HD Speed is a portable utility that can measure the burst speed or sustained data transfer rates of your CD/DVD-ROMs, hard drives, solid state drives (SSD), and even floppy disks. It’s especially useful for benchmarking older hardware or verifying performance on newly installed drives. HD Speed presents this data via a clean, lightweight, and simple to use graphical interface.
HD Speed | Drive Speed Tester
One of the best things about HD Speed is that it requires no installation; it can be launched directly from a portable device such as a USB flash drive, making it a perfect companion for on the go go technicians or users managing multiple systems.
Features:
- Measure burst rate and sustained data transfer speeds
- Supports HDDs, SSDs, optical drives (CD/DVD-ROM), and legacy floppy drives
- Portable: no installation required
- Lightweight and easy to use interface
- Real-time graph display of read speeds
- Works well on older and modern versions of Windows
Use Cases:
- Test old hardware to determine usability or potential failure
- Compare performance between internal and external drives
- Identify slow transfer issues or bottlenecks
- Verify read speeds after cloning or imaging disks
How to Use:
- Download the ZIP file and extract it to a folder
- Run the executable (
HD_Speed.exe) - Select the drive you want to test from the dropdown menu
- Click "Start" to begin measuring the data transfer speed
Tip: Make sure no other programs are actively reading/writing to the drive during testing for more accurate results.
- Author's Website: Project Page
- License: Freeware
- Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5)
- Download: Download HD Speed (ZIP)
Final Thoughts on HD Speed
HD Speed may not be the flashiest utility out there, but what it lacks in visual flair it makes up for in reliability and simplicity. It's a no nonsense tool that gets straight to the point; ideal for quick diagnostics, benchmarking legacy systems, or just satisfying your curiosity about how your drives are performing. Since it's portable, it’s also a great tool to keep on your technician USB toolkit. While it might not offer the in depth analytics of more modern alternatives, HD Speed still holds its ground as a lightweight, effective drive speed tester, especially for those who value speed and simplicity over bells and whistles.