Standard SATA AHCI controller vs Intel (R) Server express chipset SATA RAID controller.

[ejp]

17 hours ago, zMeul said:

AS SSD confirms you have AHCI enabled in both tests

also, I suggest you stick with the Intel driver and not with the standard one provided by MS - it provides way better 4K results and access times

 

19 hours ago, samcool55 said:

Oh i didn't even spot the first picture.

It's the one where the SSD and HDD are connected to the intel chipset sata ports.

 

The intel SATA controller has RAID support, but that doesn't mean it's in RAID mode.

 

I'll try to keep it simple but you have AHCI and RAID,

You can choose in the BIOS in which mode the SATA controller runs.

it's very likely it's now configured in AHCI.

Even if it was in RAID mode, you wouldn't notice. Drives that are connected to a RAID controller, but are not in a RAID configuration, will work exactly the same as it would be in AHCI.

Alright guys, while I thought that I had solved this issue last night after providing the benchmarks and @zMeul mentioning that I am confirmed running in AHCI mode in looking at the AS SSD screen shots, and @samcool55 assuring me that although my drives were connected to the Intel Raid Controller, it didn't mean that I was running my drives in RAID rather AHCI still I came across a contradiction that has me confused--please see the following screen shot. 

 

 

Can you lend me your thoughts on if this information is in fact correct or if there is some kind of discrepancy I'm not understanding? I'm back to being unsure if I should have my drives on the Intel RAID controller now or the Standard AHCI one :(. 

[zMeul]

17 minutes ago, ejp said:

Can you lend me your thoughts on if this information is in fact correct or if there is some kind of discrepancy I'm not understanding? I'm back to being unsure if I should have my drives on the Intel RAID controller now or the Standard AHCI one :(. 

you did you got that from?!?!? 

ICH in RAID mode absolutely uses AHCI

[ejp]

17 minutes ago, zMeul said:

you did you got that from?!?!? 

ICH in RAID mode absolutely uses AHCI

I got that from the Frenando's WIN RAID forum, and as you can see from the screen shot above, he mentions that if my drives are connected to the Intel RAID controller seen in the image below, that even though I'm not running in a RAID configuration it is still in RAID mode and I should connect them to the Standard AHCI controller for best performance. Perhaps you can elaborate a bit on why the information in the image above is incorrect?

 

So, just to be clear, the image below is exactly the setup you would choose and I should use for my SSD and HDD not in raid for max performance In AHCI correct?:

 

 

Maybe @samcool55 can weigh in here when he gets a spare second to help resolve the confusion. 

[zMeul]

6 minutes ago, ejp said:

I got that from the Frenando's WIN RAID forum, and as you can see from the screen shot above, he mentions that if my drives are connected to the Intel RAID controller seen in the image below, that even though I'm not running in a RAID configuration it is still in RAID mode and I should connect them to the Standard AHCI controller for best performance.

he's wrong - you do not lose perf if ICH is set in RAID mode

you lose perf if the right drivers aren't installed - and we already established that

 

period

[ejp]

2 hours ago, zMeul said:

he's wrong - you do not lose perf if ICH is set in RAID mode

you lose perf if the right drivers aren't installed - and we already established that

 

period

Thanks so much zMeul for all your help, you've taught me a lot. Just to finally clarify, please confirm for me in the image below that this is the correct up to date driver and that everything in the image appears right (the device manager controller my drives are under, the AS SSD green text and benchmark, AHCI mode is confirmed running and how you can tell this, and anything else you can see). 

 

 

I just want to make sure I've got everything perfectly correct for the best performance possible, and I want to be sure that I have all my drives installed under the right controller with the right driver version so I can implement your recommendation. If, in looking at all the info in the image you conclude this is exactly how you would have it set up, I will proceed with implementing your recommendation. 

[zMeul]

1 minute ago, ejp said:

Thanks so much zMeul for all your help, you've taught me a lot. Just to finally clarify, please confirm for me in the image below that this is the correct up to date driver and that everything in the image appears right (the device manager controller my drives are under, the AS SSD green text and benchmark, AHCI mode is confirmed running and how you can tell this, and anything else you can see). 

it appears to be OK

[samcool55]

7 hours ago, ejp said:

Thanks so much zMeul for all your help, you've taught me a lot. Just to finally clarify, please confirm for me in the image below that this is the correct up to date driver and that everything in the image appears right (the device manager controller my drives are under, the AS SSD green text and benchmark, AHCI mode is confirmed running and how you can tell this, and anything else you can see). 

