INTEL, Where is our G1 TRIM support? Please answer

[idata]

Intel,

Will you be providing G1 TRIM support in a future firmware upgrade for your early SSD adopters? Please give a yes or no answer.

Thank you,

Robert

Austin TX

[idata]

I just don't understand what Intel think they have to gain by not offering TRIM for G1 drives.

TRIM was on the technology map when G1's were released. At the time there was a widespread perception that this would be applied to G1 drives when it was ready. In fairness Intel did not say it would be applied to G1 drives but equally they did not say it would not be made available. If Intel had made it clear in their technology road map that TRIM would not be available on G1 drives then people would have had the choice.

If TRIM is not technically feasible it would be helpful if Intel could say so. The question has been asked directly on this forum a number of times and it has been ignored.

Most of the other SSD manufacturers have provided TRIM updates for SSD products that came out a long time before Win 7 was officially launched so it's really hard to believe that TRIM cannot be applied to G1 drives. (Especially when you consider that Intel were at the heart of TRIM and Window 7 optimisations for SSD from day one).

Intel has stated how important TRIM is for their G2 drives so why would this not be applicable for G1 drives?

The performance of G1 & G2 are about the same if you take out the degradation issue on a G1 so do Intel really think that people will buy a G2 drive just for TRIM when they have already paid a huge premium for the G1 technology? Of course not…they will stick with their G1 but they will feel disgruntled and short changed.

How does Intel gain from that and what does Intel loose by offering TRIM?

[idata]

It took Intel quite a long time to come out with a firmware update to support TRIM for G2 drives, and even then there was an issue. There are people with G2 drives waiting for a firmware update to support drivers other than the default msahci in Windows 7. There are people with G2 drives waiting for TRIM support for RAID. How long has it been since Intel stopped production of G1 drives?

I don't have insight into what is going on with Intel's research department and how difficult it is to accomplish their goals, but it seems to me they had a difficult time just to get out firmware update for TRIM for G2 drives!

I can understand the frustration of those with G1 drives, but Intel never promised to have TRIM for G1 drives, and buying the first version of new technology often results in compromises.

I seriously doubt threads like this will make Intel suddenly stop research for G2 drives to bring TRIM to obsolete drives. I expect there will be G3 drives sometime in the future and I accept what I got with G2 drives as I know technology advances--and further research will go to drives being made, not obsolete drives.

[idata]

I think the problem is that this was an unexpected and initially expressly denied defect in the extremely expensive G1 drives, a defect for which Intel has taken pretty much no responsibility. So this is not simply a case of "Well, of course G2 will be better than G1--what's the complaint about?" The problem is that G1 is defective and not performing to reported (and implicitly promised) specs, not that G2 is better.

Even if they decided that it just isn't worth it support G1 drives anymore (as far as the firmware or trim are concerned), they still could easily have offered a G1 for G2 exchange or even mere discount program.

But instead they decided to stick us with a clearly and painfully defective product with no remedy whatever. Classy.

I think Intel customers would be very wise to put this in the "Lessons Learned" category, Intel being another "Actually, turns out it's much better business-wise to overpromise and underdeliver and then sell them again" company.

Fortunately, the marketplace will over time make Intel pay for this attitude, but only if people know about it.

[idata]

If your definition of obsolete is as per the biological definition "imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals" then yes I could agree that not providing TRIM has indeed made the G1 obsolete.

In any other context to say that the drive is obsolete is not really helpful. If Intel knew they would not provide TRIM for G1 drives they should have stated it at the time but they didn't because it would have hit G1 sales. They did nothing to dispel the reasonable assumption that TRIM would be provided when Win 7 was released to address a degradation to specified performance figures. Instead they released a G2 TRIM compatible drive and left G1 owners high and drive.

No point arguing because Intel are obviously not going to change their mind, but that does not mean that end users do not have a legitimate cause to express misgivings.

I've leant a good lesson from it. Do not be an early technology adopter when it comes to Intel products. You pay a huge premium only to see your product made obsolete by a lack of support. Quite simple really.

[idata]

Redux,

One cannot re-write history. It is a fact that the G1 drives are obsolete and the manufactering process is different between the new G2 drives and the old G1. Fact. OCZ does not offer TRIM on their 1st generation drives and both Intel and OCZ produced their 1st generation drives around the same time. The arguments you put forth though they may seem correct, if taking to its logical conclusion would be mean that Intel should continue to manufactor old CPUS with the same capabilities that they make new CPUs though the architecture is proven different. So Intel should continue invest to make their Duo Core just as good as their iCore7. I think they will not. If you look at their roadmap on ANY of their products at some point in time the architecture changes which means that old products produced with the old architecture will no longer be produced. This how computer technogology evolves. If you buy early, you risk the new capabilties and refinements that usually come shortly. If you buy late, then you end not getting all the new stuff. It's all timing.

Tell me, can you get a 1st GEN G1 today? No. The only thing that is left is probably leftovers.