Which are the "best" Intel AHCI/RAID drivers?

Important Drivers Specific: Intel AHCI/RAID Drivers
341

Yes. As I already have explained, there is no suitable Intel EFI “RaidDriver” version available for the “classical” Intel RST drivers.
What I cannot unterstand is, how it is possible, that your system contains the very old “Intel 8280 HB(M)/IB(M) ICH8(M)/ICH9(M) - SATA RAID Controller”, but is able to boot in UEFI mode.
By the way: It should be possible to boot in UEFI mode and to use the Intel RST RAID driver at the same time, but this combination requires, that you have the BIOS option to enable CSM.

EDIT: As you can see >here<, I have done all my Intel RAID drivers performance comparison tests (incl. the RST driver v11.2.0.1006) while running Win10 x64 in UEFI mode.
Here is the related line:

342

I may have been wrong in mentionning that my PC was equipped with an “Intel 8280 HB(M)/IB(M) ICH8(M)/ICH9(M) - SATA RAID Controller”. That info comes from the AIDA64 software and is probably erroneous. My bad.

Actually my motherboard is a Memphis Pegatron (Hewlett-Packard 2AF7) equipped with an Intel H87 chipset [Lynx Point]. My Optional RAID Rom version is 12.5.0.1815.

This certainly explains that my PC usually boots in UEFI mode, at least before I installed the Intel RST v11.2.0.1006 driver.

I still wonder why the 11.2.0.1006 “best” driver doesn’t allow booting my system from UEFI since your tests results show you could to it without problem…

I was under the impression that I’ve completely disabled the “Compatibility Support Module” in the BIOS by explicitly turning off the “legacy boot” and activating the “secure UEFI mode” as I’ve always did when I was using recent RAID drivers.

As my PC has a H87 chipset, I guess it belongs to the “Intel 8- and 9-Series Chipsets (like Z87 or Z97)” line described in your useful table at the beginning of this thread.
I notice that I can choose beetween:
Intel RST(e) v13.2.4.1000 WHQL or
Intel RST v11.2.0.1006 WHQL

I my case, would driver Intel RST(e) v13.2.4.1000 WHQL be the best choice over Intel RST v11.2.0.1006, as you list it first?

Thank you for your help Dieter,
Bob

343

@Music_Maker :
Thanks for having clarified the real Intel Chipset of your system.
Under these circumstances my point of view has to be different.
Questions:
1. How did you get the Intel RST driver v11.2.0.1006 installed? Have you simply “downgraded” the driver version from within a running OS?
2. Which Intel EFI “RaidDriver” module version is within the BIOS of your system?
According to my own experiences the user will get a BSOD while trying to reboot after a “downgrade” from any Intel RST(e) RAID driver to a “classical” one like the v11.2.0.1006.
The only way to get Win10 (32/64bit) properly running with the Intel RST RAID driver v11.2.0.1006 is to do a fresh Win10 installation by using an image, where the Win10 in-box Intel RAID driver named iaStorAV.sys had been previously removed and the desired Intel RAID driver has been integrated (>here< is my guide about how to do it).

The by far best performant Intel RAID driver is the RST v11.2.0.1006, but the preparation of the system takes longer and a matching EFI RAID BIOS module is not available.
Generally I recommend to customize the Intel RAID ROM and - if available - the EFI RaidDriver version of your mainboard BIOS. They should “match” the version of the in-use Intel RAID driver, which means, that they should belong to the same development branch (e.g. 11.2 or v13.2).

344


Well… yeah… that’s what I did… with the results you describe, but I admit I cannot for the moment plan a complete re-install of my system, even if I know now that is the way to go.

The nice thing is I can at any moment try another version of Intel RST drivers as they still provide a large range of previous versions for downloading.

As my OROM version is 12.5.0.1815, I will follow your suggestion and check out the 12.5.0.1066 driver. My first try seems promissing…

In the worst case, I think I will go back to your modded v11.2.0.1006 driver and will give up the option of booting in UEFI mode, as I have no security concern on this particular PC.

By the way, I have another question: Is it possible to modify an UEFI Bios? Reading this forum I’ve kind of seen a lot of instructions for modding non-UEFI Bios but not so much info about modding UEFI Bios.

Thank you again for your kind help! - I’ve just found the "Thanks" button :slight_smile:
Bob

345

If you want to test an Intel RAID driver of the v12 series, I recommend to chhose the 12.9.4.1000 one. It is the latest and best of that series (best matching Intel RAID ROM/EFI RaidDriver: v12.9.0.2006).

For sure it is possible and if you use the UBU tool (look >here<), it is very easy and very safe.

346


Thank you for pointing me in that direction. That will certainly avoid me a lot of ‘guess & try’ work. I’m currently doing an extensive test on my audio system with 12.9.4.1000 and so far the results are great (only one audio drop-out in 30 minutes of intense multi-track recording).


