Recommended AHCI/RAID and NVMe Drivers

Do you recommend turning it off, Fernando? I saw this topic of yours but it mentions Intel RAID0 users but i think it applies to the general SSD users if i stay correct, just making sure since i have that feature enabled

Yes, if you want to get the maximum performance.

Hi,

I’ve an Asus Z97 Deluxe MB with Win10 x64. I’ve 1piece system SSD and 9 piece data storage HDDs. All of them in AHCI, not RAID. I would like that the data storage hdds spin down after the ASPM settings (I set it to 20 min)
But the data storage HDDs on the Intel SATA ports always spin up after spindown… However the data storage hdds on the Asmedia ports works well, spindown after 20 mins passive operation and not spinup automatically…

The installed Sata AHCI drivers: Intel: v14.6.0.1029, Asmedia: v3.1.6.0

Maybe this is a known Intel driver problem?? Is there a solution please with a fast and stable Intel driver??

p.s.: I gone back to the original win10 standard SATA AHCI driver, and everything works good, but the read/write speeds are very weak…

Thanx,
Batka

How can I find out which is the latest driver that natively supports the ICH7-M controller in a Dell D620 laptop?

The 11.2.0.1006 driver I use at my desktop (with an ICH10-R) (also) supports an ICH7-M, but only the 27C5 model. Unfortunately, the Dell has a 27C4… (running 9.1.9.1005 after an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10)

@ XIII:
Your dell D620 laptop is obviously running in IDE mode. DEV_27C4 is the DeviceID of the Intel ICH7M Seral ATA IDE Controller.
So there is no "latest" Intel AHCI or RAID driver for your Dell laptop, because no Intel MSM or RST driver is sutable for the on-board Intel SATA Controller.

The v9.1.9.1005 is an Intel Chipset Device INF file and no diver. The real driver is the generic MS IDE driver named PCIIDE.SYS.

Verified the memory and IME. Found no problems. Measured voltage output of PSU, no problems either. After a while I just decided to redistribute the drives over more power cables, and suddenly it works fine… 650W modular corsair PSU. Oh well.

It is fine, that you found at least the source of your problems. The PSU is more often the origin of system problems than the user may think (especially when there are more than 2 HDDs/SSDs connected). The simultaneous spin-up of several drives requires a powerful PSU, which offers the full voltage to each drive.
Thanks for your feedback.


Thanks! It was not obvious to me; I learned something new today…

I’m not sure I understand 100% though. Might I be able to switch it to SATA via the BIOS? (I can’t test that right now; it’s not my laptop, but from a family member living in another city)

IDE is a SATA mode (besides AHCI and RAID). So there is nothing to swith between IDE and SATA.

Oops. I meant SATA mode AHCI…

(On my desktop I can switch between IDE/AHCI/RAID)

Look into the BIOS. If you find to option to switch from "IDE" to "AHCI", it may work.

From ASROCK Marvell Sata3 Driver ver.1.2.0.1071 for Windows10

Is it true or not?

Marvell_SATA3(v1.2.0.1071).zip (1.92 MB)

Thanks for the info and the attached drivers.

No, unfortunately it is not true: The latest Marvell 91xx-92xx AHCI & RAID drivers within your attached package are the v1.2.0.1047 ones, which are already since July within the start post of this thread.



Two ASMedia controllers and both have the following "HardwareIDs":



Today the ASMedia controller for the internal ports disconnected the 2 disks attached with the event errors (Disk 5 has been surprise removed) & (Disk 6 has been surprise removed) and now I am trying a mix of the Microsoft STORHCI.SYS for the internal ASMedia ports and ASSTOR64.SYS for the ASMedia eSATA.




Is this a problem with RAID? Asus put up these driver today. The driver version is the same but it include some other stuff. Did you try the v3.0.2.0 drivers? I have been using it since Win10 launched. I haven’t notice those error you encounter plus you get the option to disable the drives as removable, that option is missing in v3.1.6. I don’t think I should test these new drivers. It seems like I’m asking for trouble. I don’t know much performance improvements these new drivers bring but the old ones are stable.

