I suspect most newcomers visit to get an answer to one kind of question: “I have motherboard ___ and OS ___: what are the best drivers/oroms, (or which ones work/what are good and bad choices, etc)”. In other words, they come here knowing their hardware and looking for oroms/drivers/modded bioses/related utilities. They know their component (ICH5/6/7/8/9/10, Series 4/5/6/7/8/9, OS name, etc) and want to find “what to use for this device ID”. But the boards “information” stickies are mainly organised the other way - they are listed more by orom or driver or software generation, then state which devices each works with.
(Example: a user might visit because they have an Asus P5K-E WiFi, they can easily tell this board has ICH7R and so on, the question they have is “for ICH7R + Windows 8, what are my best options”. Not “For each Intel RST and RSTe version what are their compatibilities”. It’s not hard for that board, but for some items like RST/RSTe you really can still be confused which is best. For example I have C600/X79. Shall I update to a later orom, or RST, or RSTe? It’s not clear.)
A list with hardware/devices on the left and on the right which oroms AND drivers are recommended (or work ok), would probably be really good! It would help a lot. But I couldn’t find such a list here. It should not be hard, as there aren’t so many devices covered. Can such a list be made? Thank you!!!
@ Stilez:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum and thanks for your contribution!
Your idea is very good, but its realization is quite difficult, because
a) nobody is able to test all possible hardware, SATA mode and driver combinations and
b) the preferences (performance/stability/newest) of the users are quite different.
Nevertheless each Forum member, who tested different drivers and found at least the best suitabe one for her/his special system, can post it here. As soon as I got enough reports, I will put the results into a table like >this< one.
Regards
Fernando
Results are a good idea, I have to make an admission, I was thinking of something much more basic as a start - for a given device the information that already exists on compatibility, issues, or choices of orom + driver. This should be a lot easier, instead of needing user test results so much, it is more like taking the existing information, and then information like this (for Intel SATA controller):
“ICH7/7R” example what I would like to read: “The original Intel RST software up to version [] will work and needs orom versions [] to []. More recent versions of Intel software need a modded driver (install with driver signing disabled on Win8+) and needs RST not RSTe (or whatever it may need). Modded RST versions [] to [] are here and they will work with oroms version [] to []”.
“Intel series 7 (except X79)” example what I would like to read: “… (info about orom/driver/software for this series but not X79 chipset which has some different needs)…”
“Intel X79” example what I would like to read: “If using UEFI, these oroms and these drivers. If using Legacy these oroms and these drivers. If you need RAID, or Intel RST management from within the OS, then these oroms and these drivers. Also see general notes <here> about which oroms and drivers support trim with RAID 0 and RAID 1 if using SSD RAID. Use RSTe in these cases, and RSTe is usually a better choice in these cases…”
“Intel RST/RSTe and UEFI” example what I would like to read: “If using UEFI only, these oroms and EFI modules, and these drivers. Do not install in orom-only mode. If using Legacy as well, these oroms and drivers. On X79 use RSTe and not RST.”
“Intel RST/RSTe RAID and Trim” example what I would like to read: “RAID 0 trim is supported on original Intel RST from version [] and RSTe from version [], and RSTe from version []. Modded RST software and drivers support RAID 0 trim from version [] and can be found <here>. RAID 1 trim is supported on original Intel RST from version [] and RSTe from version []. Modded RST software and drivers support RAID 1 trim from version [] and can be found <here>.”
(I made some info up, this is only to give the idea!)
At the moment I must try to understand for a given series and ICH version which to use, and for some devices and uses it’s not easy. For example X79 with UEFI and needing RAID + trim. Then I have to check will these oroms work with those softwares and these drivers. it gets difficult to work it out from the current information. So my thought was, as most people know their devices and their needs, list the devices, then next to a device the possibilities for orom/driver/software. This makes it much easier. I wasn’t thinking of user input so much, but that’s a great addition (3rd column in table?). Just the basic “if I have a device, which oroms+sw will work with it”.
So in the examples above, I have X79 + Windows 8, and I can see very quickly which oroms and RST software are possible for me. If I happen to also need RAID, or RAID + Trim, or I am using UEFI, or I want original Intel or a modded version, I can quickly look at relevant sections and see which orom or software versions work for all my needs. Very quick and easy!!
It’s a good idea to have reports on reliability but the basic information I would like to see is simply, for a specific device/hardware, which oroms/drivers/softwares versions are believed to work, and important limitations/issues, so a user can quickly see their possible or sensible choices, and any issues for their decision. The information for it already exists, in a different order. I hope this explanation and “examples” show what I had in mind 
@ Stilez:
Thanks for the detailed explanations of your ideas. Unfortunately I am not able to write a start post the way you would like to see, because I only can test with an Intel Z68 and Z77 system. How should I recommend a certain AHCI/RAID driver version for a chipset, which I never have used?
Furthermore these things are not as simple as you think. There is not just 1 best driver for a specific chipset.
Nevertheless I have tried to give some concrete recommendations regarding the choice of the “best” driver within the start post of >this< thread.
If you or anyone else has a better idea, please start a new thread and put your knowledge into it. Any new ideas and threads, which are helpful for the visitors of this Forum, are welcome!