Speed difference going from AHCI to IDE

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mjf

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I had some reason for moving from Sata mode AHCI to IDE (Reason in this thread)
Most material I read didn't have any compelling speed disadvantage so I did some informal speed tests. Results for those interested (This not an SSD):
CrystalDiskMark speed tests don't show any significant difference.
The first row is a sequential 1GB R/W test. Next rows are various random R/W tests.

ahci speed.JPGide speed.JPG

A four thread unindexed search for a text string in
1,164 pdfs (1.7GB)
from 253,302 files (173GB)
Took: 2min 12 secs for AHCI and 2min 5 secs for IDE
ARsearch.jpg

Informal conclusion: No significant speed difference.

Add: In addition to specs listed. Seagate 1TB (ST31000528AS), AMI BIOS.
 
Last edited:

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Compelling indeed. Do you think the resuts might be different for varying brands of SSD?
 

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Golden Mk. I.4
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Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
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2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
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Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
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i think the AHCI advantage is for ssd's drives.
 

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5 mbit

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Golden Mk. I.4
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Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
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Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
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16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
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EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
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Realtek Integrated
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Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
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1920*1080 and 1920*1080
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1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
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Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
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Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
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Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
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Logitech G110
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Logitech MX518

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Windows 10 ProIntel Core i7-4770K (3.5Ghz)32 gig Corsair Dominator Platinum (4x8Gig)Sapphire Tri-X R9 Fury
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Custom built by me.
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Intel Core i7-4770K (3.5Ghz)
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Corsair H100i with Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Fans
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Logitech Wireless Wave
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Logitech Performance MX
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High Speed Cable
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Norton Security
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IE11
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Memory Timings - 1866MHz @ 9-9-9-27-1T @ 1.5 volts
I was able to run sata mode AHCI enabled in the BIOS after making the msahci registry change and driver change due to my Nvidia nForce board. But no speed improvements for a conventional HDD.
ahci speed2.JPG
But still had a problem with Hirens boot disk running mini XP not recognising the sata drive. Probably due to the Nvidia board.
So I'm staying with the IDE mode setting for now.
 

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1Intel i7 2600kG.Skill Ripjaws (DDR3-1600) 2x4GBNvidia GeForce GTS 450; Intel HD Graphics 300...
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build
OS
Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
CPU
Intel i7 2600k
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe
Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws (DDR3-1600) 2x4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GeForce GTS 450; Intel HD Graphics 3000(GT2+)
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell Ultrasharp IPS panel U2311H, Samsung SyncMaster P2350
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro SSD 256GB, Samsung SSD 840 120GB, Seagates 1TB Barracuda ST31000528AS x2
PSU
Seasonic M12II 520W
Case
Lian Li Lancool PC-K60
Cooling
Case: 1x120mm, 3x140mm CPU: Hyper 212+
Keyboard
Logitech MK520 (wireless)
Mouse
Logitech MK520
Internet Speed
6-7 Mbps
Antivirus
Norton Security Premium, Malwarebytes on 2 (MSE on 3rd PC)
Browser
FireFox
Other Info
Audio: Logitech Z523 2.1

My Computer My Computer

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Windows 10 Pro (x64)Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2GHz - 4.5GHz)4x Samsung 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (16GB 1600MHz)Nvidia Geforce GTX 690
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Alienware Aurora ALX R4
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Windows 10 Pro (x64)
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Intel Core i7-3930K (3.2GHz - 4.5GHz)
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Alienware Aurora-R4 x79
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4x Samsung 4GB PC3-12800 DDR3 (16GB 1600MHz)
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Nvidia Geforce GTX 690
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SteelSeries Siberia Elite
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell UltraSharp U3011
Screen Resolution
2560x1600
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB, Seagate 1TB Desktop Hybrid HDD, 2x Western Digital 4TB Green HDD
PSU
875W Some Dell PSU <.<
Case
Alienware Aurora ALX
Cooling
Custom Liquid Cooling (EK CPU & GPU blocks) dual EK 480RAD
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Logitech G710+ Mechanical
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Logitech G700s
Internet Speed
Verizon Fios (50 mbps average)
Other Info
Server: Intel NUC D54250WYK: i5-4250U, 16GB, 256 GB mSATA, Windows Server 2012 R2
I've seen reference to the NCQ and the Wikipedia article represents the depth (or lack of) my knowledge. The last 4 rows in the speed test tables are various size random R/Ws. I might have thought this NCQ effect in terms of performance imrovement would have shown up here?

My BIOS has been previous set to AHCI since I owned the PC (default setting).
It is only that I want to boot to the Hirens (12.0) boot CD/USB using mini XP that I've changed the setting.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1Intel i7 2600kG.Skill Ripjaws (DDR3-1600) 2x4GBNvidia GeForce GTS 450; Intel HD Graphics 300...
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Own build
OS
Windows 7x64 Home Premium SP1
CPU
Intel i7 2600k
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe
Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws (DDR3-1600) 2x4GB
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GeForce GTS 450; Intel HD Graphics 3000(GT2+)
Monitor(s) Displays
Dell Ultrasharp IPS panel U2311H, Samsung SyncMaster P2350
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
Samsung 850 Pro SSD 256GB, Samsung SSD 840 120GB, Seagates 1TB Barracuda ST31000528AS x2
PSU
Seasonic M12II 520W
Case
Lian Li Lancool PC-K60
Cooling
Case: 1x120mm, 3x140mm CPU: Hyper 212+
Keyboard
Logitech MK520 (wireless)
Mouse
Logitech MK520
Internet Speed
6-7 Mbps
Antivirus
Norton Security Premium, Malwarebytes on 2 (MSE on 3rd PC)
Browser
FireFox
Other Info
Audio: Logitech Z523 2.1
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