Ssd without ahci: Will an SSD work in a laptop that doesn’t support AHCI mode?

27 февраля, 2023

installation — Should AHCI be enabled for an SSD?



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I have ordered a OCZ SSD and it will be the first that I have installed. In prepping for it’s arrival and install, I reviewed MSI web site to be sure I do as much right the first time as possible. On their site MSI HQ Usere to user faq they note the following:

AHCI and SSDs

Typically, many hardware review sites, as well as SSD manufacturers
are recommending that AHCI mode is used with SSD drives. However, we
have run our own tests here in the forum, and we believe this is
misleading, only where SSD drives are used independently (ie not in a
RAID array).

AHCI mode as previously explained enables NCQ (native command queuing)
which is really not required for SSDs as they do not need optimizing
in this way as there is no physical movement of heads or platters. In
many cases, it can actually hinder SSD performance, and even reduce
the lifetime of your SSD.

In many of the answered questions and directions here on SU, enabling AHCI has been strongly implied. My goal is to set the drive up for max performance and longest life. This MSI statement has moved me to inquire with you.

So the question is, use AHCI or not and why?

I have a MSI 790FX-GD90, 4 GB ram, running windows home premium 64.

EDIT: I should add that If this all goes well, I intend on getting a second SSD for RAID setup.

  • installation
  • ssd
  • ahci






5

I would enable AHCI, because:

  • It often boosts performance (your SSD might be an exception, but if you run a SSD and a HDD then the HDD will get some boost).
  • It offers additional features (e.g. hot-plugging drives).
  • It is enabled just about everywhere else and having a system unexpectedly in a ancient compatibility mode would throw me for a loop. I realise this might be a personal thing.

Reasons not to use AHCI:

  • You use windows XP (now nearly 12 years old) and do not want load additional drivers during installation. (XP does not understand AHCI. It need a floppy with drivers for that).
  • If you have the rare situation where one specific disk is slower with AHCI. In the part you quoted it merely states that it can actually hinder performance. Not that it does, nor that it is significant. Therefor I would test with both AHCI enabled and with AHCI disabled.

Note that if you run Windows 7 (or Linux or BSD), then you can change betyween AHCI and IDE-compatible mode without reinstalling. You do need to enable a service in Windows 7.






4

I tested my 256G SSD both with IDE mode and AHCI mode (As an SSD Benchmark). It has a large boost in sequential read (338 MB/s to 488 MB/s), a dramatic boost in 64-threads-4k-read (22.8 MB/s to 175 MB/s) and 64-thread-4k-write (96 to 179). Sequential write increase a little from 255 MB/s to 269 MB/s and access time are not improved so much but also see a little increase.






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Which One Should I Choose for Better Performance?

AHCI vs RAID which one is better for you? Many people are vexed about this question, especially those who have more than one storage drive on the computer. If you are also trying to figure it out, this detailed analysis provided by MiniTool will help you make a decision.

In order to improve the performance of the computer, many people intend to add an SSD or HHD to their current computer. Here comes a question. AHCI vs RAID which one should I choose for better performance. Lots of users are troubled by this question.

For example, a user from TechPowerUp Forums raised the same question. For this question, some people think that AHCI mode will give better performance in the SSD setup than RAID. However, some people hold that RAID is more suitable for high-end devices.

I want to have an SSD with my windows on it. I also want 2 extra standard HDDs alongside it in Raid 0 for my steam games etc. What is best or…perhaps the only thing to do then? Should I set up the AHCI mode or RAID on my Windows 10 PC?

There are a variety of answers to the AHCI vs RAID, but a great many users are still tangled in choosing RAID or AHCI. To help you make a wise decision, the following content will provide you with more detailed information than what you see in forums.

Overview of AHCI

AHCI is short for Advanced Host Controller Interface that is defined by Intel. This operating mode is commonly seen in newer PCs.

AHCI is a relatively new technology that owns many native functions of the Serial ATA standard interface such as NCQ and hot swapping, which improve the compatibility and performance of your devices.

