Regarding: x79 Intel RSTe (ENTERPRISE) driver 3.7.0.1093 with public release date of 09/23/2013
Intel’s official Readme says Quote, “2. Adds TRIM support when SSDs are configured as RAID 0/1/10”…
README Direct-Source:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/21752/en…1093_readme.txt
Direct-Download Official Intel package: RSTe_Drivers_GUI_CIM_CLI_3.7.0.1093_2013.06.07.zip
* Note the download package is 3.7.0.1093 but driver version reports 3.7.0.1092…
DRIVER Direct-Source:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_…x?DwnldID=21752
Questions:
1. Can someone please confirm and verify: Does RAID0 TRIM really truly actually finally officially work WITHOUT any mods for x79 with above-linked Intel Unmodded RSTe 3.7.0.1093 driver (like INTEL is officially now claiming)?
2. What Unmodded x79 OROM versions support RAID0 TRIM, confirmed tested and verified, with above-linked Intel Unmodded 3.7.0.1093 RSTe driver (readme does not specify)?
3. Considering the above, I fully assume Intel add official SSD ToolBox support for this RSTe 3.7 TRIM RAID0 eventually, but… Is there any way to test the Intel SSD ToolBox (currently v3.1.8) using TRIM RAID0 now, with official new above-linked Intel Unmodded 3.7.x RSTe driver? (e.g. ToolBox already supports TRIM in RAID0 using iRST 11.x+… but I need RSTe)?
Note: I have a pair of Intel 520 SSD’s and am willing to test some things, but I am not permitted per my company’s security policies to use any modified software; and I need backwards OROM compatibility (not UEFI 11.6 stub).
Thanks in advance for any info that you may have!!
UPDATE:
This is hilarious; it seems literally while I was typing this post, Intel released RSTe version 3.8.0.1111 (ENTERPRISE) now officially posted directly for public download as of 10/4/13 !! 
Readme:
http://downloadmirror.intel.com/23257/en…111_readme.txt
Driver:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_…Y&DwnldID=23257
( RSTe_and_AHCI_Drivers_GUI_CIM_CLI_3.8.0.1111_2013.09.26.zip )
My questions still remain, and I’m excited to see the same RAID0 TRIM for ENTERPRISE is still listed (so this confirms it is NOT a typo).
I look very forward to someone testing this and letting us all know.
Thanks again!
@ blogthis:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum and thank you for your very interesting questions.
Since I don’t have an X79 chipset mainboard, I am not able to do the TRIM tests myself.
By the way: There are newer Intel RSTe drivers v3.8.0.1108 WHQL available at Intel Download Center (look >here<).
Regards
Fernando
Hi! You’ve helped me before on other forums, and I greatly appreciate all you do. Let me know what exactly you’d like me to do or run, and I’ll do my best to try and post my results.
And yes, it seems you and I both posted the same comment about RSTe 3.8 being released mere moments ago - too funny.
Thank you Fernando.
It’s rather simple.
Precondition: You need a RAID array (best choice for comparison purposes: RAID0) with SSDs as members and Win7 or Win8 as OS installed onto any of the RAID partitions.
Just install the new Intel RSTe drivers and check the TRIM activity within the RAID array by using the TRIM Check tool or manually with an Hex Editor according to >this< thread.
I have made the following observations, and I hope others are able to confirm my test findings:
Asus Rampage IV Formula x79 / C600 chipset motherboard, as follows:
Running Windows 7 x64 SP1 Ultimate updated as of 10/4/13
BIOS versions 4004, 4208, 4403, all have the same RSTe RAID OROM version 3.5.0.1005.
RSTe OROM 3.5.0 configured for RAID0 128k striping.
Dual Intel 520 480gb SSD’s connected on the motherboard to the two Intel SATA3 (6g) ports.
Completely disabled the motherboard’s AsMedia SATA ports.
Tested the above hardware config, with TRIM-Check located at: https://github.com/CyberShadow/trimcheck
Results with the following official Intel (unmodified) RSTe software drivers:
Intel RSTe driver versions 3.5.0, 3.5.1, 3.6.0, all failed TrimCheck. Tried waiting, rebooting, rerunning, etc. TRIM has never worked in RAID0 in this x79 config before, so this was just to reaffirm that fact.
Intel RSTe driver version 3.8.0.1108, PASSED TrimCheck. Only took about 10 seconds, no reboot required. This is the FIRST TIME I’ve ever seen TRIM appear to work in RAID0 on this motherboard!
Notes:
- It was speculated that the RSTe RAID OROM would need to be version 3.7.0 or higher for TRIM to work in RAID0 with matching the 3.7.0 or higher drivers, but this appears to hopefully just be a false assumption - TRIM RAID0 seems to be working for me according to above TrimCheck test program with OROM 3.5.0 using drivers 3.8.0.
- Intel SSD Toolbox 3.1.8 won’t optimize RSTe RAID0 TRIM, it still gives the same “iRST 11.0 or higher is required for RAID0 TRIM” message, and refuses to even try to run the optimize. I hope this is updated as soon as possible for compatibility with these new RSTe 3.7+ drivers!
- I look very forward to hearing from others with similar x79 RSTe configs regarding my observation, because I hope this is really working, but I’m still in a bit of skeptical disbelief due to my waiting about 2 years for Intel to make this finally work.
- I’m willing to run more tests and/or post more detailed hardware/software config info if it’s pointed out to me.
p.s. Congratulations Fernando on the popularity of your forum; as of 8/5/13 1am ET, if you keyword “intel ssd toolbox rste”… THIS POST is the 5th link, on the 1st page, of google.com… nice! 
@ blogthis: Don’t worry about optimize, it’s a scam. When the OS deletes the trim command is sent, and even if it’s not sent GC will clear the LBA’s. There is really no reason to run manual trim commands unless the drive is old and doesn’t have GC or using old RSTe drivers/OROM.
@ blogthis:
Thank you very much for having done the TRIM tests and for your report, which verifies, that the newest Intel RSTe drivers v3.8.0.1108 WHQL definitively let the TRIM command pass through the Intel(R) C600 Series Chipset SATA RAID Controller into a RAID0 array.
Cour conclusion is absolutely correct.
Nevertheless I am pretty sure, that you will get the best results, if the in-use Intel RAID ROM/EFI SataDriver version matches the Intel RSTe driver version. If you have installed Win7 in "LEGACY" mode, I recommend to update the Intel RAID ROM of the BIOS to v3.8.0.1009.
Regards
Fernando
@ odiebugs: I’ve used this RAID0 array really hard for about a year, and wanted to optimize just once to clean it out fresh… I am unclear how well GC works in RAID0 with Sandforce-based SSD’s. Performance tests less these days than when I first installed. Although, these SSD’s do have Intel’s very well-tested firmware, so maybe it works better than I fear.
Is there some kind of extended analysis I can run to find out?
@Fernando You’re very welcome, I just hope someone else can confirm I’m right. Any other tests you’d like to see?
–
Do you have any idea when Asus may put the 3.8 RSTe OROM in their official BIOSs for their x79 boards? I really would like to see them either do that, or even better yet, also insert the 12.x iRST OROM as an option in BIOS setup like other vendors have done. As I was saying, I am not permitted to use modded firmwares/drivers which is limiting to my situation.
Thanks again!
No, but I really hope, that they will do it very soon.