SSD ahci or IDE

[Yvar]

Dear overclock3d,

i am about to order the crucial m4 128gb ssd. But ive read some things about that it should be installed in IDE instead of AHCI? im not sure if this is true. also when i read on their tutorial on how to update firmware they say it has to be in IDE? atm i have a WD caviar blue 750gb hdd, could anybody make a list of what to do when installing this drive, keep in mind that i am a hdd noob and that my stuff atm is on the WD.

With regards

 

[iiTzMaTTy]

Dear overclock3d,

i am about to order the crucial m4 128gb ssd. But ive read some things about that it should be installed in IDE instead of AHCI? im not sure if this is true. also when i read on their tutorial on how to update firmware they say it has to be in IDE? atm i have a WD caviar blue 750gb hdd, could anybody make a list of what to do when installing this drive, keep in mind that i am a hdd noob and that my stuff atm is on the WD.

With regards

I have my HDD both on 'Hackintosh' and Windows 7 running as AHCI and don't find anything wrong with it. I could also be wrong, but using my own preference its worked fine for me and it should do also the same, I don't know any benefits or drawbacks to each. Also when installing an OCZ Vertex 2 on my laptop I used AHCI and didn't run into any problems, but IDE could be better.

This may not be a perfect answer that you wanted to hear but I am just stating that AHCI works for an HDD and SSD.

Hope I helped.

 

[Blackwhite]

AHCI only mate

 

[yassarikhan786]

Yep, use ACHI

.

 

[fcb]

Yep, use ACHI

.

Yup, agreed.

 

[Yvar]

ok ty alot guys

but the ssd is not using sandforce controller, and on the firmware page they say it shoudl be in IDE thats what made me wondering if on this ssd i should use IDE :S?

thanks so for for everyones responses

 

[Yvar]

btw when i buy it should i plug it into the chipsets sata port? or into the marvell sata port since the m4 uses marvel controller. i have a i5 2500k with z68 chipset motherboard

 

[yassarikhan786]

btw when i buy it should i plug it into the chipsets sata port? or into the marvell sata port since the m4 uses marvel controller. i have a i5 2500k with z68 chipset motherboard

Use the Z68 chipset, because it will be faster.

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure it would work best in the chipsets sata port.

 

[fcb]

Yup, the first 2 SATA ports on the Z68 motherboard should usually be controlled by the Intel chipset. As great as the Marvell chipset is, native Intel has better support and performance.

 

[Yvar]

Ah ok ty, i thought so but because the ssd uses a marvell controller i wasnt to sure. Ty again

Now another hdd noob question. All my software and os is on my WD atm when i install the ssd, should i unplug the hdd and install windows on the ssd in ahci. and then reconnect the hdd and format it?

with regards

 

[fcb]

Yes, you should definitely try installing the OS onto your SSD. Remember to go into BIOS to change the SATA mode to AHCI before going into Windows installation. Just to be safe, you may disconnect your hard drive before you install Windows. Also, you should go to Intel to download the latest SATA driver for the Intel Rapid Storage Technology.

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

Once you've installed all your drivers and programs on the SSD, you should backup anything important from your hard drive to an external storage or onto a USB Flash Drive before you reformat the hard drive.

 

[Yvar]

aah ty alot m8!! so even though its not a intel ssd i should install those updates

?

With regards ( allready thanks alot for the help m8)

 

[fcb]

aah ty alot m8!! so even though its not a intel ssd i should install those updates

?

With regards ( allready thanks alot for the help m8)

You're very welcome. Nope, there's nothing to worry about if it isn't an Intel based SSD.

 

[malarky13]

Deffo needs to be on AHCI M8

 

[malarky13]

The marvell contoller on my P8P67 Deluxe sucks

 

[fcb]

The Marvel chipset onboard isn't bad. I think in most cases the controller is already capped in regards to the SSDs. You can try to update the BIOS and check if you have the latest Marvell SATA driver. I'd still recommend using the onboard Intel SATA controller. It provides better performance over Marvell.

As mentioned earlier, if you don't have the latest Intel SATA driver, you may find it here.

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

 

[S_I_N]

to clear some confusion and in case it hasnt been said yet. ACHI for usage in non raid mode is the preferred mode. IDE mode is for when ya flash the firmware on it. As the firmware connot see it in anything but IDE. You can run it in IDE mode if you wish but it will degrade performance faster as trim isnt supported by opsys in IDE fully.

 

[Yvar]

haaa ty alot it has all been made alot easier now

! ty people