@ Newguy:

Welcome at Win-RAID Forum and thanks for your contribution!

Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

Update of the start post

Changelog:

  • a) Intel AHCI/RAID drivers:
    1. added: 32/64bit Intel RST(e) AHCI+RAID drivers v14.6.0.1029 WHQL
    2. added: Intel RST(e) AHCI/RAID Drivers & Software Set v14.6.0.1029 WHQL
    3. added: Unversal 32/64bit Intel RST(e) AHCI+RAID drivers v14.6.0.1029 mod+signed by Fernando
    4. added: Universal 32/64bit Intel RST Software v14.6.0.1029
    5. removed: all Intel RST(e) drivers v13.5.2.1000
  • b) NVIDIA nForce AHCI/RAID drivers:
    1. new: 32/64bit Win7Vista NVIDIA nForce SATA AHCI drivers v11.2.20.9
    2. new: 32/64bit Win7Vista NVIDIA nForce SATA_IDE drivers v11.2.20.9

    3. Notes:
      Both drivers are dated 05/18/2012 and digitally signed by NVIDIA. They are the latest nForce drivers NVIDIA has ever released.
      Credits go to Musafir_86 for having posted the nForce Chipset Driverpack, which contained them.


  • Good luck with these AHCI/RAID drivers!
    Dieter (alias Fernando)

    Fernando,

    Congratulations on what you’ve done with this site! It’s aboslutely wonderful. I have two fairly simple questions if you could help me. I recently installed the 13.1.0.1058 RSTe drivers before realizing it was dangerous to downgrade to v11.x from them. I’m wondering though since I am NOT running a RAID and have been in AHCI the entire time. It seems to me the filter drive was never installed. I searched C:\Windows\system32\drivers but only found iaStorA.sys was installed. Am I still at risk danger of the lingering driver file even though the raid controller driver was never detected/installed?

    My second question is in regard to your comment about the newer/older drivers. You said the classical drivers are lacking some of the new features/technologies introduced in the newer branches. What are those features and would I even miss them using the older drivers when I create my RAID? (I’ve never set up a RAID before so I doubt I would “miss” any of the features the 13.1.0.1058 line of drivers would offer compared to the v11.x but I’m curious what I would be missing nonetheless.

    Since you are using Win10 and your Intel SATA Controller is not running in RAID mode, a "downgrade" of the in-use Intel RST driver will not end with an unbootable system. Precondition of a safe up- or downgrade of any RST/RST(e) driver is, that the user has uninstalled the previously installed Intel RST Software before (if it had been installed at all).
    By the way: The latest Microsoft Operating Systems from Win8 up do neither need nor nstall the SCSI filter driver iaStorF.sys, because they natively do support the UNMAP command (similar to the TRIM command, but for SCSI devices).

    Only the latest Intel Chipsets benefit from the new "features" of the recently released Intel RST(e) drivers. So you probably will not even realize any of them with your Intel C600 Series Chipset system.
    Regarding the details of the "new features" you should better ask Intel than me. Most of them are just "better/optimized support of the latest Intel Chipsets".

    Update of the start post

    Changelog:

    • AMD AHCI/RAID drivers:
      1. added: 32bit AMD AHCI driver v1.2.1.321 WHQL for W2k3 x86
      2. added: 64bit AMD AHCI driver v1.2.1.321 WHQL for XP x64 and W2k3 x64

      3. Notes:
        Both drivers are dated 10/28/2011 and WHQL certified. They are usable with AMD AHCI SATA Controllers DEV_4391/4394 and DEV_7801/7804.
        Credits go to zir_blazer for having posted the link to the source package and for having tested the 64bit driver.


    Good luck with these AHCI drivers!
    Dieter (alias Fernando)

    I am giving my nephews Acer aspire laptop a tune-up today and wonder what’s the best Intel ahci driver to use with windows 8.1 x64. It currently has 12.9.4.1000 and its a Intel 7 series chipset…