GA-X58A-UD3R Win7-64 reinstall on new SSD

[KatManDEW]

I have a GA-X58A-UD3R Rev-2 and I want to get a SSD and reinstall Win7-64 on the SSD. I currently have two RAID 1 pairs installed in the system (one with Windows on it), and I want to keep those two RAID pairs intact.

Which SATA port should I use for the SSD, and which SATA ports for the RAID pairs?

I have downloaded all the motherboard drivers to a memory stick, to have ready after Windows installation. I assume that I won't need of the RAID preinstall drivers if I am installing Windows on a single SSD, not a RAID pair?

Any suggestions on a SSD? I'm thinking 512 GB.

Thanks!

[dmdilks]

With the array being used you will not get full performance out of the SSD. Those Drives should run with the AHCI set in the bios.

Yes you can still use the drive. What SSD you use just check the reviews on them. I have used most of the brands out there.

On the sata ports it should be on the 6gb port. The board has 2-6gb 4-3gb Intel. 6-6gb Marvell. If you are using raid with the Intel's.

Than run your SSD on the Marvell controller. That way you can run it on the AHCI controller. The Intel will run a little faster than the Marvell.

But will not really see a performance change. The other thing to is that you should look at what you want to do with other OS.

If you want to keep the other OS I would disconnect the drives when you are installing the new drive.

If you leave the drives in there connected than will have to leave them in there all the time. I have a computer that I have a drive as storage's.

If I take that drive out the computer will not boot into windows. I know I can fix it but I don't.

I'm only pointing this out on some of the problems you might run into before you start. You can always use the F12 to boot to the drives you want too.

If you have the raid on the Intel's you can't move them over to the Marvell with out starting all over again 2 different controllers.

[KatManDEW]

With the array being used you will not get full performance out of the SSD. Those Drives should run with the AHCI set in the bios.

Yes you can still use the drive. What SSD you use just check the reviews on them. I have used most of the brands out there.

On the sata ports it should be on the 6gb port. The board has 2-6gb 4-3gb Intel. 6-6gb Marvell. If you are using raid with the Intel's.

Than run your SSD on the Marvell controller. That way you can run it on the AHCI controller. The Intel will run a little faster than the Marvell.

But will not really see a performance change. The other thing to is that you should look at what you want to do with other OS.

If you want to keep the other OS I would disconnect the drives when you are installing the new drive.

If you leave the drives in there connected than will have to leave them in there all the time. I have a computer that I have a drive as storage's.

If I take that drive out the computer will not boot into windows. I know I can fix it but I don't.

I'm only pointing this out on some of the problems you might run into before you start. You can always use the F12 to boot to the drives you want too.

If you have the raid on the Intel's you can't move them over to the Marvell with out starting all over again 2 different controllers.

Thanks for the reply. I truly appreciate that.

I heard that the Marvell controller wasn't good for SSD's. All three of my RAID 1 arrays are currently connected to the six Intel IC10HR ports. One pair of drives are relatively small and I could pull that pair off the Intel IC10HR ports if necessary, and run the single SSD off one of the two vacated ports.

I don't need to preserve the current installation, but I don't want to destroy the contents of that drive/partition at this point.

The attached pic is how the motherboard manual describes the SATA ports...

[dmdilks]

On that board the Marvell controller is faster than the Intel. Plus if you use the Intel you can't run AHCI.

You can't run raid & AHCI on the same controller. That is why I said use the Marvell ports so you can run the AHCI.

That way the SSD will get the best performance. I had six of those boards and if you had a sata2 SSD that would be something different.

Once you get into the 2011 board yes you should use the Intel controller. Plus on your board if you did run that SSD on the Intel it would a double NO NO.

You wouldn't be able to run AHCI with the raid. Plus you would lose performance on the Sata3 SSD using a Sata2 port. It would only run at sata2 rates.

[KatManDEW]

On that board the Marvell controller is faster than the Intel. Plus if you use the Intel you can't run AHCI.

