AHCI Mode

Stalker23 · **AHCI Mode -** 05-25-2011, 17:54 | posts: 1

New here, just built a new computer for the first time and had a couple questions about enabling AHCI mode (i did what Hilbert Hagedoorn's thread said to do)

1) how can I verify my SSD is in AHCI mode. I installed windows 7 then followed those steps but want some verification

2) i have a SSD and an HDD and only want the SDD in AHCI mode and the other in IDE but am not sure if i automatically put both in AHCI mode by following Hilbert Hagedoorn's steps. If it doesnt matter that there both in AHCI mode then i guess i dont care but i was curious.

Thanks for any help

deltatux · 05-25-2011, 18:10 | posts: 18,785 | Location: Toronto, Canada

If you enable AHCI, why not do it on both drives? AHCI benefits HDD a lot more than it does SSD because you need AHCI in order for it to use NCQ.

To enable AHCI, just ensure to switch it on in the BIOS, that's the only way to do it.

deltatux

dcx_badass · 05-25-2011, 22:03 | posts: 9,547 | Location: Leeds [UK]

If you enabled it in the bios and it boots then you did it right.

djjonastybe · 05-26-2011, 06:23 | posts: 724 | Location: Belgium

Quote:

Originally Posted by deltatux

If you enable AHCI, why not do it on both drives? AHCI benefits HDD a lot more than it does SSD because you need AHCI in order for it to use NCQ.

To enable AHCI, just ensure to switch it on in the BIOS, that's the only way to do it.

deltatux

Dell recommended me SATA mode for my Dell Studio 1558, never understood why, because AHCI always ran better.

deltatux · *Last edited by deltatux; 05-26-2011 at 08:13.*

Quote:

Originally Posted by djjonastybe

Dell recommended me SATA mode for my Dell Studio 1558, never understood why, because AHCI always ran better.

I believe they did that for the sake of backwards compatibility ... that or their factory image doesn't come with AHCI enabled so if someone turns it on, they don't want to deal with so many customers screaming their heads off wondering why their system fails to boot.

You have to remember, the average computer user is rather stupid

.

For my M3A motherboard, apparently there's an errata in the SB600 southbridge where the SATA controller performs pathetically in AHCI mode than IDE (or what some manufacturers call SATA) mode. So due to this design bug, AHCI on the southbridge SATA controller works worse than good old IDE mode *sigh*.

deltatux

Joohan · 05-26-2011, 08:41 | posts: 271 | Location: Turku, Finland

I have a question concerning ACHI as well. I have 2 500gb WD drives which I have set up in RAID0, one of the arrays is around 250gb which has my Windows installation on it and the second array is around 750gb for games and such. I also have 2 500gb drives and one 1tb drive which are used for storage and such but they are being used as normal SATA drives (so no RAID arrays in them). Now, in order to get the two RAID0 arrays working, I have to set the SATA mode in bios to RAID. How can I get the rest of my drives (non RAID) to work in ACHI mode? There is no option to set the mode separately for each drive. The only options for all drives are something like IDE, ACHI and RAID and of course to get the RAID0 arrays working I need to select the RAID option. So are the rest of my drives (the non RAID ones) still working in ACHI mode (read somewhere that RAID and ACHI are basically the same) and if not, is there something I need to do to get the rest (non RAID) drives working in ACHI mode such as changing some settings in Bios or the Intel Rapid Storage Technology interface in Windows?

deltatux · 05-26-2011, 09:11 | posts: 18,785 | Location: Toronto, Canada

RAID mode is the RAID functionality + AHCI. All SATA drives must support and be in AHCI in order to use the RAID function.

deltatux

The Chubu · *Last edited by The Chubu; 05-26-2011 at 09:17.*

Nope. Nothing else to do. Just put it in RAID and thats it.

AHCI has the same functions as RAID wo the striped/mirrored volumes thing. So, if you set all your drives to RAID, even the ones that arent working on an array will be using RAID interface, wich brings the same things as AHCI on the table (NCQ for example).

You wont be able to "safely extract" non-system HDDs from windows though, so i dunno how the hot-swap functions work with RAID.

(with AHCI i could "safely extract" my WD HDD, while now with my RAID0 array of F3s, i cant "safely extract" the WD HDDs)

Joohan · 05-27-2011, 09:44 | posts: 271 | Location: Turku, Finland

Ok, thanks guys for the info.

Deathspank · 05-27-2011, 13:52 | posts: 1,293 | Location: Wolverhampton/England

Quote:

Originally Posted by deltatux

RAID mode is the RAID functionality + AHCI. All SATA drives must support and be in AHCI in order to use the RAID function.

deltatux

dude are you sure because raid is old and think it stands for redundant array of inexspensive drives, where as AHCI is a new feature that came out with sata2. please correct me if im wrong but i dont think it has to support AHCI to be used in a raid array.