Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) RAID driver v9.6.0.1014 is out!

Stop using AS SSD tbh. I've just gone back to the intel ones, just to see what's the deal. If I don't like it after a few days, I'm going back to the ms ones, again.
 
well, i feel like i something is wrong with my setup (see in sig). my AS SSD results are as follows:

using Intel 8.8.0.1009 RAID driver:
READ: 349
WRITE: 60
TOTAL: 572

using Intel 9.6.0.1014
READ: 142
WRITE: 104
TOTAL: 306

here's the screenshot for the latter benchmark run

as-ssd-bench.png
 
My recommendation skip the raid for now until trim works in raid or untill they make a dedicated ssd raid controller .

My Setup loves io request very snappie happy

SSD C: windows
SSD D: Games
Downloads ,utorrent , limewire , internet download manager
HDD E: Storage
HDD F: Storage
 
the_real_7 said:
My recommendation skip the raid for now until trim works in raid or untill they make a dedicated ssd raid controller .

My Setup loves io request very snappie happy

SSD C: windows
SSD D: Games
Downloads ,utorrent , limewire , internet download manager
HDD E: Storage
HDD F: Storage
Click to expand...

Yeah, I may add a 2nd 80Gb drive when I start getting cramped on my 1st one or when Intel adds SSD Raid support. But since I haven't been gaming at all lately my OS drive is pretty bare.

So my set up is just
C: windows & apps
D: storage (2x640Gb Blacks - Raid 1)
 
C-rizzle said:
Yeah, I may add a 2nd 80Gb drive when I start getting cramped on my 1st one or when Intel adds SSD Raid support. But since I haven't been gaming at all lately my OS drive is pretty bare.

So my set up is just
C: windows & apps
D: storage (2x640Gb Blacks - Raid 1)
Click to expand...

Best way Ive seen raid 1 ever run , never thought of that ... i just image my E: to My F: but your way I wouldn't have to do a thing
 
the_real_7 said:
My recommendation skip the raid for now until trim works in raid or untill they make a dedicated ssd raid controller .

My Setup loves io request very snappie happy

SSD C: windows
SSD D: Games
Downloads ,utorrent , limewire , internet download manager
HDD E: Storage
HDD F: Storage
Click to expand...

Ok...I wouldn't mind separating my 2 SSDs...but I still wanted to raid 0 my 2 1TB Blacks.

Correct me if I am wrong, but in doing so I still wouldn't have the trim capabilities unless it is in AHCI.
 
No, the 9.6 RST drivers pass trim in any HDD mode - so you can safely RAID your hdds and your SSD will get TRIMmed as long as they are not in RAID themselves (Intel is still looking into it)
 
If your SSD's are separated (not Raided) and the storage drives are raided with driver 9.6 your SSD's will get TRIM with the Intel 9.6 driver.

The 9.6 drivers just allow you to use your SSD(s) with a RAID set up on the same controller. Where before you'd have to put your SSD on a different controller (ie: don't use the Intel Raid driver for the SSD).

Like in my case my 1 SSD and 2x640Gb's are using the Intel 9.6 raid drivers and the TRIM command can now be passed natively to (single) SSD's on the same controller as the RAID drives.

However if you raid the SSD's then you still lose TRIM.
 
Last edited:
iceboi714 said:
Ok...I wouldn't mind separating my 2 SSDs...but I still wanted to raid 0 my 2 1TB Blacks.

Correct me if I am wrong, but in doing so I still wouldn't have the trim capabilities unless it is in AHCI.
Click to expand...
Your wrong and right , that's what the new drivers are all about supporting your ssd in ahci with your HDD running raid and you still using TRIM :) but if you set to raid-0 you lose TRIM capabilities
 
ok i need to re-read about these drivers...i definitely missed something...lol...thanks guys...i'll give that a whirl when i swap out some parts and reinstall everything this weekend...
 
Ah I see....well i tried that and I get the features of it setting it to raid in bios just not as a raid volume and just individual drives....windows rating went from 7.9 to 7.6 :mad: Oh well.
 
After Win7 install. This is actually the best results I have achieved. MS AHCI driver used to crash my system after defrag, but not with the Intel ones.

ssd.png
 
finally installed the new drivers, was using the older matrix raid drivers. getting slightly better performance out of my 4x raid0, slightly higher maxes, etc
 
SonyWii said:
Does mean also can't support TRIM under SSD Raid 0?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what it means.
All it does it support TRIM for stand alone drives on the same controller as the array.
If you put two SSD's in Raid, you will still have to manually TRIM. It's really a non issue. Since manual TRIM can still be automatic.;) I have the 40GB value SSD. I can safely say I will never use another mechanical drive for an O/S drive. I.E. most people that I can think of would have no desire to run a MLC drive in RAID anyway.
 
