Intel’s TRIM Support for RAID Coming to X79 ‘Soon’

When Intel finally announced TRIM support for systems using RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10 setups, users with multiple SSDs and Intel motherboards couldn’t have been happier.  Before this, TRIM was available for SSDs but only when single drives were used outside of a RAID environment.

The Rapid Storage Technology (RST) 11.2 driver update was rolled out to the public but the initial positive response was somewhat tempered when enthusiasts realized their X79 systems weren’t supported.  Only P67, Z68, Z77, H67, H77, Q67 and Q77 chipsets are certified, which tends to leave some Intel’s highest paying clients (enthusiasts and power users) out in the cold so to speak.  Older motherboards based on chipsets not mentioned above aren’t listed either, but that’s likely due to the complications and limited ROI involved with porting the newest driver structures over to EOL’d platforms.

So why is this a big deal?  TRIM is a necessity for keeping SSDs with certain controllers in top shape, since without it performance can degrade and over time, calls to and from the storage subsystem will slow down to a crawl.  With TRIM, a command is passed from the OS to the SSD, informing it to clean used blocks of NAND that contain data which has been marked as deleted by the OS.

In order to bypass the lack of TRIM, some manufacturers (like Crucial) have included a controller which incorporates enhanced Idle Time Garbage Collection (or ITGC) routines which strive to keep the SSD in a non-degraded state.  The only catch with these routines is their use of idle time to clean house rather than using an on the fly approach like TRIM.  Thus, users who don’t let their systems sit idle for long periods of time may never fully benefit from ITGC.  In addition, some of these routines do run in the background (usually called Background Garbage Collection) and can handicap an SSD’s performance.

Unfortunately for anyone not using multiple ITGC or BGGC-supporting SSDs on X79, Intel’s decision to roll out TRIM to 1155 and 1156 platforms instead of enthusiast-level products may seem like a slap in the face.  But not so fast.

Amidst the outrage from understandably miffed enthusiasts, we reached out to Intel and asked about their plans for X79 users.  Their response should put some of you at ease:

Current RSTe drivers specific to X79 do NOT support TRIM on RAID 0, but an updated RST driver version coming soon will add support for X79 based systems, including the TRIM on RAID 0 feature.  Note that on client 7-series chipsets (non X79), RST driver version 11.0 and beyond supports TRIM on RAID 0.  -Intel

So it looks like the vociferous enthusiast community hasn’t been forgotten or tossed by the wayside as some have claimed.  Rather, development of this critical update is still ongoing.

Intel’s feedback also brings up a good point:  the RST development for the X79 chipset is on the RSTe (or Enterprise) branch rather than the standard RST development cycle used for other mass market chipsets.  This process’s extra validation steps are likely the main reason why we have not seen an RSTe driver that supports RAID 0 yet.

We’re not sure when the update will be released though –nor would Intel give us a firm date- but it is coming “soon”.  Once Hardware Canucks receives more information about a release date, an update will be posted.

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portable spec for SSDs - targets Ultrabooks

Though it's not quite an issue just yet, with OEMs seemingly reluctant to supply even 256GB SSDs with many devices, we could soon be hitting a capacity limit caused by the mSATA specification, which details a standardised size and format for delivering removable-yet-compact SSD storage.

The current 42mm maximum length of mSATA makes it impossible to fit more than six chips of NAND flash on a single board, with the specification too tight to allow double-sided chip mounting. This limitation creates an effective capacity barrier of 512GB, preventing the mobile standard from reaching the Terabyte mark.

Intel believes that it has an answer, or rather, is at least working on a few ideas that it hopes will form the new NGFF - Next Generation Form Factor - specification. This spec will match mSATA in both width and thickness, however, would likely be available in 42, 60 and 80mm lengths, with 80mm capable of reaching that all important One Terabyte mark. The standard will also provide room for double-sided mounting, extending the potential chip count even further.

NGFF is expected to be ratified next month and could find its way into devices sometime next year, though Intel is refusing to comment on the matter.

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Corsair Accelerator 60GB SSD Cache

As each generation of hard drives grew in capacity at a breakneck pace, storage space on spindle-based drives was rarely an issue. However, performance gains from one generation to the next have always been, at best, incremental. Now, with solid state storage in its ascendency, the opposite is true: SSDs offer massive performance but miniscule storage capacity relative to their cost. With the aptly named Accelerator 60GB cache drive, Corsair hopes to sell consumers on a solution that will give them the best of both technologies with none of the associated drawbacks.

Much like OCZ’s Synapse, the Corsair Accelerator relies on Nvelo’s Dataplex software to meld with the user’s existing hard drive into one “hybrid” storage solution. While this approach does require a certain amount of processor overhead, allowing the software to decide what gets cached on the speedy SSD and what can reasonably be tucked away on the slow-but-steady HDD has its merits. Namely, it allows for increased storage flexibility and performance while also keeping the associated hardware costs relatively low. As the Dataplex solution is fairly robust with only moderate CPU requirements, we have no concerns with Corsair’s decision to follow OCZ in this regard.

What is questionable is the actual solid state drive they have included as part of the bargain. Rather than using a Corsair Force 3 60GB for the Accelerator, Corsair has instead opted for their Nova Series 2 60GB drive. Unlike the competition, this drive uses the less capable SF-2181 controller. Furthermore, it has only the typical 7% overprovisioning found with the standard Nova Series 2 drives which could cause an issue for long term durability when used for caching purposes. This is completely different than OCZ’s Synapse series, which relies on a more capable, 100% over provisioned SF-2281-based Agility 3 60GB drive. With an online asking price of $90—or just ten dollars less than that of the Synapse 64GB—the Accelerator will have to be impressive if it hopes to overcome its potential limitations.

To keep things as fair as possible, we will be pairing the Accelerator with the same 1TB hard drive we tested the OCZ Synapse with. This will allow us to find out how much performance is possible from a truly budget setup and judge theAccelerator’s overall efficiency and effectiveness.

Compared to that of the OCZ Synapse, the Corsair Accelerator’s exterior is more robust and reassuring. While some SSD makers use a metal-and-plastic solution, the Accelerator’s outer shell is a full metal affair that seems like it could shrug off damage that would leave a Synapse in pieces.

Unfortunately, the interior architecture of the Accelerator is not as satisfying. Not only is the PCB half the size of what is normally found in SandForce-based devices, but so too is the number of NAND ICs greatly reduced. Whereas 16 dual-layer NAND modules are housed within most solid state drives, this model has only eight. This means that the density of the chips is higher than that of most contemporary 64GB SSDs. However, the Accelerator may not be able to take advantage of this moderate potential increase in performancefor the simple reason that (unlike any other SandForce-based drive we have reviewed to date) the Accelerator does not use an SF-2281 controller and relies instead on the slower and less capable SF-2181. 

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