You can't run raid & AHCI on the same controller. That is why I said use the Marvell ports so you can run the AHCI.

That way the SSD will get the best performance. I had six of those boards and if you had a sata2 SSD that would be something different.

Once you get into the 2011 board yes you should use the Intel controller. Plus on your board if you did run that SSD on the Intel it would a double NO NO.

You wouldn't be able to run AHCI with the raid. Plus you would lose performance on the Sata3 SSD using a Sata2 port. It would only run at sata2 rates.

Thanks again for the reply.

So I should leave my RAID 1 drives on the Intel controller and put the SSD on the Marvell controller? My motherboard is revision 2, purchased in November 2010.

I ordered the Samsung 840 Pro Series 512 gig  SATA 6Gbits/s.

Thanks again.

[dmdilks]

That is really the only option you have. Put in on the Gsata 6 port. Plus you might need the Marvell Preinstall Driver.

Just put that on a USB drive. When windows ask it should pick it up on that drive.

[KatManDEW]

That is really the only option you have. Put in on the Gsata 6 port. Plus you might need the Marvell Preinstall Driver.

Just put that on a USB drive. When windows ask it should pick it up on that drive.

Very kind of you to take the time to help.

One final question (hopefully). Should I disconnect the RAID 1 drives during Windows installation, then install the Windows RAID drivers for the Intel ICH10R ports, before reconnecting the RAID 1 drives?

Thanks again.

[dmdilks]

I disconnect all the raid drives. Because windows 7 does have a bad habit of pull boot software on another hard drive.

If that happen you would have leave those drives in. It happen to me yes you can fix, but don't really care with that computer.

[KatManDEW]

I disconnect all the raid drives. Because windows 7 does have a bad habit of pull boot software on another hard drive.

If that happen you would have leave those drives in. It happen to me yes you can fix, but don't really care with that computer.

Many thanks for all the info!

[Graceman]

Forget ssd go direct for Pcie express memory card if you want power & speed.

I have this and its quite exciting to use especially if you have to go back to old type HDD pc's.
However there is a drawback if it fails that's it everything lost so now I run a standard HDD for all program & data storage outside of basic windows install.
You can normally recover data off these when they fail but not ssd or PCIe cards.

Now I get speed, power and security. Well based on what else I have used in past.

[KatManDEW]

I'm up and running with Windows on the SSD on GSATA3_7. I reconnected my two RAID 1 pairs after installing Windows, and they appear correctly in Windows Explorer, and in Intel Storage Manager, but they don't look correct in the BIOS setup. See attached pics...

One RAID 1 pair is connected to SATA2_0 & 2_1, and the other pair is connected to SATA2_2 & 2_3. One pair are 1.5 TB drives and the other pair are 3.0 TB drives.

Any ideas what's going on in the BIOS settings?

[dmdilks]

What do they say on the raid screen in dos just before you boot to windows? Not in the setup screen.

[KatManDEW]

They said basically the same thing during boot. That's what tipped me off to look in the BIOS.

I had another pair of smaller drives that were connected as a third RAID 1 pair, so I went ahead and reconnected them. They also show up fine in Windows and Intel Storage Manager, but the boot and BIOS info is still wrong.

Do I need to "break" the RAID volumes in the BIOS and recreate them?

Also, I keep getting a little notification window saying "Data on one or more volumes is protected from disk failure".

Many thanks for all the help dmdilks. You are very kind person.

[dmdilks]

If there isn't any thing on them that array or if there is move it to one of the raid and re-do them to see if that will fix everything.

What windows is telling you is maybe why that set isn't working in the array setup. Maybe one of the drives is going bad.

But one good thing it sounds like you are happy with the SSD. I have been around computers from the early 80's.

I have been building and working on them from the middle 90's. I enjoy helping people. I might not right all the time but I try my best to help.

[KatManDEW]

They all have lots of data on them. Will I loose data if I delete the RAID volumes and recreate them?

All the drives were working fine before.

Thanks again.