Is NCQ on?

BoomAM · 4 Oct 2008 at 16:38

Hi.
I just did a BIOS update to my IP35-Pro, and apart from a few driver reinstall/s ive had to do, its also reset my BIOS. Forcing me to re-adjust the memory voltages & reset the drive modes to AHCI.
Now, all the controllers, both the inbuilt one and the JMicron one, are set in the BIOS, to AHCI mode.
Windows boots fine.

I cant tell if NCQ is on or off though? Any obvious way of telling?

Thanks in advance all.

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Rroff · 4 Oct 2008 at 16:54

if the drives support NCQ, you have SATA Gen 2 enabled and the drives are in AHCI mode then NCQ _should_ be on.

When I installed windows (XP) on this PC I didn't realise AHCI had to be manually enabled as a choice before installing the OS so I don't have AHCI or NCQ

BoomAM · 4 Oct 2008 at 17:15

AHCI is on, and the intel storage manager reports the AHCI mode as being SATA Generation 2.
Does that mean that its on?

jimmy29 · 4 Oct 2008 at 17:43

It should be yes.

BoomAM · 4 Oct 2008 at 17:58

Well i just downloaded and installed the new Intel Matrix Storage Drivers and it has now changed the write mode to enable caching.
Coolio. All working.

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pjansell · 4 Oct 2008 at 18:05

The application name eludes me, but there is a command line tool you can download to check if NCQ is on, i think it's by hitachi i seem to recall - let me try and dig it out for you.

*Edit* - it's this one i think, works with other drives as well - http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#FeatureTool

BoomAM · 6 Oct 2008 at 17:54

pjansell said:
The application name eludes me, but there is a command line tool you can download to check if NCQ is on, i think it's by hitachi i seem to recall - let me try and dig it out for you.

*Edit* - it's this one i think, works with other drives as well - http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm#FeatureTool

Which one?

pjansell · 7 Oct 2008 at 11:43

The DFT includes the smart features you're after - give that ago.

Midway down the page.