 

-snip-

 

I just want to make sure I've got everything perfectly correct for the best performance possible, and I want to be sure that I have all my drives installed under the right controller with the right driver version so I can implement your recommendation. If, in looking at all the info in the image you conclude this is exactly how you would have it set up, I will proceed with implementing your recommendation. 

That's the correct way to connect them

This will give you the best performance.

 

Just wondering, what motherboard do you actually have?

 

And IMO i don't know what that zitat dude is on about, it looks to me he's trying to sound clever and intelligent but doesn't know sh*t if you know what he means.

It makes no sense but whatever, that's not important

[ejp]

3 hours ago, samcool55 said:

That's the correct way to connect them

This will give you the best performance.

 

Just wondering, what motherboard do you actually have?

 

And IMO i don't know what that zitat dude is on about, it looks to me he's trying to sound clever and intelligent but doesn't know sh*t if you know what he means.

It makes no sense but whatever, that's not important

Thanks @samcool55 for all your help, you and @zMeul were able to put me at ease by confirming that my Intel SATA RAID controller (although it doesn't say AHCI) it does in fact have AHCI enabled and does default AHCI mode if I don't have a RAID array setup (or more simply, the Intel SATA RAID controller seems to support both RAID and AHCI and defaults to AHCI with all AHCI features included if you don't have a RAID array set between your disks). 

 

The conflicting information/recommendations I was getting from the zitat guy and the other forum was really worrying me that the Intel SATA RAID controller was not in AHCI mode (because the controller says RAID and nothing about AHCI in device manager) and did not have all the benefits AHCI provides (which is what I need because I'm not running RAID, just a SSD boot and program primary drive, and a HDD for storage). Correct me if I'm wrong, but you, zMeul and a few other knowledgable individuals (see image below) all seem to be saying the same thing and agreeing on the same points however.

 

 

 

Can you lend me your thoughts on the posts of information in the screen shots above? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if  I understand this all correctly now, all 5 of you( yourself, zMeul, and the 3 other individuals posts above) all seem to be saying the exact same thing, and all of you seem to really know what you're talking about. In short, all 5 of you say: connect your SSD and HDD to the Intel SATA RAID controller > don't worry about it being in AHCI mode, it is by default if you don't have a RAID array setup > SATA ports 1-3 that show your drives under the INTEL SATA RAID controller in device manager is the highest performance you will get period. Something that I did not know, but I later gathered from the posts above, is that there are two entirely different quality controllers on most motherboards ( I assume my mobo too) which is why it shows two different controllers in device manager, but the second controller (the one that shows Standard AHCI controller in SATA ports 4-6 for my board) are of much lesser quality than the Intel SATA RAID controller (ports 1-3), and thus you should always use the Intel RAID controller for best performance. If you'd be so kind, please correct any misunderstandings or misrepresentation of your recommendation/the information you see above if it is in error, but I think I understand it all now :). 

 

 

To answer your motherboard question,  I believe I have an Intel x99 chipset (please see included image of device manager to confirm that I am correct in the motherboard I have) and it is the same motherboard in all Alienware A51R2 system.

 

To to left in the image above you can see the motherboard as it appears in device manager which is Intel x99 (unless im wrong). In this image you can also confirm if my drives are now correctly connected to the right controller, if the AS SSD benchmark is showing the correct speeds and if the iaStorA green text to the left of the AS SSD benchmark all looks perfect to you. (let me know if anything is wrong)

 

This has been a WAY more confusing problem for me to solve because Dell has locked down the BIOS features and it has no AHCI/RAID on and off option (which most BIOS have). So I had to physically connect the drives to SATA 1-3 and then SATA 4-6 and look under device manager to see which controller they appeared under. 

 

Pending your response, I think I might finally have everything worked out and have an understanding for whats going on here. I'll keep my drives on the Intel SATA RAID controller (connected to SATA ports 1-3), not worry about AHCI mode being enabled (even if the Intel controller says just RAID and Samsung magician says no AHCI detected) because AHCI mode is enabled by default if no RAID is setup between my drives, and finally have peace of mind knowing that I am getting the best performance from my drives having them connected to the Intel SATA RAID controller instead of the Standard AHCI controller. 

