@Fernando ,
Thanks for your patience.
So, you better understand why my question on about the “best” RAID driver for this X99 platform was valid … and I hope you are no longer ‘angry’ about me.
I agree the Intel EFI RST RaidDriver v13.1.0.2126 BIOS module is not appropriate for a RSTe driver v4.3.0.1198, but UBU Tool v1.40 does offer only to change EFI RST RaidDriver from v11.xx up to v14.xx branch and absolutely nothing about v4.xx branch. UBU tool should offer also ‘Enterprise’ branch updating such as v4.3.0.1018.
I hope that other Forum members with Intel x99 RAID system are aware of this ‘wondering’ situation and we can share comments and experience.
@Fernando ,
Here are some ANVIL scores for my Sabertooth X99 DeviceID: 2822, BIOS 1901, EFI RST RaidDriver: v13.1.0.2126 BIOS module.
RST(e) drivers:
v14.6.1.1030 = 7042
v14.5.0.1081 = 7009
v13.2.0.1022 = 7471
RSTe driver:
v4.3.0.1198 = 7568
Sorry if this is in the wrong area, but I was just looking at your sig 100PIER and was wondering if some one with your set up can help me out. I have a brand new system sitting here with no SSD yet. Been waiting on that 950 Pro, but I also have read here and seen at other places about the Intel 750. What do most prefer for their O/S; Intel 750 or the 950 Pro (since you have one)?
AFAIK none of the Forum members (inclusive 100PIER) has yet the upcoming Samsung 950 Pro SSD.
So your question may be stay unanswered for a while.
@Fernando ,
The distributor promised me to receive my SM950 PRO 512 GB unit today, but now delivery seems delayed again for one week more.
Today “ssdreviews” article has published SM950 PRO benchmarks. (256 and 512 GB variants).
Very encouraging figures. (ANVIL = 10459), (ASSSD=2838)
Nota: A specific Samsung NVMe driver is used , and Magician v4.8 does support SM950 PRO.
I’ll post my figures as soon I get it.
Ahh, I saw the sig and thought you already had one somehow. Where I am I just looked and Amazon will have the 950 on 10-29-2015 while Newegg will have it on 12-1-2015. Be interesting to see what you think once you get it. I’ll be looking…
Update of the start post
Changelog:
-
ASMedia 106x SATA3 AHCI drivers:
- new: 32/64bit ASMedia 106x AHCI drivers v3.1.8.0 for Win7-10
Notes:
These new drivers are dated 10/01/2015 and digitally signed by ASMedia. Thanks to Station-Drivers for the source package.
Since I cannot test them myself, you have to find out yourself, whether the Win7-10 drivers are better than the in-box MS AHCI driver.
Any feedback is much appreciated!
Good luck with these new ASMedia AHCI drivers!
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Update of the start post
Changelog:
-
Samsung NVMe drivers:
-
new: 32/64bit Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.6 WHQL for Win7-10
Notes:
This NVMe driver is dated 05/28/2015, WHQL certified and designed for the Samsung NVMe SSDs XS1715, SM1715, PM1725 and SM1725.
-
new: 32/64bit Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.6 WHQL for Win7-10
-
new: 32/64bit Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.16 WHQL for Win7-10:
- original Samsung Installer Set
- pure Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.16 WHQL (already extracted - thanks to morpheus67!)
Notes:
Both packages contain Samsung’s latest NVMe driver v1.4.7.16. It is dated 10/13/2015, WHQL certified by MS and designed for the Samsung NVMe SSD models 950 Pro. Supported are all Windows Operating Systems from Win7 up. Further details about this driver can be found >here< at Samsung’s Support page.
Any feedback is much appreciated!
Good luck with these new Samsung NVMe drivers!
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Update: The “pure” 32/64bit Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.16 WHQL has been added at 11/03/2015.
Installation of NVMe driver for SM950 PRO needs the physical presence in the PC to be done.
I know that, because I have already tried to run the installer.
Nevertheless I would like to see the "pure" NVMe driver v1.4.7.16.
Hi Fernando, this Samsung NVMe driver works great, driver only see attachment. 
