Intel SSD 8820 firmware.

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Copyright

Supreme [H]ardness
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So who has done this update? I am reading all kinds of good stuff about it. I will probably give this a shot when I get home today.
 
been using the latest myself what ever that is, works fine

my replacement drive came with it preloaded
 
I think I am 2 versions back so hopefully this new 8820 will help with some of the slower writes I started to get.

Edit: Looks like I am at 8610 so only one version back.
 
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Well it killed my array and lost my data lol... guess ill start that win 7 install afterall. They flash showed it went fine and I was able to recreate the array no problem. Hopefully I didn't fubar a drive :(
 
i'm afraid to update my 2 seem to be working fine...

I mean who really uses bios passwords?
 
wondergod said:
i'm afraid to update my 2 seem to be working fine...

I mean who really uses bios passwords?
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? This is a performance update as far as I know. I've been looking at all the before and after benches. I'ts a nice update.
 
Copyright,

For those who aren't too knowledgable on these...

Is this 8820 firmware, the new firmware these drives will be shipping with once back in stock?

Also, I was scouting around and found that ZipZoomFly seemed to have a whole new category for Intel SSD's that are Sata III? I hadn't heard this before. If they do come out with Sata III SSD's, these are backwards compatible correct? Meaning...they'll work on a Sata II pc? I'd probably go for one of these instead if they're backwards compatible, that way I'll be set when I upgrade.

Best,

Liquid Cool
 
Copyright said:
? This is a performance update as far as I know. I've been looking at all the before and after benches. I'ts a nice update.
Click to expand...

Care to link where you saw these benches? That would be against most of the news I've heard about the FW update - simply a fix for the original issue.

If that's true that's great news!
 
There is a new generation coming out that claims to be a bit faster. They are silver instead of black. Also I am a bit surprised I am the first to mention any mention of a performance increase. Here are some links. There are more if you look. Its not a HUGE increase but I noticed my benches are much more steady and higher over my previous benches although I moved to Win 7 also which might be helping some. Hope this helps!

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=691&type=expert&pid=10

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/04/20/review_update_storage_ssd_intel_x25_m/print.html



"Verdict
Intel’s 8820 SSD firmware update makes the performance of its mainstream family of solid-state drives more consistent, and the update process is now as simple as we could wish for. ®"

"Conclusion / Observation
The 8820 firmware has completely renewed my faith in the X25-M. The weak link has been eradicated, and I’m thoroughly impressed with the renewed performance it will bring to all M series drive users. I am also thoroughly pleased with Intel for being so open to feedback from the reviewers. "
 
I'm thinking about buying an X25-M off newegg and I was wondering if this update enables TRIM functionality to prevent performance degradation over time?

Thanks
 
`danny said:
I'm thinking about buying an X25-M off newegg and I was wondering if this update enables TRIM functionality to prevent performance degradation over time?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I would like to know the same.
 
After doing some reading I dont think a firmware will ever give TRIM to the G1 drives. From what I am reading they don't really need it and TRIM does not work in RAID so its out for me anyways. I am still running solid and strong with the 8820 firmware.
 
Yeah, I kind of figured but im not complaining. I paid 800 for a pair of these a while back and they have served me well. The new firmware was a big + for me so I am happy I atleast get that from intel.
 
Copyright said:
After doing some reading I dont think a firmware will ever give TRIM to the G1 drives. From what I am reading they don't really need it and TRIM does not work in RAID so its out for me anyways. I am still running solid and strong with the 8820 firmware.
Click to expand...

so how does the g1 series stay in good condition after so many writes...?
 
Copyright said:
After doing some reading I dont think a firmware will ever give TRIM to the G1 drives. From what I am reading they don't really need it and TRIM does not work in RAID so its out for me anyways. I am still running solid and strong with the 8820 firmware.
Click to expand...

Lots of misinfo here. TRIM will work with RAID in most scenareos, just a matter of time when the proper firmware and controller drivers are released. It may be working already to some extent with the Vertexes on the ICHxRs.

Also, TRIM would have greatly benefitted even the G1's. The G1's are not immune to degradation. Maybe less than some SSDs, but they still do degrade.
 
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Brahmzy said:
Lots of misinfo here. TRIM will work with RAID in most scenareos, just a matter of time when the proper firmware and controller drivers are released. It may be working already to some extent with the Vertexes on the ICHxRs.

Also, TRIM would have greatly benefitted even the G1's. The G1's are not immune to degradation. Maybe less than some SSDs, but they still do degrade.
Click to expand...

Going off what I have read for the RAID info. My OS doesnt even recognize I have SSD drives when in RAID so maybe there will be a work around for this later on? Do you have some links because I would be interested. Also the G1 will degrade if you were to completely fill the drive up and empty it.. at that point you would probably notice something but the new firmware has fixed a lot of these issues. There are many reviews stating the G1's dont suffer that badly from interal fragmentation. Not sure if TRIM would be a huge help according to some reviews. There is a thread linked with some quotes from some sites. Please link to some info on the RAID TRIM and G1 needing TRIM. I have not read anything where the G1 would have "greatly" benefited from having TRIM. It might benefit some but I have not ready where it would benefit greatly.

EDIT: Thought I should add this...

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=750&type=expert&pid=12

TRIM

While the minor slowdowns we saw only occurred with heavy testing, Intel is justified in optimizing the G2 more towards write combining. When Windows 7 is released into the wild, Intel plans to release an updated firmware to include native TRIM support. TRIM commands sent to a patched X25-M G2 will likely purge the LBA remap table of entries, meaning the drive would no longer have to track each and every LBA. The 'virtual fragmentation' (i.e. entries in the table) will simply not exist for unused portions of the drive, which should result in consistent 80MB/sec writes to any empty portions of the drive.

There has been some buzz / rumors about the older X25's not receiving a TRIM-enabled firmware. With the 8820 firmware performing so consistently even after being heavily fragmented, there is not as much of a need for TRIM support. The G1 drives will only benefit slightly in cases where the drive had been completely written (i.e. full) in the past and was then dropped back to a relatively small amount of content. In that case, the difference seen would only be in random write IOPS. Keep in mind that a G1 X25-M in this worst case condition still dominates the competition in random write IOPS.
 
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