Show us your SSD performance

[essenbe]

I'm really the wrong one to ask. But, as I understand it the older Marvell chips, were slower and the drivers did not support trim. The newer ones are better and do support trim. That is the best explanation I can give. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me will come along and give you a proper reason.

 

[HugeRaven]

I'm really the wrong one to ask. But, as I understand it the older Marvell chips, were slower and the drivers did not support trim. The newer ones are better and do support trim. That is the best explanation I can give. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me will come along and give you a proper reason.

Oki, but thanks for the input

But i now use marvell 9128 on my mobo with MSAHCI with TRIM and you guys said it would work. Why shouldnt it then work if the controllcard has 9128 chip if i use MSAHCI?

 

[Hopalong X]

The Marvell Sata PCI-e I know nothing about. Never used any PCI-e as a SATA card.

So I don't know what driver it needs. It may use the same MSAHCI driver Windows just installed for you. If so then you would have TRIM.

I just don't know.
Mike

Just a thought.

HugeRaven a Marvell PCI-e card does for me the same as you- more ports but the wrong brand.

If Intel made a PCI-e card for SATA 6Gbs that might be worth investigating.
They probably don't make one.

 

[carwiz]

Mike - I tried to find where I read that the 9128 supported TRIM. I couldn't (at least after an hour or so of going through the "no support" links) so I went from a different direction. It could have been that I read the specifications from a motherboard manufacturer's specifications. (Which is responsible for programming the controller--Marvell just sells the chips.) Hmmmmmm. Could this be why Marvell is staying out of the fray?

I too have read many posts about TRIM not being passed through a Marvell 9128 controller. Probably the same ones. None of the "experts" have been able to explain how this was determined. (At least to my comprehension.) All seem to be regurgitating quotations from other discussions in other forums. It's snowballed into a negative simply because more posts have jumped on the bandwagon and the spin continues--All referring back to each other. (Just like this thread.) But nowhere, that I could find, offered the scientific method used to determine this fact. It's all here-say. Some of the "tests" don't make any sense and have nothing to do with TRIM or how it works. Others seem to expect a TRIM command to be acted upon immediately and when no "visible" change occurs, assume the command was dropped. There's simply is no way to prove one way or the other that the drive controller received the TRIM command. Unless someone can devise a way to monitor the controller to controller interface.

If we can concur that Anand Lal Shimpi can be considered an expert, you'll find on the Anandtech's website a description of what TRIM is and how it works. What I gather is the command may never be acted upon if the drive has un-used space. This would be disk drive controller dependant, of course.

"TRIM is an interesting command. It lets the SSD prioritize blocks for cleaning. In the example I used before, a block is cleaned only when the drive runs out of places to write things and has to dip into its spare area. With TRIM, if you delete a file, the OS sends a TRIM command to the drive along with the associated LBAs that are no longer needed. The TRIM command tells the drive that it can schedule those blocks for cleaning and add them to the pool of replacement blocks." (1)

From the tests that I've read about, users are running benchmarks, deleting files then running another benchmark or watching lights flash or not flash. With a drop in a benchmark results, users are assuming the drop was because TRIM did not work when in fact back-to-back benchmarks rarely report the same results anyway. The "disk light" test had me nearly on the floor from laughing so hard. The disk activity light does NOT report activity occurring on a drive. It simply illuminates when the motherboard controller reads/writes data from/to the buffer. There's no hard wire from the disk drive to the light. When/if TRIM is executed by the drive controller, the motherboard controller isn't involved and thus won't illuminate the light.

In any case, my opinion stands.

___________________________________________
1. AnandTech - The SSD Relapse: Understanding and Choosing the Best SSD

 

[Hopalong X]

Carwiz

Anandtech was one of my sources for it does work.

All I know for sure is the Marvell pre March? 2010 drivers did not allow a TRIM command. Period.
You could not even activate TRIM in Windows 7 from what everyone has stated.

March 2010 and later Marvell drivers TRIM can be activated in Windows 7. (Vista I assume is the same now)

As you have found no one knows for sure if it is actually working. Signal is sent but...???? Some say yes others no.

I agree the so called "testing" on the SSD forums most use is useless. Their testing and $5 will get you a Starbucks!

Well we know the MSAHCI works so HugeRaven has TRIM.
Seems the best idea at the moment for someone new to an SSD.

It is what I would use considering all the confusion with the Marvell drivers.

Thanks for searching. We came up with the same confusing results. To me anyway.
Mike

 

[carwiz]

I haven't given up on the Marvell site yet. I know I read about their controllers and how "customers" can make use of the programming options in the chip. (Customers = Motherboard Makers) Is it just me or has everyone noticed the absence of drivers on the Marvell site? Where are all these driver updates coming from then? Users should be knocking on the MB makers' door, not Marvell. Your statement; "Well we know the MSAHCI works so HugeRaven has TRIM" fuels my thinking that TRIM works on the 9128 but the problem is with the drivers. Which started this whole mess in the beginning when I said the controller supported TRIM.

