@ all:

Update of the Start Post
Changelog:

• added: best AHCI benchmark results using Intel's RST(e) v14.8.0.1042 driver with my Z97 chipset AHCI system (1 TB Samsung EVO SSD running Windows 10 x64)
• added: best AHCI benchmark results using Intel's RST(e) v14.8.0.1042 driver with my Z68 chipset AHCI system (512 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD running Windows 10 x64)
• added: best AHCI benchmark results using Intel's RST(e) v14.8.0.1042 driver with my Z97 chipset RAID0 system (2x256 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSDs running Windows 10 x64)
• added: best AHCI benchmark results using Intel's RST(e) v14.8.0.1042 driver with my Z68 chipset RAID0 system (2x256 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSDs running Windows 10 x64)

Zitat von kurtextrem im Beitrag #228

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since I've changed my drivers to 13.6.3.1001 RST(e) and Intel ME driver 11.0.0.1160 the systemclock is running on 0,5ms (before stable on 1,0).

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@dja2k:
Welcome at Win-RAID Forum!

Zitat von dja2k im Beitrag #231

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Although after installing the software and trying to ENABLE write cache the Windows Event logs show it failed to change settings.

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Zitat

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The IRST Software still says ENABLED, but I don't know if it correct.

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You can easily verify the setting by doing a benchmark test. The differences regarding the WRITE performance scores are exorbitant.

Zitat

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Have you seen this behavior before? I might have ENABLED those options when I had a higher version of IRST and maybe that has something to do with it.

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Yes, the Write-Back Caching setting done with a previously installed Intel RST Console Software may even survive a quick format of the related drive.

Zitat

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Any recommendation on what version for z68 was the best Intel ME drivers?

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Until 2014 I always installed the "pure" HECI driver, which is within the Intel ME driverpacks v9.x.x.xxxx, but with Win10 I always installed the "pure" Intel ME driver v11.0.0.1157 WHQL.
Regards
Dieter (alias Fernando)

Since there are very new Intel RST(e) drivers v13.2.8.1002 WHQL available since today, I have just tested the performance of these drivers running on my Z97 system in AHCI mode.
This is what I got:


If you compare the results with those I have done in November 2015 (look into the start post of this thread), they are absolutely disappointing.

Just to make sure, that the much lower scores have nothing to do with my changed CPU (Broadwell instead of Haswell) and the usage of Win10 x64 Insider Preview Build 14257, I downgraded the Intel AHCI driver to v13.2.4.1000 WHQL, rebooted and repeated the benchmark test.
Now I got these results:


My conclusion:
The Intel RST(e) drivers v13.2.8.1002 drivers are by far the latest ones of the v13 line, but due to the very bad 4K scores not the best at all regarding the AHCI performance.

Since there are brandnew Intel RST(e) drivers v14.8.4.1046 WHQL available since today, I have just tested the performance of these drivers running on my Z97 system in AHCI mode.
This is what I got:


Just for a comparison purpose, here are the results I got today with the same Z97 AHCI system while running the Intel RST(e) driver v13.2.4.1000 WHQL.


My conclusion:
The Intel RST(e) drivers v14.8.4.1046 are usable with Intel 9-Series Chipset AHCI systems, but obviously not the best choice.
My benchmark results verify again, that the Intel RST(e) drivers of the v14 line have not been optimized by Intel for the usage with Intel 8- and 9-Series Chipsets.

Since I just got access to a brandnew 64bit Intel RST(e) AHCI driver v14.8.5.1047 WHQL (look >here<), I have done a benchmark test running this driver with my Z97 AHCI system.
The performance of this driver really surprised me:


Just to make sure, that it is not the freshly installed OS (Win10 x64 Insider Preview Build 14295), which gave me the performance boost, I "downgraded" to the Intel RST(e) driver v13.2.4.1000 WHQL, which has been the best for me until now, and got these results:


As soon as I will get the complete set including the 32/64bit AHCI and RAID drivers, I will offer them >here<.