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Win7 users with an Intel chipset mainboard and Intel X25-M 2G SSD's, who successfully have flashed the actually withdrawn Postville SSD Firmware, want to take advantage of the TRIM command support, but there still are some restrictions: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

[DZand]

Arcticus schrieb:

So it would look like this maybe:

SATA0: SSD (should it be on SATA 0 or 1 ?)

SATA2-3 : 2x HDDs RAID 0

SATA4: optical drive

So after the installation of Win 7 Prof. x64, what software, drivers do I need?

I have read about the Intel Matrix Storage Manager (no trim support), the SSD Toolkit (no update available at the moment), the MS AHCI drivers (would they work with this setup?) and some other wierd Intel driver ?... and I wonder:

1. What do I have to install right now to have TRIM support (and is it manually oder native)

2. Do I have to wait for the new toolkit and is the toolkit only necessary, if there is no automatic trimming ?

3. If Intel MSM is updated, is it the only thing I would need in the end ?

1. You will be able to get Win7 x64 installed onto your SSD without loading any third party storage drivers.Since the OS will manage your HDD by using the generic MS driver, Trim will run automaticly.

2. You will not need the SSD Toolkit unless you decide to install any Intel MSM driver.

3. The Intel MSM drivers will never support the Trim command, but maybe the Intel RST drivers will. We have to wait for the official release of them.

[idata]

So did I screw up by installing this MSM? Should i uninstall it?

[idata]

Hmm I hope the truth is out there somewhere

2 Postings, two different answers... but what is the right one ^^

I really hope it is your answer Fernando... it's look like the cleaner and nicer one ^^

Have you any "evidence" that support your opinion?

Until now I have always found these two answer: "you need not to install anything with Win7" and "you need the SSD Optimizer in the toolkit" ... ok if understand it correctly, you won't need the toolkit, if you choose "AHCI" in the bios, because the toolkit is the "manual trim" in some sort and with Win7 and AHCI you get the TRIM command itself... but if I choose "RAID" mode and plug in a non-RAID drive, is it installed automatically with AHCI drivers ? I read something about the MSM, that it would implement AHCI commands...

on the other topic:

Is MSM (besides for some "disk failure check" routines and other little tools) in any way necessary for a standard RAID-0 to get the right performance ?

thx

arcticus

[DZand]

bandrews schrieb:

So did I screw up by installing this MSM? Should i uninstall it?

I would not do that.

Reasons:

1. Usually the Intel AHCI(RAID driver has a better performance than the generic MS storage drivers.

2. As long as your SSD is outside the RAID, you can run the Optimizer of the SSD Toolbox, when you got the impression, that your performance is going bad.

3. I am pretty sure, that the upcoming Intel AHCI/RAID driver of the Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology will fully support Trim.

[idata]

What is the difference between the RST and the MSM?