's fast, easy to use, and works great'
Business Insider - 'Zero lag and true retina resolution”
Wall Street Journal - “It’s as easy as just plugging it in'
— REVIEWS —
“Awesome! My iPad Pro can be an extra monitor! Cool app”
~CEO of T-Mobile, John Legere
“Very smooth and responsive indeed, plus you could use the touch screen to “click” on screen interfaces!”
~Photographer, Lok Cheung
“Love the ability to use my iPad as a monitor with Duet.”
~Former Chief Evangelist of Apple, Guy Kawasaki
“Just started using this app called Duet… Kinda love it so far.”
~Comedian and Youtube, Phillip DeFranco
“All my mac folks look at the Duet app… GREAT!”
~Actor and Comedian, Sinbad
'I really like the app, I suppose the biggest compliment I can give is that it's so easy to setup it almost seems like an Apple product.”
~Early Adopter, M. Nightingale
'Amazing solution for me by the way. Works as I was hoping for and actually my main reason for getting an iPad : )”
~Early Adopter, M. Gemzoe
Duet Works With:
All iPhones and iPads with iOS 7.0 and later
All Macs with 10.9 (Mavericks) and later
All PCs with Windows 7 and later
Duet Pro Works With:
All iPad Pros with Apple Pencil
All Macs with 10.9 (Mavericks) and later
All PCs with Windows 8.1 and later (64 bit)
Duet Pro is an optional upgrade for additional features, and price may vary by location. Duet Pro subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will not be able to cancel the subscription once activated. Manage Duet Pro in Account Settings after the optional upgrade.
Learn more at http://www.duetdisplay.com
Terms: https://help.duetdisplay.com/duet-terms-services
Privacy Policy: https://help.duetdisplay.com/duet-privacy-policy
What’s New
New Hardware Acceleration for Mac (requires Mojave 10.14.2)
Adaptive line lead for Pro users - line lead now matches the color and shape of your stroke
New iPad Pro support
Fix for mirroring
Stability fixes
Please download the latest desktop apps from our website for the best experience
Mac v2.0.7.4+ - https://www.duetdisplay.com/mac
Windows v1.6.1.8+ - https://www.duetdisplay.com/windows
Mac Mini with 3 Monitors At Last
I have a 2012 version Mac Mini, the last version that permitted hardware customization. I’m running it with 16 GB RAM and two drives, one an SSD; all after market add-ons. It’s connected to two 1920x1200 monitors. There are times that I would like to have a third monitor, but that’s not an option. Believe me, I have researched it.
Duet Display has provided the 3rd monitor solution, with my iPad Air 2. I regularly research and write. With Word in one window and Excel in another, it’s nice to have access to Safari to check things. It took 5 minutes to set up the location of the iPad screen, by default it was between the two monitors, and set the iPad’s resolution. It was important to set the proper resolution, enough to match 1920x1200 monitors so that I could drag applications to the iPad, but still large enough to be legible.
I’m totally delighted with the results. I was not interested in upgrading to a newer Mac Mini, or iMac, because of the cost and the customization limitations. I also prefer discrete monitors rather than creating windows in a high resolution monitor. It’s more comfortable working with two 24” 1920x1200 monitors than even a 27” 5K monitor.
Sooooo slow with updates
I use a windows 10 laptop along with an iPad Air 2. I’ve had issues with duet display disconnecting frequently while watching videos or surfing the web while using this app, but I just assumed that was due to my slow laptop.
Fast forward to early Nov 2017, I got a new laptop with top of the line specs. It worked fine for a few days and then my laptop automatically installed the Creators update. After that, the app just got stuck in “Launching” for the longest time. I emailed tech support and they had me do all these silly things, and after all that they told me, “oh by the way, unfortunately our app is having some issues with the Creators update and so it won’t run right now. We are expecting a fix in a week.”
First off, shouldn’t that have been the first thing to ask me instead of having me waste my time collecting “analytics” for the app? And then, to make matters worse, it has been over 2 weeks since the rep told me the fix would roll out in a week. I looked up when the Creators update was first released, and it has been almost 2 months! Does this mean that their engineers have been working diligently for 2 months on this and they still don’t have a fix? Either they are really incompetent or they just don’t care about their Windows 10 customers. Until they become more responsive with their Windows 10 updates, I would stay away from this app, for those of you not using an apple computer.
Developer Response,
So sorry for your trouble, we're working as fast as possible to fix the current issue with the latest Windows Creator update. We will be releasing a solid fix soon.
Internet Plug In For Mac
Maybe with the iPad Pro 12' and a relatively small Mac but..
I have an iPad Pro 10.5 and when matched with my 27' iMac, the screen size and resolution on my iPad makes the interface so small as to be nearly useless. I can see how this app's pro version would be useful when matching a 12' iPad Pro model with a MacBook given the relative similarities in size. I was hopeful that I would be able to use my iPad Pro and Pencil as a suitable tablet substitute with my iMac but that doesn't seem to be the case. Also, given the relative high horsepower of both my iMac and my iPad, there seems to be a significant amount of lag which makes interactions a bit too problematic. There's far more lag than one would expect using devices that have as much processing horsepower as both of these devices have especially with a direct USB connection.
Update: Having just tried to use the Pro version, the screen size issue remains. While it is possible to pinch-zoom on the drawing in SketchBook, the tool panes remain tiny unlike Astropad, which not only zooms the drawing, it also zooms the tool panes as well. There is very significant and problematic lag as well. Gesture inputs from the iPad result in late and very jerky responses in my iMac. Given that this is a wired connection, the lag issue is inexcusable. In short, the app needs a great deal of work and improvement.
Information
Google Drive Plug In For Mac
Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese
- Duet Pro$29.99
- Duet Air (Annual)$19.99
- Duet Pro$3.99
Java
Supports
Silverlight Plug In For Mac
Family Sharing
With Family Sharing set up, up to six family members can use this app.