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Questions about GIGABYTE products => Motherboards with Intel processors => Topic started by: Wonderwrench on July 13, 2010, 06:16:07 pm

Title: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Wonderwrench on July 13, 2010, 06:16:07 pm
I just built a system for my buddy using a GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 bios FA. For now he will be using a standard magnetic drive for the OS (aka win 7 64 bit) connected to the Intel SATA 2 controller. In the near future he wants to get a Crucial REAL C300 SSD and of course connect it to the Marvell SATA 3 controller. I'm under the understanding that the Marvel controller needs to be run in AHCI mode using the MSAHCI driver for trim to function. The trouble is that when the Marvell controller is in AHCI mode in the bios before installing windows 7 after the OS install  windows has no driver for the Marvell controller. Its shown in device manager as a unknown device. This looks like a catch 22 to me as  I would have no choice but to install the Marvell driver during the OS install when using a Crucial REAL C300 SSD on the Marvell controller if the controller is set to AHCI mode in the bios. So the question is how are people getting the MSAHCI driver to install with the Marvell controller set to AHCI mode in the bios? See screen shot of the bios settings in the manual.

Thanks
Bill
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 13, 2010, 06:33:32 pm
This has been discussed in the past here on the forum. The AHCI mode has to be enabled to get the best performance but with the Marvell drivers I am not sure that TRIM is working. You can check for TRIM to see if it is enabled but it doesn't actually tell you whether it is active.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Wonderwrench on July 13, 2010, 07:13:20 pm
So I take it there are no MSAHCI drivers in Windows 7 for the Marvell SATA 3 controller? During my test install I installed the Marvell drivers from within windows 7 and it would seem there is no way to install just the driver. I see no need for RAID utilities.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 13, 2010, 08:00:23 pm
Not as far as I am aware.Even the Marvell drivers are crap. To bring up an old point once again the Marvell SATA3 is actually slower than the ICH10 SATA2 when a RAID array is installed but Gigabyte don't seem to be interested in doing anything about it. The advertising hype about getting 4x the speed of SATA2 is bullsh1t.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Wonderwrench on July 13, 2010, 09:13:44 pm
I did some searching and it looks like Gigabyte dropped the ball and does not include a driver only package for the Marvell SATA 3 controller. Asus uses the same controller on some of their boards and they have a driver only download that is less than a month old. Version V1.0.0.1036. I got it here http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=T2FxW2fXGZQgSn2V. I will give it a shot next time I'm over at my buddies house and see what happens. One more question: Is there a  PCIE 2.0 4x SATA 3 add in card that is that works correctly and has trim support? No RAID needed BTW plus it automatically breaks trim.

Thanks
Bill
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 13, 2010, 09:18:37 pm
If you do a search of the recent posts on this forum regarding SATA there was someone that was using a card of I think that type.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: F5BJR on July 13, 2010, 09:58:31 pm
*
not tested with sata3 disks but i think run fine

i use with 2 * HPM enclosures with 4 * sata 1T0 disks ( speed is some 160 mo/s )

RR622 or RR620 by HighPoint ( 2 ports )

* RAID 0 , 1 , 5 , 10 with 2 * port multiplier enclosures

exist also a new models with 4 * ports RR640 or RR644


Pierre



Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Wonderwrench on July 14, 2010, 12:30:05 am
*
not tested with sata3 disks but i think run fine

i use with 2 * HPM enclosures with 4 * sata 1T0 disks ( speed is some 160 mo/s )

RR622 or RR620 by HighPoint ( 2 ports )

* RAID 0 , 1 , 5 , 10 with 2 * port multiplier enclosures

exist also a new models with 4 * ports RR640 or RR644


Pierre





I took a look at the 600 series cards and they are PCIE 2.0 1x cards not 4x cards. I can't see why they even made them as x1 does not have enough bandwidth for SATA 3.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: F5BJR on July 16, 2010, 09:12:15 am
**
RR640 or RR644 are PCI-e X4 add-on cards
**
look this

http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series_rr600.htm

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Highpoint-RocketRAID-644-(RR644)-4-channel-External-PCI-e-20-x4-to-SATA-6Gb-s-RAID-controller-card

Pierre


Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 16, 2010, 09:15:58 am
That's interesting Pierre, thanks for the update. However I notice that these cards use the same Marvell 9128 controller chip as do the Gigabyte motherboards(and in that case anyway very poorly)
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: onemilimeter on July 17, 2010, 07:39:54 am
Gigabyte's version of "SATA3-gate"... still no comment on the Marvell SATA3 from Gigabyte?
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 17, 2010, 07:58:29 am
Gigabyte's version of "SATA3-gate"... still no comment on the Marvell SATA3 from Gigabyte?

No there is an eerie silence pervading the air :(
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: absic on July 17, 2010, 08:46:20 am
Gigabyte's version of "SATA3-gate"... still no comment on the Marvell SATA3 from Gigabyte?

