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Crucial SSD on Asus U3S6 vs Sata 2

P

perdomot

Golden Member
Got my new Crucial SSD and decided to check the performance on my old Asus U3S6 card since there were a couple of threads asking about performance. I downloaded the latest driver from Asus and tested the ssd on both the card and my mobos sata2 header.
First is my old agility ssd:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Next is the Crucial on the Asus U3S6 Sata3 header:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us
As you can see, its actually worse than my old Agility 1 ssd

Finally, I connected it to the motherboard Sata2 port and got this result:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Huge difference in performance. I've been getting the desire to get a mobo with built in sata3 because all the reviews show a much higher read speed than on sata2 and apparently an add in card simply wont do the trick.
 
Yeh the U3S6 has been shown to be crap. I use mine for USB3 only but not for the speed, just because it charges my iPhone faster than USB2. 🙂 Thats what you get for 20 bucks....
 
d4a2n0k said:
Yeh the U3S6 has been shown to be crap. I use mine for USB3 only but not for the speed, just because it charges my iPhone faster than USB2. 🙂 Thats what you get for 20 bucks....
Click to expand...

You should have seen the ATTO test. The first three tests never even broke 1000. Pitiful/
 
It would be nice to see the AS SSD results of the Crucial on the Asus U3S6.

Currently, the image you provided- as the Crucial on the Asus U3S6- lists the Agility in the device field, instead of the C300.

Also, what chipset is on your motherboard? Are you using the Intel H55 in your signature?
 
FishAk said:
It would be nice to see the AS SSD results of the Crucial on the Asus U3S6.

Currently, the image you provided- as the Crucial on the Asus U3S6- lists the Agility in the device field, instead of the C300.

Also, what chipset is on your motherboard? Are you using the Intel H55 in your signature?
Click to expand...

Damn, you are right I posted the wrong image. Sorry. I deleted the screenshot I took by mistake but it was about the same. Currently using the H55 chipset.
 
Old Hippie said:
I purchased an LSI 9240-4i but if you can do with just RAID 0,1, or 10 you'll get by cheaper with the LSI 9211-4i.
Click to expand...

Yep, I was just about to go hunting for this guy to find the model of card.

OP, I would say you pretty much conclusively proved that the Asus U3S6 is crap. Nice job measuring the setup. Funny how the mobo port so brutally outperformed it. (I get between 450-470.) I feel like waiting for the next series of drives isn't gong to buy much more in terms of performance, and I'm really happy with my new C300.
 
Last edited:
I'm thinking of getting the Asrock P67 Transformer that lets you use an 1156 cpu with the new chipset once Intel finishes fixing the sata 3 bug. Mobo reviews look good so far.
 
OP, I would say you pretty much conclusively proved that the Asus U3S6 is crap.
Click to expand...

Well that's a generalization that I certainly don't agree with. Do you actually believe that one person's results are "conclusive" for everyone? Have you personally used this card?

For sure, the negative comments here and elsewhere are suppressing the prices on the U3S6 which is making it an even better deal. I now have two and they work fine for me, but right now I'm only using them for the USB 3.0 improved speeds. I currently use SAS drives which won't run on this card but I'm looking forward to getting a SATA3 HD or SSD soon. And despite the comments here I will initially use the U3S6 to interface it.

No one has mentioned the important fact that the ASUS U3S6 card has upgradable FIRMWARE which is NOT available from ASUS. I found it for the USB3 chip made by Nec and I expect there is firmware for the the SATA3 chip made by Marvell. If you go to the Marvell site and check out the specs you will see some very robust features. It just stands to reason that these features will evolve over time as more is learned about the niggly little problems associated with SATA3, which is a very new interface.

And beyond that the performance of the card (any card) is going to depend on how your motherboard backplane is wired up and what slot you plug the card into. In my case I am running it off of an ASUS proprietary motherboard interface called "PIKE" which has a PCIe X8 slot, turned backwards, and with X4 signaling. I have to use a riser card that uses a 7inch ribbon cable. It is the only PCIe slot attached to the ICH10R Southbridge chip, and sharing the chip with the single PCI slot and the HD Audio. The point being it would be very useful for the user to check the manual for their motherboard and look for the architectural black diagram. Experiment a little. That is, if you seek performance and have the time to do so.

I'm not "carrying a torch" for ASUS or championing this particular card. I'm just saying that staying open-minded and doing some simple research usually leads to a better understanding of the situation. I don't necessarily consider reading forums to be "research" as most everyone have different goals, opinions, and agenda. For me, the "hands on" approach works bet.

