Recommended AHCI/RAID and NVMe Drivers

Important Drivers General: Storage Drivers (AHCI/RAID, NVMe and USB)
2468

@Fernando , I’m working on an older Dell XPS 8910 desktop. The chipset is an Intel(R) 100 Series/C230 Series … LPC Controller (Z170), and then the same version PCI Express chipset.

The motherboard has an NVMe slot, so I’ve installed a Western Digital Blue SN580 NVMe drive. The Storage controller is the Standard NVM Express Controller, which seems to be the one to use (over, say, the old Phison NVMe driver).

Newer Dell laptops don’t have an IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller, but this tower does: the Intel(R) 100 Series/C230 Chipset SATA AHCI Controller.

Dell’s latest Intel(R) 100 Series/C230 Chipset SATA AHCI Controller is version 16.8.3.1004, and I know there’s a newer version.

If your going with NVMe, is the listed SATA AHCI Controller irrelevant? I could add a standard SATA drive, and I guess it would matter then, but that’s probably not going to happen on this box. Am I safe to assume that the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller has no affect on the NVMe drive, and that it’s all about the NVM Express Controller?

On my 300 series chipset laptop, it’s the same deal, and I always considered that there must be some interplay between the two controllers. But now that I’m thinking about it, that laptop can accommodate an older SATA drive, and the newer laptop I’m considering that doesn’t have the SATA AHCI Controller probably has no older SATA port.

If I were to add a standard SATA drive, would you consider not using Dell’s “recommended” 16 Series AHCI driver, and go with the v15.9.8.1050? I know that you’re not keen on using the v16, and that the v13.2.8.1002 outperformed all of the others on your ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Prof. Gaming board.

I don’t need to worry about RAID, since I’ll be dual booting Debian Linux.

Thanks

2469

@ChrisM
You forgot to mention the Windows OS you are running.

2470

Sorry. It’s a freshly installed Windows 10 Pro that’s completely up to date - with the newest Standard NVM Express Controller offered by Microsoft.

2471

@ChrisM
My benchmark AHCI driver comparison tests were done with older Windows Operating Systems. The generic Win10 in-box MS AHCI drivers of the latest Win10/11 Builds are much better than the ones of the previous Windows Operating Systems.
That is the reason why I use the MS AHCI driver with my Z170 chipset system while running Win11.

2 Likes
2472

Okay, interesting, and thanks for that. I expected that answer for the Win10 in-box MS NVMe driver, but not that AHCI driver. I think I talked myself through the AHCI and NVMe divide.

Not that it matters if I don’t install a secondary SATA drive after the NVMe drive, but when I Windows updated this old box, the AHCI driver was the generic Win10 in-box MS AHCI driver. But consecutive updates did eventually pull in the Intel v16 driver. If I install a SATA drive, I’ll go back to the MS AHCI driver. I have already disabled driver updates so I don’t risk pulling in the MS Catalog BIOS so as to not overwrite the CPU microcode updates. That computer’s last Dell bios update is 17 Aug 2020.

Many thanks!

2473

@all:
The start post has been updated by me today (11/23/2024).
Changelog:
New:
a) 64bit AMD SATA+NVMe RAIDXpert2 drivers v9.3.3.117 WHQL for Win10-11 x64 dated 06/11/2024
b) AMD RAIDXpert2 Installer Set v9.33.117.7 dated 06/26/2024

2474

Hello Fernando!
On an old forum I saw a link to Intel SSD 600p drivers for Windows 10 22H2.
Now I need them, but I can’t find them.

PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_F1A5&SUBSYS_390A8086&REV_03
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_F1A5&SUBSYS_390A8086
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_F1A5&CC_010802
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_F1A5&CC_0108

Thanks in advance.

2475

Last time i used such disk model the posted Intel® NVMe Miniport and Filter Device Management (5.3.0.1010), linked on this thread, was used correctly.

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@wildcat55
The original 32/64bit Intel NVMe drivers v5.3.0.1010 WHQL will support the NVMe Controller of your SSD, but you may have to force the installation by pressing the “Have Disk” button, to navigate to the target driver folder and to disregard the warning. To avoid any surprise I generally recommend to set a “Restore Point” before starting the procedure.

2477

There is no device 600p in the .Inf file.
Do I manually change it?

[Strings]
; Localizable
Diskid1 = “Nvme Installation Disk”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_F1A6.deviedesc = “Intel (R) SSD PRO 7600P/E 6100P Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_F1A8.deviedesc = “Intel (R) SSD 660p Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_FAF0.deviedesc = “Intel (R) SSD 665P Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_0953.DEVICEDESC = “Intel (R) Solid-State Drive P3700/P3600/P3500/P3520/750 Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_0A53.deViceDESC = "Intel (r) Solid-State Drive DC P3520 Series
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_0A54.deViceDESC = “Intel (R) SSD DC P4500/4501/4601/4608/4510/4610/4511 SERIES”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_0A55.deVicyDesc = “Intel (R) SSD DC P4600 Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_2700.DEVICEDESC = “Intel (R) Optane ™ SSD 900P/905P Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_2701.deViceDESC = "Intel (R) Optane ™ SSD DC P4800X Series
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_0B60.deVicyDesc = “Intel (r) SSD D7-P5500/P5600 Series”
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_4140.deViceDESC = "Intel (R) Optane ™ SSD DC P5800X Series
PCI \ VEN_8086 & DEV_2525.deVicyDESC = “Intel (R) SSD P1600X SERIES”

2478

No, don’t touch the *.INF file. Otherwise you wil break Microsoft’s digital signature.
My advice: Set a “Restore Point” and then force the installation of the natively not matching original driver.
Procedure:
Run the Device Manager, expand the “Storage Controllers” section, right-click onto the listed NVMe Controller and choose the options “Update Driver” > “Browse my Computer” > “Let me pick…” > press the “Have Disk” button > navigate to the demanded driver folder > if you get a list of different devices, choose the closest one (here: DEV_F1A6 or DEV_F1A8) > press “OK”
After the reboot the NVMe Controller will use the desired Intel NVMe driver.

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CrystalDiskMark_compare
CrystalDiskMark_compare710×920 63.9 KB

Which driver is better to choose?

2480

Due to the huge performance difference regarding the RND4K Q32T16 WRITE scores I recommend to use the Intel NVMe driver.

2481

I will do so.
Thank you very much.