I’ve also downloaded and given a first try to the UBU tool. It’s an amazing piece of software (my thanks goes to the developper SoniX too).
And now the obvious question :wink: in my particular system can I expect some benefit of updating to the latest Intel ORom or downgrading to v11.2.0.1527 (for example) to match the ‘best’ 11.2.0.1006 RAID driver?
I’ve learned a lot so far on this forum ! I like that :slight_smile:
Thank you
Bob

347

Yes, you can expect some benefit, when the Intel RAID ROM matches the Intel RAID driver.

348



My current tests following your advice in your previous mail have demonstrated this clearly on my system.

With a Memphis Pegatron motherboard (Hewlett-Packard 2AF7) equipped with an Intel H87 chipset [Lynx Point] would you recommend I go upwards or downwards in RST driver and matching ORom versions?

349

If I were you, I would start with the Intel RAID driver/OROM combo v12.9.4.1000/v12.9.0.2006 and then test the v13.2.4.1000/v13.2.2.2224 combo.
If you should get an explicit winner regarding performance and stability, I would stick with that one, but if you should not be really satisfied by both of them, I recommend to test the combo v11.2.0.1006/v11.2.0.1527.

350


Once again, thank you very much Dieter for this precise and really useful answer. Your experience is valuable and is a great time and money saver!

As I’ve mentioned earlier this day, I’m quite happy with the v12.9.4.1000 RST driver combined with the v12.5.0.1815 OROM already installed on my machine. The results are quite amazing. I will keep on testing in a professional environment this week and will probably stick to this combo. Otherwise, I will follow the other steps you’ve suggested.

For those who might be interested, I just would like to add that my main issue was to get an RME FireFace 800 firewire audio interface operate multitrack recordings without audio dropouts on an Intel RST RAID system. I’ve realized with your help that new is not best, when it comes to Intel RAID Drivers. They do have to match the Optional RAID ROM build in your machine BIOS !

I would not have been able to sort out this problem without your precious help.

Thank you and all the best!
Bob (M_M)

351

Hi Dieter!

After 2 days of intense testing, I confirm that my problem has been solved by installing the v12.9.4.1000 driver without attempting to update my OROM version which is very close to the one you suggested.

However, I’m still curious to see what extra performance I could get by actually updating it from OROM v12.5.0.1815 to the specific version you suggested i.e. v12.9.0.2006.

I had no trouble to create a BIOS file with UBU, but, as many others, I’m stuck with a validation error which prevents me for going further.

Do you have any advice about how to update a HP Pavillion Desktop with Intel H87 chipset? I’ve read many things about Asus or GigaByte, but not much about HP. Did I miss some usefull details on this forum :slight_smile: ?

M_M

352

@Music_Maker :
I am sorry, but I don’t know how to circumvent HP’s special BIOS validation procedure to get a modded BIOS properly flashed onto a HP system with an Intel H87 chipset.
Maybe you can get help regarding this point from our BIOS Guru CodeRush.

353

Hello!

I want to install Windows 10 x64 on my PC but I don’t know what about Intel RST driver?
On Windows 8.1 I used v13.1.0.1058 WHQL - does this driver will be compatible with Windows 10?
What about default Windows 10 AHCI driver - maybe I don’t have to install v13.1.0.1058 WHQL?

MSI Z77A-G43, i7-2600k 3.40GHz, 8GB RAM, GTX 970 4GB

Thanks!

354

Yes, it is compatible with Win10.

Compare them both (the MS and the Intel AHCI driver) and decide yourself!
According to my own test results (look >here<) the Intel AHCI driver performs better, but this may not be valid for all Intel chipset systems.

355

For the RIVE, would you recommend the default MS AHCI, or RSTE, or RST? And which version?

I’m NOT running raid. And none of them are the system drive.

356

Only users with an X79 Chipset system, who have compared the different options, are able to answer this question.
Why don’t you do it yourself?

By the way: I have moved your post into this better suited thread. There is no need to start a new thread regarding the “best” AHCI driver for each special mainboard.

357

Hi,

I am running a 620 GB RAID 0 volume and a 120 GB SSD on my Intel Controller. I have a separate back up drive. I also have a Marvell controller available on my motherboard. I have my Win 10 installed on my SSD. I keep my apps, games and data on my RAID volume. How should I configure my setup to get the best performance out my SSD and RAID volume? My current configuration is below. I apologize if this is the wrong thread.

