Do Intel's new RST AHCI/RAID drivers support TRIM?

[DZand]

Win7 users with an Intel chipset mainboard and Intel X25-M 2G SSD's, who successfully have flashed the actually withdrawn Postville SSD Firmware, want to take advantage of the TRIM command support, but there still are some restrictions:

1. Intel's Matrix Storage Manager drivers (last official v8.9.0.1023) do not support the TRIM command. The only available SATA drivers, which do fully support the TRIM command, are the Win7 generic MS IDE/AHCI drivers.

2. SSD's running in "RAID Mode" neither do support the TRIM command nor can be "cleaned" by Intel's new SSD Toolbox.

So here is my question:

Do or will the upcoming Intel AHCI/RAID drivers of the Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology (RST) support the TRIM command?

I ask this, because I am already running the brandnew and WHQL certified RST driver v9.5.0.1037 (available at Station-drivers since 13th October) with my 2x160 GB Intel Postville SSD RAID0 system and got a really amazing performance boost.

Thanks in advance!

Fernando

My system:

MB: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R (P45 with Intel ICH10R Southbridge)

CPU: Intel Core2Duo E8400 (no OC)

HDD's: 2x160 GB Intel X25-M G2 as RAID0

RAM: 4x2 GB J.Skill PC2-8500

[idata]

Can you guys check my logic below? I just want to make sure I have it straight in my head.

I'd like to install Windows 7 64bit on a single X25M G2 with the new firmware, and in the next few weeks I'd like to add a few 7200rpm hard drives in RAID 0. Should I just set the Bios to AHCI, and install Windows 7 on the X25M. At this point, I should have TRIM capability using the default Microsoft driver.

Then when I want to make a RAID of 7200rpm hard drives on the ICH10r, I can just switch the BIOS to RAID mode and create the RAID. At this point, native Windows 7 TRIM will not work, and I should then install the latest Intel Matrix Storage Driver 8.9.0.1023, and use the Intel SSD Toolbox to run scheduled/manual Trim.

Do I have it straight?

Thanks bunches!

[DZand]

h22 schrieb:

Fernando, in my case, I have a WD velociraptor running as a single drive, 2 WD 7200 HDDs running in raid0, and awaiting an X25-M G2 SDD to be run as a single drive, all connected to and controlled by my onboard ICH9R controller in RAID mode. In this mode, windows 7 by default has installed iaStorV.sys as the driver for this controller, which I understand is an intel SATA/RAID driver. As far as I can determine, all my drives, whether they are part of the raid array or not, are being controlled by the same driver.

But of course won't know for sure if the toolbox optimizer's trim will work or not on my SSD until I've tried it out.

The Intel SSD Toolbox Optimizer will work with your SSD.

Although your SSD will be connected to an Intel SATA port, which is set to "RAID Mode", it will not be managed by the Intel(R) ICH9R SATA RAID Controller.

[idata]

Thanks Fernando for the confirmation that optimizer will work.

But what driver will control the X25-M? With my current setup, all my hdd's, whether in raid or not, are listed under the Intel(R) ICH8R/ICH9R/ICH10R/DO SATA RAID Controller in device manager ("devices by connection" view), and therefore all seemingly controlled by it. I can't see any other relevant storage controllers listed in device manager. Am I missing something?

[idata]

Davem1979, that all seems ok to me, although I'm not sure if switching from AHCI to RAID will cause problems or not without reinstalling windows. I've had issues switching the other way around.

[DZand]

dokh22 schrieb:

Thanks Fernando for the confirmation that optimizer will work.

But what driver will control the X25-M? With my current setup, all my hdd's, whether in raid or not, are listed under the Intel(R) ICH8R/ICH9R/ICH10R/DO SATA RAID Controller in device manager ("devices by connection" view), and therefore all seemingly controlled by it. I can't see any other relevant storage controllers listed in device manager. Am I missing something?

Open the Device Manager and look into the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section. Do you see any "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" or any other Controllers there?

If yes, open the "Properties" of the IDE Channels and check, where your non-RAID SATA hdds are listed.