I.E. most people that I can think of would have no desire to run a MLC drive in RAID anyway.
Click to expand...
Why is that? SLC drives are only needed in server systems with excessive writes. For all other purposes, MLC does fine whether in RAID or not.

The RAID0 benchmarks posted by illdklli don't show much improvement in random I/O, however. My own benchmarks confirm RAID0 can increase random I/O performance, but it requires both alignment and a high enough stripesize. illdklli, if you are interested, could you inform me about your used RAID controller and stripesize? Can you also check if your partitions are aligned? You can check the partition alignment using diskpar.exe, diskpart.exe or MSINFO32.exe.
 
Installed that RST driver on my Windows 7 x64. Did not notice any performance increases. Noticed the issue I had with before with original MS SATA driver - it puts my non-SSD hard drives to sleep, but they never resume back to online (or take a very very long time).

Uninstalled this piece of shit and rolled back to 8.9 driver. Not happy. :mad:

MB - Asus P6T Deluxe V2,
SATA1 - Intel X25-M G2 80GB
SATA2 - Intel X25-M G2 80GB
SATA3 - Seagate 7200.11 500GB
SATA4 - WD Black 640GB
SATA6 - DVD
 
That's funny because its the reverse for me I was having that issue and the intel drivers fixed it not the ms ones.
 
This Intel RST control center, what use it is for? Can't seem to do much in it, beside getting the status of my HDD, is that all or is it bugged? Also after going from MS win7 drivers to Intel's drivers i lost the possibility of hot-swap it seems, at least there is no more option to eject my hdd/ssd?
 
To add onto that question, is it okay to disable it from startup in MSCONFIG? "IAStorIcon" seems to use about ~20mb of ram to run. Clicking on the utility icon doesnt allow any options and shows minimal statistics at best of the drives health / status.
 
Any point to installing these under win7 if you are not using raid? Just 1 single 80GB drive here...

aka performance increase over the stock win7 driver??
 
Yes you want to install this its better than the MS driver.

And you have it backwards if you are using raid, with SSD+ HD raid this driver will pass trim.

If you are trying to use it on a SSD Raid you get no trim regardless of the driver.
 
Looks like version 10 is out http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=259658

I came across this because I just ordered a Corsair F60. Trying to figure out if I should leave the MS driver alone or install this driver during Windows 7 install, or even after install? Normally I only install my xonar and catalyst drivers, everything else is installed through windows update.
 
Someone just sent me this link on msn, but I don't see it posted on intel download center yet.

Who's wants to test these out and let us know :D
 
lathode said:
Looks like version 10 is out http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=259658
Click to expand...

That thread is mighty interesting. People are claiming that this driver seems to be slowly increasing performance on RAID0 setups with SSDs. Not an immediate increase mind you, but a slow measurable increase.... almost as if TRIM commands are now being sent to the SSDs.

If this is true I am going to be pleased as punch to eat a huge honkin' plate of crow, because I had been pretty adamant about it being highly difficult to implement.
 
yes, initial indications are that the drivers are supporting trim. OR they are just that much better...without a changelog it will be hard to tell.
If trim is in fact implemented, raid cards and such will not be far behind. everyone has had their panties in a bunch blaming intel for the lack of raid, but they might have been misguided in that. it is the lack of being included in the SCSI spec that is causing the problem, especially in regards to hardware raid controllers.

The TRIM command specification is being standardized as part of the AT Attachment (ATA) interface standard, led by Technical Committee T13 of the International Committee for Information Technology Standards. A TRIM command allows an operating system to tell a solid-state drive (or "SSD") which data blocks are no longer in use, such as those left by deleted files. You should use the OS build-in ATA command device driver to communicate the ATA port for TRIM command. But, most of the RAID adapters emulate the SCSI command to support more volumes on one RAID adapter. That's why the TRIM command can not support on all vendors of RAID adapters. NetAPP just proposal the Trim command for SCSI spec to T10/10-084r0 and 079r0 on 2 March 2010. It may be included the Trim function on the OS in the future. This is the only method to add the function on the firmware level.
Click to expand...
 
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