The specification of AHCI refers to the registry-level interface for a host controller of SATA. Its specification is suitable for software (device driver) designers and hardware designers. It provides a standard method to program SATA/AHCI adapters, especially intended for those hardware component designers, system builders, etc. 

Now, it is supported by many Windows operating systems such as Windows Vista, Linux, and some newer Windows versions. If you are using the Windows 10 operating system on an SSD, you must enable it before the system installation, or your computer will fail to boot with a BSOD error.

Overview of RAID

RAID is short for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. As a data storage virtualization technology, RAID can virtualize multiple independent hard disk drives into one or more arrays. It gets great improvement in the aspects of the performance, reliability, and capacity of your storage devices.  That is to say, RAID requires more than 1 HDD or SSD to get these benefits. 

RAID provides redundancy in multiple device environments and speeds up the storage devices especially for HDDs. Like AHCI and IDE, RAID also supports the SATA controllers. To get the advanced storage features for a single disk application, many RAID products allow you to enable AHCI when installing. 

There are 2 major types of RAID controllers including software and hardware RAID. Different types of RAID controllers support different RAID levels. Usually, hardware RAID has better performance with the advanced RAID levels than software RAID.

Standard RAID levels include RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 2, RAID 4, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, etc. Each type of RAD has its own distinctive features. With RAID mode, you will enjoy several common advantages listed as follows:

  • Fast transmission rate: One of the biggest advantages is that RAID improves the data transferring rate. This is because using RAID can write and read data from different disks at the same time, which improves the data throughput of the storage system.

  • High security: Unlike those average hard disks that don’t include cyclic redundancy checks, it boasts fault tolerance through data validation. Built on the basis of hardware fault tolerance, RAID provides higher security.

  • Data protection: A proper RAID configuration can enable the array of disks to present themselves to a computer as a single storage device. It’s able to back up data, improve performance, and operate other features automatically.

Right now, you may have an overall understanding of the AHCI and RAID. What’s the difference between AHCI and RAID? RAID vs AHCI which one is better for your device? Let’s keep reading the following content.

AHCI VS RAID

There is an essential difference between AHCI and RAID. AHCI is an operation mode in the SATA environment. You can enable the AHCI mode in BIOS settings before the installation. RAID is an advanced data storage technology that can enable you to use multiple hard drives for performance enhancement in different configurations.

Apart from this essential difference, other aspects of the RAID vs AHCI are obvious as well.

Development History

Compared with AHCI, RAID has longer development history. The concept of RAID was put forward by David Patterson in the 1970s. RAID 1 (Mirroring) is the first RAID level at the very beginning. After that, other standard RAID levels like RAID 2. RAID 3, RAID 4, and RAID 5 came out one after another.

AHCI emerges in the 2000s and the current version of the specification is 1. 3.1. It owns some advanced capabilities of SATA standards such as hot swapping and native command queuing. However, with the development of interface technology, the SATA interface has been superseded by the NVMe protocol on modern SSDs little by little.

Impacts on the Performance

The different features between AHCI and RAID mode have a significant impact on the performance of your devices such as motherboard, memory, and storage devices. Based on the demands of lots of users, here we mainly discuss the impact on the performance of HDD and SSD.

AHCI is a programming interface that’s mainly suitable for SATA devices. So, if you are using a SATA SSD or HDD, you can set up the mode to utilize the advantages of the SATA interface. With the emergency of NVMe, more and more SSDs are designed with the NVMe protocol. 

Many hardware and SSD manufacturers recommend that AHCI mode can be used for SSD drives. However, according to users’ reports, it has little impact on optimizing the performance of SSDs. In many cases, it even shortens the lifespan of your device.

RAID is widely used for HDD and hybrid array data protection. It enables HDDs and SSDs to keep running normally even after the data loss of the devices. RAID is now available for the SSD array, but it has little impact on SSD performance improvement. In addition, the type of the RAID controllers (hardware and software-based) and RAID levels have also an impact on performance.