In any case, as you say, HugeRaven appears to be set. :grouphug:

 

[Hopalong X]

Is it just me or has everyone noticed the absence of drivers on the Marvell site? Where are all these driver updates coming from then? :grouphug:

I noticed and posted a similar comment earlier today.

They are coming from Marvell but going to the retailers not us directly.
They do have drivers for their retail products but controllers on the moboards are wholesaled to ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte etc.

So we be......

 

[HugeRaven]

Is it just me or has everyone noticed the absence of drivers on the Marvell site? Where are all these driver updates coming from then? :grouphug:

I noticed and posted a similar comment earlier today.

They are coming from Marvell but going to the retailers not us directly.
They do have drivers for their retail products but controllers on the moboards are wholesaled to ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte etc.

So we be......

Just so i´m clear then: the TRIM command doesnt get sent through the controllercard with 9128 chip and that is why it wont work because you have to use the marvell driver to get the card to work?

Or if the card works without having to install any Marvell driver it could use the MSAHCI with TRIM working?

 

[essenbe]

HugeRaven, that sounds just about right. Although I think that if thwey are prsent during install, windows will provide its own driver. and could work that way. I'm not sure though.

 

[Hopalong X]

HugeRaven

If your question is directed at me I no nothing about SATA PCI-e cards or drivers needed for them.

 

[essenbe]

I have the Rocket raid PCIe card, but have never used it. But, from what I understand, the installer will provide a generic driver for it, if it is present during install. Otherwise, you have to find a Marvell driver for it, which is not easy. It comes with no drivers and is no longer supported, All paperwork with it is from Western Digital.

 

[Hopalong X]

Essenbe

I would think Windows would install a proper PCI-e appropriate driver but is a total guess on my part.
That is one of the nice qualities of Win 7.

Video cards and modems is all I have used PCI slots for.

Mike

 

[essenbe]

In reading the reviews on the card. I don't know the difference, but in some cases it does but in others people have had to search for a driver. What most don't know is that any Marvell 9128 driver will work. Why sometimes windows will and sometimes it won't, I do not know.

 

[HugeRaven]

Okey then as long as the card is supported by windows then it should work with MSAHCI and TRIM. I whish i could try it out but i geuss i have to take a chance and buy a card and try it out.

I dont guess any one else has tried this out with a controllercard using windows drivers for the card and MSAHCI?

 

[HugeRaven]

I have the Rocket raid PCIe card, but have never used it. But, from what I understand, the installer will provide a generic driver for it, if it is present during install. Otherwise, you have to find a Marvell driver for it, which is not easy. It comes with no drivers and is no longer supported, All paperwork with it is from Western Digital.

Perhaps you could try it out, just installing it onto to your mobo and se if it gets installed and then move your SSD to it to see if it works with MSAHCI?

I mean, that shouldnt do any harm to your system, right?

Please, please, please...... it would be greate as i´m so eager to know if it works

 

[essenbe]

If it does work, it will be the same as the one on your mobo. pci 9128. You have yours with msahci which is the best that can be done for this one. Besides, I have no available X1 port. My NH-D14 is covering it.

 

[HugeRaven]

If it does work, it will be the same as the one on your mobo. pci 9128. You have yours with msahci which is the best that can be done for this one. Besides, I have no available X1 port. My NH-D14 is covering it.

Okey i understand.

I talked to a work buddy today and he said that an external controllercard would be mutch better than the built in marvell chip on the mobo and that i would probably get better speeds to with one, even if it was the same chip.

I dont know if this is true or not but it would be interresting to find out. Maybe i´ll buy a card when i get my sallary this month in two days. Depends on the bills :sarc: If i do buy a card i think i will go with the "HighPoint Rocket 620 2P PCI-Express 2.0 x1, 2P SATA III (6.0Gbps)" card. But one thing is for sure, i will let you guys know how it went if i do

Anyone know if there is any better card than his but not so expensive?

 

[essenbe]

Most of the good raid cards are very expensive. The 620 is very cheap and gets only mixed reviews. A good raid card can cost several hundred dollars (US).

 

[HugeRaven]

Most of the good raid cards are very expensive. The 620 is very cheap and gets only mixed reviews. A good raid card can cost several hundred dollars (US).

Okey, so in other words i could take a chance and buy the 620 card or buy a more expensive card that is more likely to make a difference. But which card then, could you give me an example?

 

[essenbe]

Most of the good raid cards are very expensive. The 620 is very cheap and gets only mixed reviews. A good raid card can cost several hundred dollars (US).

Okey, so in other words i could take a chance and buy the 620 card or buy a more expensive card that is more likely to make a difference. But which card then, could you give me an example?

Check out Newegg and read the reviews. This is the high point 620