This is all my opinion and I'm sticking to it...

VV
 
Old Hippie said:
I have, it's complete crap and every single review has shown it to be crap.

No, there's no update.
Click to expand...


Would you please list the URL's to the reviews you mention?

I'm asking because I am sincerely interested. And I'm not asking for "every single review", as you put it. Just two reviews would be fine for me. And, of course, opinions posted on forums are NOT really "reviews". So please, don't waste my time with other negative forum posts, even if you think they are "reviews" that reflect your opinion.

I am a retired computer engineer with 30+ years experience designing hardware and software. And "crap" is not a technical term that I recognize. If the board is not operating correctly then why don't you describe the symptoms in terms that convey real meaning? Terms that might help in diagnosing your problem. That's assuming you're really interested in a solution. Only a suggestion...

Every user seems to have an opinion, good or bad. This is a very new product implementing two brand new industry standards. And new products often times have teething problems. That certainly goes with the turf. Two engineers can read the same standards document and come away with two completely different interpretations. This happens all the time in the computer industry. But eventually, over time, there develops a common understanding, and the situation improves. And so, a firmware-based product can be improved over time as bugs are detected and fixed and new features are added. It is simply a matter of doing a firmware update. And I'm not even referring to the OS drivers which is a completely different topic as they also evolve over time.

Too bad you're having such a bad experience with it. Your frustration comes across loud and clear. I have been using my U3S6 for about 10 weekls and it has performed flawlessly. I have updated the firmware 2 times. I'm using an ASUS motherboard. If you are using some other brand then that just might be the basis of your problems.

And just because you can't find the firmware updates does not necessarily mean they don't exist. Obviously, you can't find what you're not searching for. I am guessing you're so frustrated that you have ALREADY given up on the card and are now just venting. So you're entrenched in your opinion and not about to do anything to try to help yourself; least of all listern to someone who has had good luck with it. Or try to get an insight into THE problem, whatever it might be. For my part I'm just trying to help, while being the ever-curious engineer.

The bottom line is you've had a different experience than myself. That doesn't necessarily mean that others will have problems. If you want to discuss it further in a civil manner then I'll be around. But I have been posting on forums for many years so I am very familiar with certain archtypes. I am guessing that your next post may very well be riddled with rudeness and hostility simply because I don't agree with you. In which case, this may be my last post to you. The ball is in your court...

Good Luck!

VV
 
Last edited:
The interface chips of note on my ASUS U3S6 have the following part numbers:

Marvell 88SE9123-NAA2
Nec 0720200F

Your board might have different revisions or slightly different part numbers.



Marvell MV-91xx (88SE91xx) AHCI/RAID Controller for SATA 3.0

FIRMWARE released March 4, 2011
Version v1.0.0.170/2.2.0.1118/1.0.0.1029

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




NEC uPD720200 for USB 3.0

FIRMWARE released November 10, 2010
version 3.0.2.7.0.8

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



I suggest you watch this site for further firmware releases.

Good Luck!

VV
 
VistaViewer said:
Marvell MV-91xx (88SE91xx) AHCI/RAID Controller for SATA 3.0

FIRMWARE released March 4, 2011
Version v1.0.0.170/2.2.0.1118/1.0.0.1029

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

Hello, you say that you have updated these firmwares twice. Also the aforementioned drivers? or just the usb3 firmwares?

Did those updates cause any havoc on the Marvell? have you got any test results afterwards? did those updates do any good? (this kind of stuff gives you more credibility on the forums)

I saw one guy seeking for the original fw for the chipset in several forums because his system didn't boot anymore from the Asus u3s6 connected drive.

I have also a long history with computers and know that these unofficial driversites may have really dodgy stuff on offer. :colbert:

Anyhow the official support for the card tells most of us what to expect from it. On the plus side it didn't cost but a fraction of those LSI monsters
 
Last edited:
VistaViewer said:
Would you please list the URL's to the reviews you mention?

I'm asking because I am sincerely interested. And I'm not asking for "every single review", as you put it. Just two reviews would be fine for me. And, of course, opinions posted on forums are NOT really "reviews". So please, don't waste my time with other negative forum posts, even if you think they are "reviews" that reflect your opinion.

I am a retired computer engineer with 30+ years experience designing hardware and software. And "crap" is not a technical term that I recognize. If the board is not operating correctly then why don't you describe the symptoms in terms that convey real meaning? Terms that might help in diagnosing your problem. That's assuming you're really interested in a solution. Only a suggestion...