To help you make a wise decision, you can use a free tool to measure the performance of your storage devices under RAID and AHCI mode. MiniTool Partition Wizard is a trusted disk management tool that you can use to measure disk performance easily.

Besides, this program boasts many other powerful features such as convert MBR to GPT without data loss, upgrade the hard drive, resize partition, etc. Here you can perform a disk benchmark under the RAID or AHCI separately using this tool.

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Step 1. Install MiniTool Partition Wizard on your computer, and then launch the program to get its main interface and click on the Disk Benchmark feature on the top.

Step 2. Select a drive that you want to measure from the drop-down menu and click on the Start button.

Tip: The larger span the transfer size has, the longer time this test will take. Here you can specify the test parameters such as Transfer size, Transfer length, and Transfer mode based on your demands.

Step 3. Then you need to wait a moment to get the disk performance test result. This test includes much important information such as transfer size, sequential reading and writing speed, etc.

Is RAID Better Than AHCI?

AHCI vs RAID mode which one is better? This answer depends on the type of drive. Compared with RAID, AHCI mode is relatively suitable for the SSD drives with the SATA interface. Well, the interface of your SSDs has an impact on the performance.

Generally speaking, RAID is widely used to manage your multiple hard disk drives, which can improve the performance of your computer and provide fault tolerance features. So, if you are using multiple hard drives, RAID may be a better choice.

Some people want to add an SSD drive on the Windows computer that’s already installed the HDDs under RAID mode. For this situation, it’s not recommended that you convert the RAID configuration to AHCI. Once you convert to AHCI, your RAID array might not work any longer, but you can still stipe the multiple drives in Windows.

To sum up, there are 3 major situations about RAID vs AHCI based on your drives.

  • If you are using a SATA SSD drive, AHCI may be more suitable than RAID.

  • If you are using multiple hard drives, RAID is a better choice than AHCI.

  • If you want to use an SSD plus extra HHDs under RAID mode, it’s recommended that you continue using RAID mode.

In fact, the question “RAID vs AHCI which’s better” is discussed out of the concern for performance. You don’t have to worry the performance will be affected if you are using multiple drives (for example, an SSD plus 2 hard drives) under RAID. No matter you choose RAID or AHCI, you still can manage the multiple drives effectively using professional software.

How to Manage Your Multiple Drives on Windows 10 PC

Some users concern the performance will be affected when adding a new drive. Some other people worry the Windows system won’t boot once convert RAID to AHCI. For these questions, you just need powerful software to manage the multiple drives.

MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro-Ultimate and Server Edition provides you with effective solutions to manage your RAID partition including copy volume, move/resize volume, format partition, etc. With this tool, you don’t have to worry about the system boot issue and performance. Here we take the copy volume feature for example.

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Step 1. Open this program to get its main interface, and then select the volume that you want to copy and click on the Copy Partition feature on the left pane.

Step 2. Then select the target volume that you want a copy to and click the Next to continue.

Note: The data on the target volume will be destroyed, please make sure the important data has been backed up in advance.

Step 3. Now, you can specify the destination volume based on your demands. After that, click on Finish to confirm.

Step 4. Click on Apply to execute this operation.


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What’s Your Opinion

What’s the difference between AHCI and RAID? I believe that you have a deeper understanding of this topic now. You can choose RAID or AHCI mode based on your actual demands. If you have any questions, please send us an e-mail to [email protected] for help. You are much appreciated for leaving your opinions in the comment area.

AHCI VS RAID FAQ

Can you use RAID with SSD and HDD?

Yes, RAID mode is still available for SSD drives. SSD works much faster than conventional hard disks. So, many users want to add an SSD to the RAID system. This operation has little impact on improving performance and even makes the array unstable. It would be better to use the same types of drives in the RAID system.

How do you update a SATA AHCI controller?

