SSD installed

Admiral Huddy

Admiral Huddy

Admiral Huddy

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How does this seem:

AdmiralADSSDBench.jpg


Patriot Inferno 120GB SATA-II

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-008-PA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=1427

Fresh windows install, Trim enabled.

Things a little more zippy but nothing to write home about and sequential read speed well short of the quoted 285MB/s

In BIOS Onbaord devices, J Micron SATA/PATA is enabled and configured as AHCI

Yet strangely, the SATA config = Enhanced and Config SATA as IDE.

Not sure if this is relevent
 
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I'm no expert but I'd maybe give ATTO a whirl, see what results you get with that. ATTO seems to be the one everyone uses to bench SSDs.

Also I don't think you want to put it on a JMicron controller, I always just disable that completely and use the intel controller (and make sure it is set to AHCI). If you need to reinstall your OS you'll need to secure erase your drive before you do.
 
shoot1st said:
I'm no expert but I'd maybe give ATTO a whirl, see what results you get with that. ATTO seems to be the one everyone uses to bench SSDs.

Also I don't think you want to put it on a JMicron controller, I always just disable that completely and use the intel controller (and make sure it is set to AHCI). If you need to reinstall your OS you'll need to secure erase your drive before you do.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately, the Asus P5KC only has a JMicron controller.. i believe.
 
I've got the same drive on a Asus X58 board, still only scores about 320 on that benchmark but looks comparable with other drives on Atto
 
jbloggs said:
The P5KC does have the ICH9 cont (southbridge), there are 4 x SATA ports, 2 red (use for boot disk) and 2 black, Page 2-32 of manual...

Does need to be running in AHCI mode, also you best using v 9.6.0.1014 drivers...

Try using ATTO for your benches...
Click to expand...

ok cheers.. I assumed this because I can only see a BIOS entry for JMicron controller, which is set to AHCI.. Guess that was my confussion.

Those rapid starge drivers you mention, I wasn't promopted for any drivers during install.. nor did i press F6 to install drivers.. Should there have been and or should I have done?

ATTO benchies:

atto.jpg
 
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Ok I've checked my manual,

According to the manual, there should be an AHCI option under the "SATA config for SB" in the BIOS but there is only an IDE option, not both.

The setting I have made for ACHI is in the JM eSATA controller hence the confusion.

Would this make sense?

Also, why is the SATA config not showing an option for ACHI when the manual says it should?
 
I suspect W7 will have just installed the standard Microsoft drivers for your SATA/IDE controllers. These should work fine.
 
mikeo said:
I suspect W7 will have just installed the standard Microsoft drivers for your SATA/IDE controllers. These should work fine.
Click to expand...

As far as i can see in DM this is true but I'm puzzled as to why there is no ACHI option in the BIOS? Does this make a difference?

How do the ATTO benchies look?
 
Admiral Huddy said:
As far as i can see in DM this is true but I'm puzzled as to why there is no ACHI option in the BIOS? Does this make a difference?

How do the ATTO benchies look?
Click to expand...

I think this is similar to the OCZ Vertex 2E (looking to get one soon) and they look "slightly" lower than what I've seen for the Vertex (usually between 250 and 300 MB/s).

Whether the default Microsoft drivers explain the slightly lower figures, I'm not sure.

You could try downloading the Intel RST version 9 drivers and seeing what happens.

PS. Things like CDM and some of the other drive testing programs do not show SSD's (especially ones with SandForce controllers) at their best.
 
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OCZ recommend the Intel RST drivers but if you can't use AHCI then there's no point. I'm using RST 9 drivers with AHCI and my ATTO benchmark is a bit better than yours, Admiral Huddy (~270MB/s write, 280MB/s read vs 250MB/s write, 245MB/s read).
 
Yep... but the OP seems to be implying that it "is" running in AHCI mode but just with the standard Microsoft drivers that W7 installs. Something you can tell easily enough if you look in device Manager. He should be seeing something like:

AHCI controller driver ver. 21/06/06 ... 6.1.760.16385

From what I've been told on the OCZ forum. The default W7 Microsoft drivers are fine, they pass the TRIM command OK, but don't have as good NCQ processing as the later Intel RST drivers. Whether this makes much difference, I don't know. Though I suspect I will find out soon when I get round to picking up a Vertex 2E 120GB at some point next week.

PS. The Intel RST drivers will not install for all boards. My board being one of them by all accounts (though I've not actually tried myself).
 
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Admiral Huddy said:
How do the ATTO benchies look?
Click to expand...

Tbh they look a tad slower than most of the results I've seen for that drive, including my own.

Try booting without any hard drives physically installed, and/or if you have any additional drives unplug those but leave the SSD connected, see if either of those let you see anything regarding AHCI.

Failing that, maybe a BIOS update?
 
mikeo said:
Yep... but the OP seems to be implying that it "is" running in AHCI mode but just with the standard Microsoft drivers that W7 installs. Something you can tell easily enough if you look in device Manager. He should be seeing something like:

AHCI controller driver ver. 21/06/06 ... 6.1.760.16385
Click to expand...

Sort of.. I don't get an option in the BIOS to change the SATA configuration to AHCI like the manual suggests. However, I do see the AHCI controller drver ver as you state in DM.

mikeo said:
Assuming I'm looking at the correct manual for your board.

Page reference 4.3.5 talks about " SATA configuration"

http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket775/P5K-C/e3155_p5kc.pdf ... page 84

But from what you say, Device Manager appears to be showing the correct thing, so you must be in AHCI mode.
Click to expand...

I'm really not sure.. as I said above, there is no option. I have just checked the BIOS revision and I'm one behind the lastest but there have been all kinds of problems with the 1203 BIOS from what I've read.


Can I install those RST driver post W7 install?
 
Admiral Huddy said:
I have just found this..

http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx...3317421&board_id=1&model=P5KC&page=1&count=16

Apparently, Asus dropped the AHCI from ICH9 after BIOS version 0409 hence the inconsistency in the manual.
Click to expand...

If you can find BIOS 0409 and flash your motherboard with it, this should give you AHCI mode again in your BIOS...

Your ATTO bench is a bit down on what I would expect from the Intel ICHx(R) cont., but still pretty good for the jmicron cont., you could maybe try a few different (jmicron) drivers and see which gives the best performance.
 
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The drive is connected to the ICH9 but in IDE mode. I'm not sure if this would a make this much difference.

I am going to try the ssd on the Jmicron channel. See if that makes any difference.
 
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