Every user seems to have an opinion, good or bad. This is a very new product implementing two brand new industry standards. And new products often times have teething problems. That certainly goes with the turf. Two engineers can read the same standards document and come away with two completely different interpretations. This happens all the time in the computer industry. But eventually, over time, there develops a common understanding, and the situation improves. And so, a firmware-based product can be improved over time as bugs are detected and fixed and new features are added. It is simply a matter of doing a firmware update. And I'm not even referring to the OS drivers which is a completely different topic as they also evolve over time.

Too bad you're having such a bad experience with it. Your frustration comes across loud and clear. I have been using my U3S6 for about 10 weekls and it has performed flawlessly. I have updated the firmware 2 times. I'm using an ASUS motherboard. If you are using some other brand then that just might be the basis of your problems.

And just because you can't find the firmware updates does not necessarily mean they don't exist. Obviously, you can't find what you're not searching for. I am guessing you're so frustrated that you have ALREADY given up on the card and are now just venting. So you're entrenched in your opinion and not about to do anything to try to help yourself; least of all listern to someone who has had good luck with it. Or try to get an insight into THE problem, whatever it might be. For my part I'm just trying to help, while being the ever-curious engineer.

The bottom line is you've had a different experience than myself. That doesn't necessarily mean that others will have problems. If you want to discuss it further in a civil manner then I'll be around. But I have been posting on forums for many years so I am very familiar with certain archtypes. I am guessing that your next post may very well be riddled with rudeness and hostility simply because I don't agree with you. In which case, this may be my last post to you. The ball is in your court...

Good Luck!

VV
Click to expand...

Here's a review of the chip on the U3S6 which shows that it performs much less than the onboard sata:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=38

The first time I used the card, I noticed about a 20MB/sec difference in benchmarks so I removed the card and just used the regular sata mobo ports.
 
Vistaviewer,
Can you run the AS-SSD benchmark on your SSD connected to the U3S6 card and post the results? I want to see what you get in terms of performance. Thanks.
 
VistaViewer said:
Would you please list the URL's to the reviews you mention?

I'm asking because I am sincerely interested. And I'm not asking for "every singl...........
VV
Click to expand...

I changed my mind.

That Asus card is just the best thing since sliced bread.

It works so well I think I'll buy another! 🙄

Good Luck with yours!
 
perdomot said:
Here's a review of the chip on the U3S6 which shows that it performs much less than the onboard sata:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=413&Itemid=38
Click to expand...


A review alright, published Friday, 04 December 2009

Don't you think the situation just might have been improved over the previous 15 MONTHS?

Or to put it another way, Aren't you curious about the current status of the card, as opposed to what it was a long time ago?

The way I would deal with this "problem" would be to update the firmware and drivers to the latest versions, and try the benchmarks again. Of course, if you don't want to do that then I understand completely.

Unfortunately, there is no "magic pill" I can pass to you to solve your problems. And my Magic Wand is broken down, in the shop for repair. So if you want better results then I guess you'll just have to do some work to get them.

Good Luck!

VV
 
Don't you think the situation just might have been improved over the previous 15 MONTHS?
Click to expand...

The official firmware update is for the NEC USB3 driver (I care nothing about it) and I tried the newest Marvell drivers (Version 1.0.0.1036) at the time but it made little difference. The default MS drivers were actually better.

I dunno about that Marvell firmware update. I've never seen that offically announced.

I'm glad you like your card but my SSDs performed so poorly with it that no amount of updating is gonna fix it.

Since you're enamored with the card why not answer hscsd's and perdomot's questions.

Put up some graphs so they can see how good the card is.
 
VistaViewer said:
A review alright, published Friday, 04 December 2009

Don't you think the situation just might have been improved over the previous 15 MONTHS?

Or to put it another way, Aren't you curious about the current status of the card, as opposed to what it was a long time ago?

The way I would deal with this "problem" would be to update the firmware and drivers to the latest versions, and try the benchmarks again. Of course, if you don't want to do that then I understand completely.

Unfortunately, there is no "magic pill" I can pass to you to solve your problems. And my Magic Wand is broken down, in the shop for repair. So if you want better results then I guess you'll just have to do some work to get them.

Good Luck!

VV
Click to expand...

This is why I asked you to run the AS-SSD benchmark to show us what kind of performance you are getting. I'm assuming your card has the latest firmware so show us what you are getting in terms of results.
 
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