AHCI for SSD's

[tomcork]

I have ordered a 256gb SSD and while doing research, i noticed the mention of using AHCI mode. Does this make a big real world difference. I don't care about benchmark scores but just real world responsiveness.

 

[geofelt]

AHCI enables trim.
That is a capability that improves the update/delete efficiency of a ssd.
It really does not impact responsiveness which is determined mostly by small random read and write times.

I would not worry about it too much.

 

[sincreator]

Here is some good reading for you: http://www.diffen.com/difference/AHCI_vs_IDE

 

[tomcork]

Thanks. I was checking my bios settings and I could not find the setting. I was just wondering if it was really needed and caused a big difference in improvement.

 

[tomcork]

AHCI enables trim.
That is a capability that improves the update/delete efficiency of a ssd.
It really does not impact responsiveness which is determined mostly by small random read and write times.

I would not worry about it too much.

so there will not be much noticeable performance increase from using sata without ahci mode?

 

[geofelt]

NO noticeable difference.
You will be impressed with a ssd.
I might suggest Samsung or intel which have free clone apps that make conversion simple.

In the bios, there will be a sata mode setting.
The options will be AHCI, IDE, and possibly raid.
AHCI is a subset of raid.(I do not recommend raid for anything)
Newer motherboards will default to AHCI.

Whatever you find, it is not readily changeable without a windows reinstall or a registry hack process.
If you are using IDE, then windows 7, at least will not have the drivers necessary to boot.

 

[sincreator]

Most motherboards default to AHCI now anyway, but if not, look for SATA settings in your bios under an advanced tab. You will have 3 options. IDE/AHCI/RAID. Just select AHCI before you install windows. Like the guy above me said, you need AHCI to enable TRIM, which keeps your SSD garbage free. I recommend it for sure. 😉

 

[tomcork]

NO noticeable difference.
You will be impressed with a ssd.
I might suggest Samsung or intel which have free clone apps that make conversion simple.

In the bios, there will be a sata mode setting.
The options will be AHCI, IDE, and possibly raid.
AHCI is a subset of raid.(I do not recommend raid for anything)
Newer motherboards will default to AHCI.

Whatever you find, it is not readily changeable without a windows reinstall or a registry hack process.
If you are using IDE, then windows 7, at least will not have the drivers necessary to boot.

Yeah. I think my motherboard is too old to support AHCI mode. That's probably why I cannot find it.

 

[tomcork]

Most motherboards default to AHCI now anyway, but if not, look for SATA settings in your bios under an advanced tab. You will have 3 options. IDE/AHCI/RAID. Just select AHCI before you install windows. Like the guy above me said, you need AHCI to enable TRIM, which keeps your SSD garbage free. I recommend it for sure. 😉

garbage free? please explain.

 

[sincreator]

Most motherboards default to AHCI now anyway, but if not, look for SATA settings in your bios under an advanced tab. You will have 3 options. IDE/AHCI/RAID. Just select AHCI before you install windows. Like the guy above me said, you need AHCI to enable TRIM, which keeps your SSD garbage free. I recommend it for sure. 😉

garbage free? please explain.

This should help explain: http://www.techspot.com/news/52835-understanding-ssds-the-need-for-trim-overprovisioning-and-more.html

 

[geofelt]

What motherboard are you using?

 

[tomcork]

What motherboard are you using?

Asus P5G41T-M LX

(I know its pretty old)

 

[geofelt]

What motherboard are you using?

Asus P5G41T-M LX

(I know its pretty old)

I guess you are right.
And... because your sata ports are limited to 3Gb/s, your benchmarks will look bat with a sequential transfer in the 200-300 range.
Again, not to worry. That is still 2x the fastest hard drives and almost no impact in small random I/O which is the most important.

If you have not bought your ssd already, I suggest Samsung EVO or Intel 730.
They both come with clone utilities.

 

[tomcork]

What motherboard are you using?

Asus P5G41T-M LX

(I know its pretty old)

I guess you are right.
And... because your sata ports are limited to 3Gb/s, your benchmarks will look bat with a sequential transfer in the 200-300 range.
Again, not to worry. That is still 2x the fastest hard drives and almost no impact in small random I/O which is the most important.

If you have not bought your ssd already, I suggest Samsung EVO or Intel 730.
They both come with clone utilities.

I'm doing a clean install just because OS is only a few months old and I don't want old graphics drivers also being cloned. I'd rather have it running as optimally I can get it for my set up.