AHCI vs IDE Mode - Can I switch?

[Paratus]

I recently rebuilt my computer and upgraded from a P4/WinXP machine to Win 7 PRO 64 / I7 920 / ASUS P6T Deluxe V2.

Anyway going back through the BIOS I noticed I'm running in IDE Mode can I switch to AHCI mode without causing a problem/corrupting my OS disk? It looks like Win 7 already comes with an AHCI driver.

HDs WD 300GB Velociraptor - Boot/OS drive / WD 500GB SATA Data drive / WD 160GB in an external E-SATA enclosure / LG SATA BluRAY Rom / NEC 3500A IDE DVD burner

Thanks

 

[GrumpyMan]

Yes you can, shouldn't be a problem once you change it in your bios.

 

[hanspeter]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

 

[Paratus]

Thanks guys - I'll check the regestry to make sure the AHCI driver is enabled.

 

[Gildor57]

I have seen anecdotal posts in other forums where people have complained about increased BIOS boot times after switching to AHCI in this manner (as opposed to installing the OS with AHCI already enabled in BIOS). You may want to time how long it takes for your BIOS to boot in both modes to see (if you care). As I said, this is anecdotal only, and it was in terms of SSD boot times, so take it FWIW.

 

[zagood]

Bios boot time is the same in AHCI whether it's switched or originally installed that way...AHCI adds an extra check during bios load that you don't get in IDE mode.

That being said, unless you're hot-swapping or using an SSD, there's no discernible difference between IDE and AHCI modes.

 

[Paratus]

Bios boot time is the same in AHCI whether it's switched or originally installed that way...AHCI adds an extra check during bios load that you don't get in IDE mode.

That being said, unless you're hot-swapping or using an SSD, there's no discernible difference between IDE and AHCI modes.

Does swapping in and out the external e-SATA connected drive count as hot swapping?

What about NCQ? Or is the performance increase from that negligible on a home system?