System Report

System Information:
OS name: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology enterprise Information:

Kit installed: 14.8.0.1042
User interface version: 14.8.0.1042
Language: English (United States)
RAID option ROM version: 10.5.0.1034
Driver version: 14.8.0.1042
ISDI version: 14.8.0.1042

RAID Configuration:
Array Name: SATA_Array_0000
Size: 610,490 MB
Available space: 3 MB
Number of volumes: 1
Volume member: TheTwo320s
Number of array disks: 2
Array disk: 4QF03FDE
Array disk: S10MJ1EP500757
Disk data cache: Enabled

Volume name: TheTwo320s
Status: Normal
Type: RAID 0
Size: 610,486 MB
System volume: No
Data stripe size: 128 KB
Write-back cache: Write back
Parity errors: 0
Blocks with media errors: 0
Physical sector size: 512 Bytes
Logical sector size: 512 Bytes

Hardware Information:
Controller name: Intel Chipset SATA RAID Controller
Type: SATA
Mode: RAID
Number of SATA ports: 6
Number of volumes: 1
Volume: TheTwo320s
Number of spares: 0
Number of available disks: 2
Rebuild on Hot Plug: Disabled
Manufacturer: 32902
Model number: 10274
Product revision: 5
Direct attached disk: MKN1225A0000108036
Direct attached disk: 9QG4EWDF
Direct attached disk: 4QF03FDE
Direct attached disk: S10MJ1EP500757

Disk on Controller 0, Port 1
Status: Normal
Type: SATA SSD
Location type: Internal
Usage: Available
Size: 112 GB
System disk: Yes
Disk data cache: Enabled
Command queuing: NCQ
Transfer rate: 3 Gb/s
Model: MKNSSDCR120GB-MX
Serial number: MKN1225A0000108036
SCSI device ID: 1
Firmware: 502ABBF0
Physical sector size: 512 Bytes
Logical sector size: 512 Bytes

Disk on Controller 0, Port 2
Status: Normal
Type: SATA disk
Location type: Internal
Usage: Available
Size: 466 GB
System disk: No
Disk data cache: Enabled
Command queuing: NCQ
Transfer rate: 3 Gb/s
Model: ST3500630AS
Serial number: 9QG4EWDF
SCSI device ID: 2
Firmware: 3.AAK
Physical sector size: 512 Bytes
Logical sector size: 512 Bytes

Disk on Controller 0, Port 3
Status: Normal
Type: SATA disk
Location type: Internal
Usage: Array disk
Size: 298 GB
System disk: No
Disk data cache: Enabled
Command queuing: NCQ
Transfer rate: 3 Gb/s
Model: ST3320620AS
Serial number: 4QF03FDE
SCSI device ID: 3
Firmware: 3.AAD
Physical sector size: 512 Bytes
Logical sector size: 512 Bytes

Disk on Controller 0, Port 4
Status: Normal
Type: SATA disk
Location type: Internal
Usage: Array disk
Size: 298 GB
System disk: No
Disk data cache: Enabled
Command queuing: NCQ
Transfer rate: 3 Gb/s
Model: SAMSUNG HD320KJ
Serial number: S10MJ1EP500757
SCSI device ID: 4
Firmware: CP100-10
Physical sector size: 512 Bytes
Logical sector size: 512 Bytes

ATAPI device on Controller 0, Port 0
Location type: Internal
Transfer rate: 1.5 Gb/s
Model: TSSTcorpCD/DVDW TS-H653L
Serial number: Not Available
Firmware: 0514

Empty port
Port: 5
Port location: Internal


EDIT by Fernando: To save space I have put the details into a spoiler.

358

I used AN SSD Benchmark and tested 13.1.0.1058 (officially support Z77 version), 14.8.7.1051 (forced Z87 option in Device Manager) and 14.10.0.1016 drivers (forced Z100 option in Device Manager). 13.1.0.1058 had the best performance (marginally of course) and the lowest response times, except for 4K-64thr performance, which was the highest with 14.10.0.1016 (marginally by 5MB/sec) drivers. I was very careful to reproduce the exact environments for each test.

Thing is, I also tested game load times and 14.10.0.1016 provided the snappiest performance. I think there’s more to AHCI driver differences than just Read/Write/Response Time differences. Maybe 14.10.0.1016 drivers can apply these “newer features” on Z77 motherboards when Z100 option is forced through Device Manager) ? Maybe 14.10.0.1016 drivers are better optimized for Windows 10? I think 13.1.0.1058 use WDDM 1.1 and 14.10.0.1016 drivers use the newer WDDM 2.0, which is better optimized due to reduced CPU overhead.

What new features do Z87, Z97, and Z100 Intel RST AHCI drivers (like 14.8.7.1051 and 14.10.0.1016) have that Z77 (13.1.0.1058) Intel RST AHCI drivers do not?

359

With Z77 Chipset you can install 8-series family driver manually from the latest 14.8.0.1042. There are no AHCI differences between 7 and 8 series in driver. You only have to select the driver manually to install, because of the different name.

360

@MonarchX :
Thanks for your interesting report, but what has it to do with the topic of this thread?

You can easily verify, whether your speculation is reality or not by comparing the results you get after having installed a modded driver, where the related Intel SATA AHCI Controller model is detected and shown correctly by the Device Manager.
By the way: I doubt, that a user can get originally not available features by simulating to have a newer hardware while installing a driver.

You should better ask Intel.
Each new driver development branch introduces new features (and new bugs).