DriverVer=10/13/2015,1.4.7.16
[COMM.NTamd64]
%COMMNvmeUBX.DeviceDesc% = nvme_inst, PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A802
[COMM.NTamd64]
%COMMNvmeUBX.DeviceDesc% = nvme_inst, PCI\VEN_144D&DEV_A802
samsung_950_951_nvme.zip (73.1 KB)
Thank you very much for having extracted and attached the "pure" Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.16 WHQL.
@ all:
Meanwhile I have added the "pure" 32/64bit Samsung NVMe driver v1.4.7.16 WHQL to the start post.
ASMedia ASM106x SATA3 drivers v3.1.7.0 (WinXP/2k3) - v3.1.8.0 (Vista->Win10) digitally-signed by WHQL :
https://mega.nz/#!QYYHCQDB!dCS4XCzKO8e1O…XUgCVfPbfM39Kug
Edited for accuracy, thanks to Fernando’s remark
@ shroeder:
Thank you for the link, but I cannot find any XP driver v3.1.8.0 within the package.
The included XP driver is v3.1.7.0, but the link to this driver is already since 10/17 within the start post.
That’s what I like with your site: precision above all.
So yes, SCSI Stor WinXP/2k3 drivers are still at v3.1.7.0, but they are this time WHQL signed.
I’ve edited my post for accuracy.
Update of the start post
Changelog:
-
ASMedia 106x SATA3 AHCI drivers:
- now WHQL certified: 32/64bit ASMedia 106x AHCI/RAID drivers v3.1.8.0 WHQL for Win8-10
- now WHQL certified: 32/64bit ASMedia 106x AHCI/RAID drivers v3.1.7.0 WHQL for XP/W2k3
Thanks to our Forum member shroeder for the link and for his statement regarding the OS support.
Any feedback is much appreciated!
Good luck with these ASMedia AHCI drivers!
Dieter (alias Fernando)
Hello all,
I just registered to the site, have been visiting for awhile and have tested some of the drivers linked here. Along those lines I wished to report that a few days ago I downloaded the Asmedia 106X 3.1.8.0 driver and installed it on a clean Win 7 Ultimate X64 install. This driver caused a BSOD during install, not something I expected I must say. Event viewer showed is was a crash by the driver. After reboot Device Manager showed driver successfully installed and controller working normally.
I previously had a version 2.0.8.1 driver installed and I had run CrystalDiskMark benchmark on an SSD drive. I ran the benchmark against the new 3.1.8.0 driver and found that performance showed a only a slight increase in read performance and a degraded write performance. I am wondering if the driver linked by shroeder is a different build than what I got?
I had better performance numbers from the 3.1.7.0 driver I found here a short time ago in a Win 10 install so was considering moving to that driver in this Win 7 install but if there is some difference in what I have now and what shroeder links to I might give the 3.1.8.0 another try!
Thanks for any input.
Asmedia 106X 2.0.8.1 driver Asmedia 106X 3.1.8.0 driver
@ Tech-etc:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!
The only difference between the ASMedia AHCI driver v3.1.8.0, which has been previously offered by me within the start post of this thread, and the driver, which was recently linked by shroeder, is the digital signature by Microsoft, which is layed down within the related *.CAT file. The driver itself (= .SYS file) and the associated information file (.INF) are absolutely identical.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)
@ Tech-etc
Just be aware that performance for the same revision of an asmedia sata driver might be inconsistent between Win10 and Win7 because they don’t use the same driver :
Vista-Win7 use asstor32.sys / asstor64.sys
Win8-Win10 use asstahci32.sys / asstahci64.sys
Also between v2.0.8.1 and v3.1.8.0, there is maybe 6 revisions of the driver in which you may be able to find the best one for your configuration.
Final remark : considering the large difference in write performance in your screenshots, are you sure that the write-caching parameters in device manager are identical between your 2 runs ?
That is an interesting info.
How does the OS realize, which driver model is the correct one?
I don’t see any differences within the related INF files regarding
a) the supported OS,
b) the supported DeviceIDs and
c) the names, which are given to the ASMedia SATA Controller by the related driver.