  1. Right-click the Start menu and select the Device Manager from the context menu.

  2. Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller section, and then right-click the Standard SATA AHCI Controller and select Update Driver.

  3. Select the Search automatically for updated driver software option and Windows 10 will search for the updated driver automatically.

How do I enable AHCI in Windows 10?

  1. Type command prompt in the search box, and right-click the Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

  2. Type bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal command and hit Enter.

  3. Boot your computer into BIOS and enable the AHCI mode.

  4. Enter Safe Mode and reopen Command Prompt. Then run the bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot

  5. Restart your computer to execute the change.

How do I configure RAID?

  1. Press the F2 key once the Startup screen appears to enter the BIOS setup.

  2. Navigate to the Configuration > SATA Drives one by one.

  3. Change the SATA mode to RAID mode, and then press the F10 key to save this change and exit.

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How to enable AHCI mode for SATA in BIOS without reinstalling Windows

In this article, we will present several ways to enable AHCI mode for SATA in BIOS without reinstalling Windows 10 and thereby improve performance, efficiency, and reduce energy consumption of modern HDDs and SSD drives…

Contents

  1. What is the difference between AHCI and IDE?
  2. Why enable AHCI?
  3. How to determine the current operating mode?
  4. How do I enable AHCI for SATA in BIOS without reinstalling Windows 10?
  5. Method #1. Enabling AHCI mode through the registry
  6. Method #2. Enabling AHCI mode using the command line
  7. What should I do if important data is missing?

The stable and fast operation of any computer depends on many factors that affect the performance of individual components. One of these factors is the operating mode of the SATA interface, which is responsible for the entire process of transferring data from hard drives.

Modern technologies do not stand still, but are constantly evolving, which leads to some conflicts that can arise inside the computer.

For example, the incorrect operation of an SSD connected via the SATA interface, running in IDE mode, an outdated mode of the SATA interface that is not able to unlock the potential of modern faster drives, should be given. This conflict is possible due to the fact that manufacturers of modern motherboards leave their users the opportunity to work correctly with old media without AHCI support.

It is worth noting that most modern motherboards already have AHCI mode set by default, but a similar problem can happen when installing a more modern SSD on an old motherboard or purchasing a motherboard from hands where the IDE mode was set.

What is the difference between AHCI and IDE?

IDE is the old mode of operation via the SATA interface, which is practically no different from its predecessor PATA (PATA used a wide and thin cable). This mode of operation was popular until the widespread introduction of AHCI, which allowed modern drives to reach their full potential for speed and capabilities.

AHCI — modern mode of operation via SATA interface. Operation in this mode allows you to get maximum efficiency from SSD media with a very high data write speed. In addition, AHCI mode has a more economical power consumption, and also allows you to replace hard drives without turning off the computer. Working in AHCI fully reveals the capabilities of the SATA interface.

Why enable AHCI?

Enabling AHCI mode in conjunction with a fast hard drive can give a good boost in computer speed, since its write speed can increase by 10-20% . By enabling AHCI, the user will save time every time in the process of writing files.

How to determine the current operating mode?

To determine the current mode of operation, just follow these steps:

Step 1. Go to «Control Panel» by right-clicking on the button «Start» .

Step 2. In the window that opens, select the display mode «Small Icons» and click LMB on the icon «Device Manager» .

Step 3. In the window that opens, click on parameter “IDE/SATA controllers…” and the mode of operation will be indicated opposite the standard controllers. The screenshot shows the IDE mode.

You can also find out the operating mode through the BIOS or UEFI. Parameters containing information about the operating mode, as a rule, are located in items «SATA Mode» , «Storage options» , etc. depending on motherboard model and firmware.

Important! Do not switch operating modes in BIOS or UEFI, as this will make it impossible to boot the operating system.

How to enable AHCI mode for SATA in BIOS without reinstalling Windows 10?

There are several methods by which you can safely switch operating modes while maintaining the correct operation of the OS.

