Enabling AHCI on P55A-G55 (and SSD only getting 3gb/s from sataIII port)

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So yes, my first problem was that my ssd (80gb x25m gen2) says in bios that its only getting 3gb/s while my normal harddrive gets 6gb/s (which they both should get since they are both in sataII ports).

Secondly, I was told AHCI was a must to get decent speed out of my ssd, and I tried enabling the only non-raid AHCI option in my bios (after doing the registry-fix from windows) and the only result is that now my comp waits for 30-40secs when the windows-logo comes in early boot. The ssd gets the same speed as before.
The AHCI option I enabled was the one under the SataII header in integrated peripherals(i think).

What to do, and how can you fix the 3gb/s thing?
 
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Download some HDD bench mark software and you'll find that none of your HDDs including the SSD come nowhere near 6Gb/s no matter what port they're plugged into.

What drives and OS are you using? For that matter what are the rest of the parts in your system?

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The only reason I noticed it, is because my TB disk is noted as getting 6gb/s (in the bios splash screen)

The rest of my comp is:
i5-760
sapphire 5770
4gb corsair 1600 ram
windows 7 64bit
corsair tx-600 psu
1tb western digital sataII disk

I've used crystalmark and I know its not 6gb/s, but well like i said, i only noticed it since bios says my 1TB is getting that speed.


I thought maybe the hang-on-windowslogo would change after one reboot, but I just tried it again, and it still hangs (for around 20-30secs) before throwing me into the login screen.

The main problem is the AHCI, since I've heard that should give you a lot more performance from the SSD then not having it enabled. (which it doesn't in my case, my crystalmark scores are the same)

I did the registry fix first (changing one "Start" key from value 3 to 0), but when I then changed the AHCI setting I mentioned in OP (I changed the IastorV reg value), I got a bluescreen. So then I downloaded microsofts fix for enabling AHCI (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976).

One other thing of note is that my windows experience index (not the best benchmark, I know) dropped from 6.9 (which was my HD-score, the rest of the values were from 7.3 to 7.5), and this was my HD score going from 6.9 to 5.9 after enabling the AHCI thing in bios.
 
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What port is the WD 1TB plugged into? BIOS is not going to tell you the transfer speed of a HDD, only what the HDD is and the port it's plugged into.
 
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Its plugged in the (other) sata 6gb port, with the ssd in the first of these.

Thats why its weird, they are both plugged in the same port-type, but bios shows different speeds.
 
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What you are seeing there in the bios is a 'read only', not actual speed. The reason the SSD shows 3Gb/s is probably because it is a 3Gb/s & not a manufactured 6Gb/s. If your SSD is a 6Gb/s, then get a ticket in with MSI Tech Support as it would indicate a possible compatibility issue.

Added: As for AHCI, that is changed in 'Integrated Peripherals', SATA 6Gb/s Controller Mode to AHCI. This should be done 'prior' to the original install of the OS.
 
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arite, its a x25 80gb gen2, so its prolly 3gb/s, thanks :)

Any input on the AHCI thing?
Have I been trying the correct option (sata 6gb option in bios) to change to AHCI, or is there some other option to change that?

this is a small description recap:
The main problem is the AHCI, since I've heard that should give you a lot more performance from the SSD then not having it enabled. (which it doesn't in my case, my crystalmark scores are the same)

I did the registry fix first (changing one "Start" key from value 3 to 0), but when I then changed the AHCI setting I mentioned in OP (I changed the IastorV reg value), I got a bluescreen. So then I downloaded microsofts fix for enabling AHCI (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976).

One other thing of note is that my windows experience index (not the best benchmark, I know) dropped from 6.9 (which was my HD-score, the rest of the values were from 7.3 to 7.5), and this was my HD score going from 6.9 to 5.9 after enabling the AHCI thing in bios.
Click to expand...
 
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Check my 'Added' edit of Reply #9. :-))

Edit: If possible to modify it, the thread's Topic is misleading with SATAII getting 3Gb/s as that's all it is capable of anyway. Should be SATAIII (SATA 6Gb/s) port?
 
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Unless it is connected to only a SATAII port.  BTW, SATA ports 1~6 are only SATAII ports.  It's ports 7 & 8 that are SATAIII.
 
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Yes, you are right. I meant the SataIII port, but that point is moot anyways. I was not able to change the topic name
 
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HU16E said:
Check my 'Added' edit of Reply #9. :-))
Click to expand...

Thank you. I've tried this post install, with both registry edit and microsofts fix. I'll post my crystalmarks tomorrow and we can see if I'm getting the speed I should be getting (most likely not though since AHCI isnt installed). If the speed difference is significant, I guess I'll haveto reinstall.
 
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I meant the SataIII port, but that point is moot anyways.
Click to expand...
Only wanted to clarify, as some may jump in your thread without completely reading it & assume you didn't have the SSD plugged into a SATA 6Gb/s port. :lol_anim:

I've tried this post install, with both registry edit and microsofts fix. If the speed difference is significant, I guess I'll haveto reinstall.
Click to expand...
Another option to try may be to put the SSD on the SATA II port #1 & set AHCI with it's controller & see if the performance is better or worse. Lot of messing around, but it may result in finding the best combination for you.
 
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Thanks both for title and tip.

Only problem was I cant seem to remember seeing an AHCI option under anything else (other then raid and the one i tried) in bios.

If you could tell me where in the bios I could change that, I'd be grateful.
 
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Only problem was I cant seem to remember seeing an AHCI option under anything else (other then raid and the one i tried) in bios. If you could tell me where in the bios I could change that, I'd be grateful.
Click to expand...
Should be in 'Integrated Peripherals', On-Chip ATA Devices (Press Enter), On-Chip SATA Controller 'Enabled', Raid Mode & change (IDE) to (AHCI).
 
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