 

Pending your response and confirmation of the information in this post, I will happily commend you and zMeul both for all of your help. Happy Holidays. 

 

 

 

 

[samcool55]

1 hour ago, ejp said:

Thanks @samcool55 for all your help, you and @zMeul were able to put me at ease by confirming that my Intel SATA RAID controller (although it doesn't say AHCI) it does in fact have AHCI enabled and does default AHCI mode if I don't have a RAID array setup (or more simply, the Intel SATA RAID controller seems to support both RAID and AHCI and defaults to AHCI with all AHCI features included if you don't have a RAID array set between your disks). 

 

The conflicting information/recommendations I was getting from the zitat guy and the other forum was really worrying me that the Intel SATA RAID controller was not in AHCI mode (because the controller says RAID and nothing about AHCI in device manager) and did not have all the benefits AHCI provides (which is what I need because I'm not running RAID, just a SSD boot and program primary drive, and a HDD for storage). Correct me if I'm wrong, but you, zMeul and a few other knowledgable individuals (see image below) all seem to be saying the same thing and agreeing on the same points however.

 

 

 

Can you lend me your thoughts on the posts of information in the screen shots above? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if  I understand this all correctly now, all 5 of you( yourself, zMeul, and the 3 other individuals posts above) all seem to be saying the exact same thing, and all of you seem to really know what you're talking about. In short, all 5 of you say: connect your SSD and HDD to the Intel SATA RAID controller > don't worry about it being in AHCI mode, it is by default if you don't have a RAID array setup > SATA ports 1-3 that show your drives under the INTEL SATA RAID controller in device manager is the highest performance you will get period. Something that I did not know, but I later gathered from the posts above, is that there are two entirely different quality controllers on most motherboards ( I assume my mobo too) which is why it shows two different controllers in device manager, but the second controller (the one that shows Standard AHCI controller in SATA ports 4-6 for my board) are of much lesser quality than the Intel SATA RAID controller (ports 1-3), and thus you should always use the Intel RAID controller for best performance. If you'd be so kind, please correct any misunderstandings or misrepresentation of your recommendation/the information you see above if it is in error, but I think I understand it all now :). 

 

 

To answer your motherboard question,  I believe I have an Intel x99 chipset (please see included image of device manager to confirm that I am correct in the motherboard I have) and it is the same motherboard in all Alienware A51R2 system.

-snip-

 

To to left in the image above you can see the motherboard as it appears in device manager which is Intel x99 (unless im wrong). In this image you can also confirm if my drives are now correctly connected to the right controller, if the AS SSD benchmark is showing the correct speeds and if the iaStorA green text to the left of the AS SSD benchmark all looks perfect to you. (let me know if anything is wrong)

 

This has been a WAY more confusing problem for me to solve because Dell has locked down the BIOS features and it has no AHCI/RAID on and off option (which most BIOS have). So I had to physically connect the drives to SATA 1-3 and then SATA 4-6 and look under device manager to see which controller they appeared under. 

 

Pending your response, I think I might finally have everything worked out and have an understanding for whats going on here. I'll keep my drives on the Intel SATA RAID controller (connected to SATA ports 1-3), not worry about AHCI mode being enabled (even if the Intel controller says just RAID and Samsung magician says no AHCI detected) because AHCI mode is enabled by default if no RAID is setup between my drives, and finally have peace of mind knowing that I am getting the best performance from my drives having them connected to the Intel SATA RAID controller instead of the Standard AHCI controller. 

 

Pending your response and confirmation of the information in this post, I will happily commend you and zMeul both for all of your help. Happy Holidays. 

 

 

 

 

First of all, happy holidays to you too!

 

And yes it's very likely the extra controller recognized by the pc as "standard SATA AHCI controller" is less powerful than the one in the intel chipset.

Actually you can be sure the controller for ports 4-6 isn't as good as the intel one. The benchmarks confirm that the intel chipset is faster than the other one because the score is higher

 

Usually the extra SATA controllers are added to just add SATA ports, if they work that's usually good enough.

And yes you don't need to worry about the RAID/AHCI thing and samsung software failing to recognize it properly.

It's fine as it is

 

Little note, it's actually quite surprising the intel controllers can do RAID at all, a dedicated RAID controller would cost easily 100+ dollars while an intel chipset is like 20-30 bucks usually, don't know the exact price of the x99 chipset, but it's not 100 bucks and it can do much more than a raid controller