Method #1. Enabling AHCI mode through the registry

Step 1. First you need to open the registry editor. This can be done by right-clicking on the Start button and then selecting Run. In the jnr line, you must enter the command regedit and confirm with button OK .

Step 2. In the window that opens, go along the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ iaStorV

Step 3. Click on the icon «Start» , set the value to 0 and confirm the action with the button «OK» as shown in the screenshot.

Step 4. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ iaStorAV\ StartOverride and do the same for the parameter called 0.

Step 5. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM\ CurrentControlSet\ Services\ storahci , double click on the parameter Start and set the value to 0.

Step 6. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SYSTEM Current\StorControlSet\ StartOverride\ Services and set the value to 0 for the parameter called 0.

Step 7. Reboot the PC and enter the BIOS, where you need to set the AHCI operating mode. Depending on the motherboard model, the path to the mode switching screen may have different names. The screenshot below shows the most common option.

Save the changes and restart the computer in safe mode.

After a reboot, a new SATA driver package will be installed and the system will need another reboot before AHCI mode is enabled.

It is worth noting that in some cases this method does not work, which leads to a blue screen and further reboot.

To try another method, you need to return the IDE mode in the BIOS

Method #2. Enabling AHCI Mode Using the Command Line

Step 1. Turn on the computer, right-click on the Start button and open the «Command Prompt» or «Windows PowerShell» option as administrator.

Step 2. In the window that opens, enter bcdedit /set {current} safeboot minimal and confirm by pressing Enter .

Step 3. After the operation is completed, restart the PC, enter the BIOS and change the operating mode, as described in the first method. The computer will boot into safe mode and install the necessary drivers. After that, open the command prompt again as an administrator and enter the command bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot . Confirm by pressing Enter .

After the next reboot, a new operating mode will be enabled, optimized for using high-speed SSD drives.

What should I do if important data is missing?

Any manipulation of the hard drive increases the chance of data loss. Especially when it comes to manipulating disk mode, etc.

Often, in an attempt to enable ACHI mode, users perform actions that cause the logical structure of disks is broken . Moreover, often inexperienced users, when turning on the ACHI mode through the command line, execute commands that initialize the disk — that is, all data on the disk is destroyed and the initial settings are made.

Therefore, be extremely careful when carrying out any manipulations with the disk.

If you notice the disappearance of important files or problems with local drives — immediately restore data to a safe place. Otherwise, you may lose your data irrevocably .

To recover data download and install the program RS Partition Recovery .

RS Partition Recovery

All-in-one data recovery solution

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The program allows to recover lost data due to accidental deletion of files , formatting drive , in case of damage to the logical structure of drive and in many other cases.

In addition, RS Partition Recovery supports ALL types of modern file systems , respectively, you can recover files not only from Windows disks, but also from those that worked in other operating systems (including server ones) .

Important : Be sure to select a drive that will be different from the one where the file was previously stored as the location for saving the recovered files. This will avoid overwriting the file.

It is for this reason that RS Partition Recovery allows to write the recovered files to a separate hard or local disk (or flash drive ), pack the recovered information into a ZIP archive or immediately send it to the FTP server .

FAQ

What is AHCI mode for SATA?
AHCI is a faster mode of operation for hard drives and SSDs connected via a SATA interface. Typically, enabling AHCI mode increases the data transfer rate by about 10-20%

How to find out what mode a SATA drive is in?
You can find out in which mode the SATA drive is operating through the BIOS. Find the operating mode of the SATA disk in the BIOS and check which mode is used for the desired disk.

After enabling AHCI mode, important data is missing. Can RS Partition Recovery recover lost files?
Yes. RS Partition Recovery is designed for such cases. Use the instructions on our website to recover important data.

How can I enable AHCI mode for SATA?
You can enable AHCI mode for SATA through the BIOS, the registry editor, or using the command line. Read more on our website.

What is the difference between AHCI and IDE?
IDE is the old mode of operation via the SATA interface, while AHCI is a modern and faster mode that allows you to increase the data transfer rate (and hence the speed of the computer) by up to 20%. Read about how to enable it on our website.

