Intel Rapid Storage Technology v9.6 Driver

[idata]

Hello everyone,

I just purchased the SSD 335 series (this is my 1st SSD) recently and want to make sure I have the latest drivers for it. I have the Asus Maximus V Formula motherboard that has the Intel Z77 Express Chipset; from Asus's website I downloaded the latest driver which is the Intel Chipset Driver V9.3.0.1021.

But according to the Intel article: Intel Solid-State Drive FAQ: Read This First!, located at the following support page: /thread/17986?start=0&tstart=0 http://communities.intel.com/thread/17986?start=0&tstart=0

Under the section, Ensure You Have The Proper Drivers Installed, it reads: Intel recommends using the Intel Rapid Storage Technology v9.6 Driver. But the link is no good.

I have 3 questions:

1. I don't have this SSD in a Raid setup, so would this driver still work for me, should I still download it for optimized performance?

2. Would I need to uninstall the Intel Chipset Driver that I downloaded from my motherboard manufacturer (Asus) before installing this driver?

3. I can't seem to find the driver, where can I download it?

Thanks for the help!

[idata]

You are confusing two different things. What you or ASUS is calling the Intel Chipset Driver, is really called the Intel Chipset Device Software, and the version you listed, V9.3.0.1021, is fine.

In general, the driver you saw in the thread you posted is for the Intel SATA controller on your board, which is part of the Z77 chipset. That is the Intel IRST driver, that is used for both AHCI and RAID mode usage. Intel left a very old, dead link for that driver in that information, must be a mistake. The latest IRST driver for your board is here:

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=22272&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%... http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=22272&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%...

I'm also sure that ASUS has an earlier version of the IRST driver on your boards download page, you can use either one.

These two drivers are not the same, and do different things. You should not, and really cannot, install the Chipset Device Software, and can install the IRST driver anytime, as long as your SATA mode is set to AHCI or RAID.