No there is an eerie silence pervading the air :(

Look, let's just clear up this SATA3 issue once and for all. It is just like Apple's I-Phone 4, there really isn't a problem at all, it's just the way that we are using the damn thing!
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 17, 2010, 08:48:48 am
But I have tried holding my computer the right way but my arm gets tired ;)
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: onemilimeter on July 17, 2010, 11:24:43 am
No there is an eerie silence pervading the air :(

That's the problem here... when customers lose their patience and make some funny posts, Gigabyte will do some funny things too. In my opinion, Gigabyte online technical support is among the worst in the world. Well, runn3R at least responded to some of our posts, although I'm sure all of us wish runn3R can respond more quickly especially regarding the Marvell SATA3 issue.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 17, 2010, 11:34:53 am
To be fair, runn3R is caught in the middle. Although he sees all the comments on here he can only relay them to his superiors and if they don't want to do anything about it he just has to keep quiet. Not altogether an easy place to be.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: onemilimeter on July 17, 2010, 03:15:21 pm
To be fair, runn3R is caught in the middle. Although he sees all the comments on here he can only relay them to his superiors and if they don't want to do anything about it he just has to keep quiet. Not altogether an easy place to be.

That's true. It's nothing runn3R can do because he's not the boss of Gigabyte. But what other options that we customers have? Just consider ourselves bad luck to pay extra bucks to buy something which works worse than what it's advertised? At least Gigabyte GEO should act like the Apple CEO and come out to speak loudly: "Our Marvell SATA3 works perfectly. It's not our problem..."  I wonder if UD9 has solved this SATA3 problem.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 17, 2010, 03:45:37 pm
Quote
  I wonder if UD9 has solved this SATA3 problem.

I wouldn't think so because the Marvell 9128 chip and layout is the same and I think that if they had found a solution to the problem they would have been shouting about it already.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: onemilimeter on July 17, 2010, 04:01:38 pm
Quote
  I wonder if UD9 has solved this SATA3 problem.

I wouldn't think so because the Marvell 9128 chip and layout is the same and I think that if they had found a solution to the problem they would have been shouting about it already.

That's is very true...
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: onemilimeter on July 19, 2010, 09:09:28 pm
Hi runn3R... please look into this MARVELL SATA3 problem... customers are waiting and would like to know the stance of Gigabyte.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: F5BJR on July 19, 2010, 09:52:42 pm
*
sorry

but i have hacked a ASROCK 88SE9123 little pci-e card with HIGHPOINT firmware and i can mount RAID , 0 , 1 , 5 , 10 at start up

exactly as the Rocket Raid RR622

after with WINXP card is know as RR622 no problem

problem is ASROCK card cannot find disks / RAID with WIN XP

but if i connect RAID disks to a RR622 i find  that RAID is mounted correctly by ASROCK hacked firmware

possible that my hack is not exactly compatible wit RR622 original card firmware

i have used a modified autoload ( no exactly the same as RR622 ) with same bios as RR622

i search always a solution but without 88SE91xx documentation that is hard !!

*

next week i received this little adapter SOCI8 to DIP8 for test with IOISATA SATA3 card S3-PCIE1XG201

http://www.ioisata.com/products/Host-Adapter/S3-PCIE1XG201.htm

exactly same firmware , autoload as my GigaByte X58A-UD5 motherboard

*

Pierre

  
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on July 19, 2010, 10:10:09 pm
All sounds very interesting Pierre but i must admit it is a bit beyond my scope. I couldn't load the picture either I just got an error. :-\
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: runn3R on July 21, 2010, 10:52:11 am
Hi runn3R... please look into this MARVELL SATA3 problem... customers are waiting and would like to know the stance of Gigabyte.

OK, I will
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: F5BJR on August 06, 2010, 08:25:17 pm
*
new drivers

http://www.station-drivers.com/page/marvell.htm

Ver: 1.0.0.1042-WHQL

MRU 4.1.0.1702 ยจ

Pierre

Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: Dark Mantis on August 06, 2010, 08:33:25 pm
Thanks for those drivers Pierre. What I can't understand is how you can get them but Gigabyte can't ??? Certainly look hopefull.
Title: Re: GA-X58A-UD3R REV2 and Marvell SATA 3 bios settings?
Post by: F5BJR on August 06, 2010, 08:41:19 pm
*

for infos french users post infos for new drivers to station-drivers site

with this infos and because i have not found files to station-drivers site

i have leeched to Asus and  MSI and i have found the new driver !!

* quickly tested :

Always as before the same bug with 2 * ports multipliers with 4 disks -->  driver detect only 7 disks and not 8 !!

And MRU find 8 disks ...

**

station drivers  link repaired !!

http://www.station-drivers.com/page/marvell.htm

Pierre