Protect Your Data! TrueCrypt 7.0a's Performance, Analyzed

Features
By Manuel Masiero, Achim Roos
published

Version 7.0a of TrueCrypt offers many new features, including hardware-accelerated AES encryption via processors that support the technology. We discuss the new features and look at the performance impact of running an encrypted system partition.

Test Hardware And Benchmarks

We used a test system equipped with Gigabyte's H55M-USB3 motherboard and an Intel Core i5-661 CPU to benchmark the AES performance of TrueCrypt version 7.0a. The CPU comes with the AES-NI instruction set and should provide a performance boost on encrypted systems. To determine just how much of a boost you can get, we employed three different test system configurations: an unencrypted system, an AES-encrypted system without acceleration, and an AES-encrypted system with AES-NI hardware acceleration. To make sure that the hardware acceleration is activated in TrueCrypt, go to the Performance Options menu and check the Accelerate AES encryption/decryption by using the AES instructions of the processor (if available) box.

We also used an OCZ Vertex 2.5” SSD as system drive in order to exclude the storage subsystem as a limiting factor, encrypting the entire drive. We first set up and installed all software on a hard drive, and then cloned it to the SSD for each run in order to make sure that each test was executed under the same conditions. We used Iometer 2008.08.18, PCMark Vantage, and SYSmark 2007.

Test Configuration

Swipe to scroll horizontally
System Hardware
HardwareDetails
Motherboard (LGA 1156)Gigabyte H55MA-USB3  (Rev. 1.0), Chipset: H55 Express, BIOS: F8 (07/06/2010)
CPUIntel Core i5-661 (Clarkdale), 32 nm, 3.33 GHz, 4 x 256 KB L2 and 8 MB L3 Cache, 95 W TDP)
Memory2 x 2 GB DDR3-1600 (OCZ OCZ3G2000LV4GK), DDR3-1333, 8-8-8-24 1T
Hard DriveOCZ Vertex 2, 120 GB (OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G), SandForce SF-1200, SATA 3Gb/s
GraphicsIntel HD Graphics
Power SupplyPC Power & Cooling, Silencer 750EPS12V 750 W
OS and Drivers
Operating SystemWindows 7 Ultimate x64, Updated 2010-07-26
Drivers and Settings
Intel Chipset DriversChipset Installation Utility Ver. 9.1.1.1025
Intel Graphic DriverVer. 15.​17.​7.​64.​2141
Benchmarks
SyntheticSYSmark Preview 2007 1.05 PCMark Vantage 1.0.2.0
I/O PerformanceIometer 2008.08.18 Fileserver-Benchmark Webserver-Benchmark Database-Benchmark Workstation-Benchmark Streaming Reads Streaming Writes 4k Random Reads 4k Random Writes

Manuel Masiero
36 Comments Comment from the forums
  • truchonic
    can we send this to sony?
    Reply
  • eddieroolz
    I like the jab at Sony in the opening page!

    Anyhow. I've used TrueCrypt 7.0a for about a year now to secure my sensitive information. I've only encrypted a non-system partition as of now, but for the purpose of storing sensitive files the performance hit is unnoticeable. Took a bit of time to set up, but in the end, all worth it.
    Reply
  • kikireeki
    TrueCrypt is the best, but anyone who uses it should keep in mind that the data encrypted by it is not meant to be recoverable.
    Reply
  • I encrypted my HP dm1z "netbook" system partition with Truecrypt. Even without AES-NI support by AMD E-350 the computer is still very responsive for non-gaming tasks. Thanks to Truecrypt for their great encryption utility and also to AMD for making a decent low-end APU.
    Reply
  • jrnyfan
    True Crypt pwns. fin.
    Reply
  • alidan
    a strong password and change it often...
    yea thats so not happening.

    i could make my password look like that,
    €‡“ŸeVmAE•kvÕbœ
    but it would be REALY HARD to remember, and changeing it on a, lets say, monthly basis.... who are you kidding.

    i have a 5 letter password
    i have an 8 letter password
    and i have a 6 letter password for when places force me to use a number, but at the same time, wont let me have 2 letters that are the same in a password.

    i find it agonizingly annoying that i cant use a 5 letter password for everything, because i despise having more than 1. its my account, i will make it as secure as i want. i pay 10$ a month for id theft protection, is an account is lost because of "hacker" i tell someone about it and the account is dead to me.

    i have only had 1 hacker in my life go for any one of my 100's of accounts (i mean 100's literally) and that is my gaia account that i made when gaia was new, and someone tried to brute force the account, 5 times back in 2008 (i have the emails in a special folder labeled F@$#ING BRUTEFORCER, without the censoring) and not a f@#$ was given by gaia (i didn't care, i stopped using it years before, i just informed them that some a$$hole was hacking my account to hopefully ban them, but they told me to p!SS off in almost those exact words). honestly security is overrated, yea id theft is bad, if you are parinoid, get protection and stop worrying, get a password that is 10 letters and number long, as no one is bruteforceing that, refuardless of where the account it, as long as they don't have your info or actually hacked the service.
    Reply
  • memadmax
    alidan,
    hackers use bruteforce as last resort as it takes so long.
    Now they do the sneaky worm into your keyboard with a keylogger most times. Or if they are really targeting you, or want you bad, they will dig in your garbage....
    Net Security 101...
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    You want best encryption deal with the drawbacks as you find them or else write your own encryption logic.
    Reply
  • alidan
    memadmaxalidan,hackers use bruteforce as last resort as it takes so long.Now they do the sneaky worm into your keyboard with a keylogger most times. Or if they are really targeting you, or want you bad, they will dig in your garbage....Net Security 101...
    not realy, what they do first and formost, is check any online foot mark you have. usualy your password is something you know, such as mothers maden name or a birthday. i use to use my birthday completely spelt out, but that is to long for MANY passwords, and, as you can see, my spelling is atrocious, so i spell it wrong 9 times out of 10.

    but its my point exactly, they will get the info weather you want them to or not, and odds are, they will dumpser dive a hospital, dentist office, or doctors to get the info before they will ever go online.
    Reply
  • Wamphryi
    I think that some may be missing the point about the benefits of encryption. For data on more portable media Truecrypt is most excellent. Also to be considered is that the data thief you should worry most about is not the Super Hacker on line but the opportunist thief who happens to steal your laptop. Your mail and photos etc in the hands of some petty thief?
    Reply