Solved Questions re hybrid drive choice and usage

[SeanHL]

I'm getting conflicting advice over the rest of internet too. You can see the problem i have on this page:

Access Denied

if you look under firmware, the 850 EVO isnt there. On the other hand, here's the manual for samsung magician:

http://www.samsung.com/semiconducto...e/Samsung_New_Magician_Installation_guide.pdf

Which says it's compatible with the 850 EVO 2.5" drives, which mine is, according to this store page:

Samsung 850 EVO 1TB - Prijzen - Tweakers

The manual also lists an awful lot of things that the program doesn't work with though, and i'm having trouble figuring out if i'm safe. Aside from the SSD, none of hardware has changed, and i'll be doing a clean install.

 

[SeanHL]

Unless you are planning to use an SSD to cache an HDD (I don't recommend caching, btw), you don't really need IRST (Intel Rapid Storage Technology) installed on your computer. IRST is normally supplied with your MOBO's other drivers if the MOBO has the ability to use IRST. The disk that comes with Samsung SSDs will not have any "drivers" on it because you don't need any.

Magician is a utility that comes with Samsung SSDs. It's use is optional since there are programs that can be used instead to accomplish the same things other than, maybe, changing overprovisioning. However, you do not need to worry about overprovisioning. SSDs come from the factory already overprovisioned and there is no need to increase the amount of it and it would be unwise to reduce it.

I've never had a problem with Magician on the three computers I have installed it on. However, it's always possible for any program to interfere with another program. If you find Magician does cause problems, you can either avoid running it while the program it doesn't get along with is running or just simply remove it.

I suppose i'm fine then, but i'm still confused about this section, for which i reopened this topic:

Next, we need to make sure our ATA/ATAPI ACHI controller is set to use trim.
EDIT! 3/22/10: The new INTEL chipset drivers 9.6.0.1014 support TRIM! Use these instead of the MS AHCI ones for Intel Chipsets.
RAID: Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver for Intel Desktop Boards

For non-intel chipsets:
To see/change it, go to device manager and select IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. If it says "Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller", you are good to go. If not, double click it and select the driver tab. Click update driver. Select browse. Select let me pick. select Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller.

Is that the IRST you're referring to? They're the drivers i mean, anyway.
EDIT: nvm, i see that's what you meant.

 

[SeanHL]

looking in my devices at the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, i can see i've currently got the 9.3.0.1008 version installed, which according to the help topic doesn't support TRIM yet. I assume these are the same drivers i'll get with a clean install after installing the motherboard software. Will updating the drivers through there work too, rather than installing them through intel's website? I'm not even sure if i could just install them without removing the older ones first.

 

[Megahertz07]

Intel has a software that searches for drivers update Intel(R) Driver Update Utility

For the latest IRST Downloads for Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology (Intel(R) RST)

 

[SeanHL]

Intel has a software that searches for drivers update Intel(R) Driver Update Utility

For the latest IRST Downloads for Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology (Intel(R) RST)

After my previous post, i found a link myself here:
TRIM Overview
This page also confirms my suspicion that my current chipset drivers wouldn't be compatible with TRIM (although i might be confusing version numbers here). I guess i'll have to update them if they're still too old after a reinstall, for which i'll be sure to use your link. It seems easier than the page i found.

Incidentally, the link i found also says i need the IRST software. Never heard about VSS before though.

 

[SeanHL]

I'm confused. Do i need IRST or not? Intel and the help topic say yes, but according to this page my B75 board doesn't support it (despite intel saying all 7-series chipsets are supported):

LGA 1155 - Wikipedia

Does this mean i won't be able to use TRIM? Lady Fitzgerald says i don't need it, but intel says i do. This page also says my memory isn't compatible:

Known Compatibility Issues for Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology

 

[SeanHL]

i should open a new topic for this. this has gotten too convoluted/off topic.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

As far as I know, starting with Win 7, TRIM is an OS function, not an IRST function. Read this article for more info.

 

[SeanHL]

As far as I know, starting with Win 7, TRIM is an OS function, not an IRST function. Read this article for more info.

I guess that's good. Maybe intel says you need it just as an added functionality, like an antivirus will recommend browser add-ons?

 

[SeanHL]

As far as I know, starting with Win 7, TRIM is an OS function, not an IRST function. Read this article for more info.

Okay, i got some more information. You are right, in a way, but users do report faster operating times when using IRST. This is what intel says about it, particularily in the final paragraph:

Product Overview for Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology

I see no comments on increased durability or anything, just performance speed. Frankly, having an SSD at all is already a massive improvement in speed, so as long as TRIM works, i should be fine. I will do some more reseearch just in case though. Intel saying you have to have IRST to use their TRIM bothers me.

 

[SeanHL]

This guy has some interesting comments under his 7th step:

How to boost the AHCI performance of Intel Chipset systems

It seems that i indeed don't need IRST, but updating my drivers to intel's drivers seems like a must. I'll be using the driver update utility posted earlier in this thread for that, after installing drivers off of my MOBO's cd.

I do appreciate your help with this. I just feel the need to have excessive amounts of confirmation sometimes, especially if multiple sources say different things.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

This guy has some interesting comments under his 7th step:

How to boost the AHCI performance of Intel Chipset systems

It seems that i indeed don't need IRST, but updating my drivers to intel's drivers seems like a must. I'll be using the driver update utility posted earlier in this thread for that, after installing drivers off of my MOBO's cd.

I do appreciate your help with this. I just feel the need to have excessive amounts of confirmation sometimes, especially if multiple sources say different things.

I don't blame you for being cautious. Heck, I'm from Missouri, the Show Me State.

Win 7 will automatically find any drivers you may need, if any.

 

[SeanHL]

I don't blame you for being cautious. Heck, I'm from Missouri, the Show Me State.

Win 7 will automatically find any drivers you may need, if any.

Yeah, though i think what windows would do is find the default AHCI drivers, which will work, but the guy in the link i posted doesn't value all that much. Since my current windows install has intel drivers however, i think my MOBO's support cd has an older version of the intel drivers, which i installed from the cd back in the day. I'll just install those, and then update them with intel's utility tool, since i need to install stuff from that cd anyway. I might not even be able to specifically select those drivers, just install all or nothing. It'll work out.