Installing Windows 10 on an SSD

Hello friends. In this publication, we will consider such a topic as: installing Windows 10 on an SSD. And consider it in the context of the nuances of installing the current operating system from Microsoft on an SSD solid state drive. The direct installation process of Windows 10, as well as older versions of Windows 8.1 and 7, is exactly the same for all information devices internally connected to a PC or laptop — for an HDD hard drive, for a SATA SSD drive, for an M.2 SSD drive. But there is one nuance of setting up the BIOS of a computer associated with using a SATA SSD and installing an operating system on it. This nuance determines the speed of the system, the efficient and durable operation of the drive itself. Actually, we will talk about this nuance further. We will also briefly touch on the issue of setting up Windows 10 after installing it on an SSD.

So, installing Windows 10 on an SSD. Directly, this process is the same for all internal computer information devices, i.e. it is the same for any type of hard drive. How is the process of installing Windows 10, see, friends, in the article «How to install Windows 10». This is a detailed manual for installing the operating system, describing the various features of this process, mentioning alternatives to the standard Windows 10 installation method, and with links to materials on creating installation media. But before installing Windows 10 on a SATA SSD, it is important to properly configure the computer’s BIOS, which we will discuss next.

As for setting up and optimizing Windows 10 for SSD operation, you don’t need to do any of this. Windows 10, as well as Windows 8.1 and 7, is able to determine the type of hard drive, she herself understands that a solid-state drive is present in the computer. And the system automatically configures itself to work with the SSD. There are two significant system features that affect SSD resource usage:

  • 0008
  • Disk optimization to avoid defragmenting the SSD. This operation is necessary for HDDs, but harmful for SSDs.

Both of these features are active in Windows 10 by default, you don’t need to do anything with them, unless, of course, you used some clumsy custom distribution of the operating system, in such systems there can be anything.

All the specifics of installing Windows 10 on an SSD comes down to setting the AHCI disk controller mode in the BIOS for drives using the SATA connection interface.

Friends, if you have a 2.5 or M.2 SSD connected to your computer using the SATA data transfer interface, make sure that it is connected in the BIOS via the AHCI disk controller mode. Your PC or laptop, if it is not one of the new ones, may provide for the operation of hard drives through the legacy IDE controller mode. And since it provides, then, accordingly, this controller mode can be active in the BIOS. Each controller mode has its own disk device drivers in the Windows 10 system, and if you first install the system and then change the controller mode from IDE to AHCI, the system will not start and give a blue screen of death. Windows 10 does not automatically reset or install disk controller drivers. Drivers need to be changed only manually in the WinPE environment, or you need to reinstall Windows. Therefore, the best option for changing the controller mode is the moment of reinstalling the operating system.

The AHCI hard disk controller mode is a mechanism for connecting internal information devices to a computer, appeared in 2004, uses all the advantages of SATA and is adapted to the specifics of the SSD solid-state drive device, this is, as it were, a native SSD mechanism. While the IDE for SSD is not native: it is an old mechanism from 1989, developed taking into account the specifics of the device only for HDD hard drives, it is obsolete. SSDs will work in IDE controller mode, but in AHCI controller mode, SSDs will run faster and be hot swappable. But more important than all this, the IDE mode does not provide for the activation of the mentioned Trim technology.

To enable AHCI disk controller mode on the computer, enter the BIOS. Find the SATA controller mode in the settings (SATA Mode, SATA Operation Mode, SATA Controller, SATA Configuration, etc.). And set it to AHCI if it’s not already set.

Note : friends, on older computers IDE may be the default disk controller mode. If you ever need to reset your BIOS settings to default, remember to set the disk controller mode to AHCI immediately afterwards.

Well, if, friends, you have a modern PCI-E SSD with NVMe data transfer technology connected to your computer, then you don’t need to worry about anything. For such drives, NVMe controller mode is automatically selected in the BIOS.