Intel's DIPM issue

[nocookiesleft]

Good afternoon (my first thread/post around here).

I recently bought an Intel 320 SSD (128GB) to place on my mobile system (ASUS G73JH / HM55 Chipset). After installing a clean copy of Windows 7, I downloaded and installed the Intel SSD Toolbox.

At the System Tuner panel, the DIPM status was "Feature is optimized". Note that at this time, the Intel RST drivers were not installed.

Later, after I downloaded and installed the latest Intel RST drivers, from their download center, the DIPM status have changed to "Current storage driver does not support DIPM settings. Consider changing to another storage driver compatible with your system".

I also checked the storage driver details using Device Manager and it's using the "iaStor.sys" file.

Any thoughts? Because it looks like I'm the only one having this issue, lol.

Thanks in advance.

 

[razel]

It's not an issue, just disappointing. Unless you're on a laptop DIPM is not much of a concern. Even on a laptop it won't save you much battery life. In my experience with a Core 2 and Core i3 laptops I never could get DIPM status to say 'feature is optimized.'

 

[nocookiesleft]

So, basically, you're saying that Intel RST disables the DPIM feature? Since the feature gets optimized without the drivers aforementioned.

 

[groberts101]

The DIPM feature set is supported on that drive and you could try this. And yes.. RST has caused many different SSD controllers to have issues related to them.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/177819-ahci-link-power-management-enable-hipm-dipm.html

 

[Sunburn74]

It's not an issue, just disappointing. Unless you're on a laptop DIPM is not much of a concern. Even on a laptop it won't save you much battery life. In my experience with a Core 2 and Core i3 laptops I never could get DIPM status to say 'feature is optimized.'

Out of curiousity, any proof on what sort of power savings to actually expect from DIPM being turn on?

 

[nocookiesleft]

The DIPM feature set is supported on that drive and you could try this. And yes.. RST has caused many different SSD controllers to have issues related to them.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/177819-ahci-link-power-management-enable-hipm-dipm.html

That tutorial is meant to be used when Windows, by default, doesn't enable the DIPM feature. In my case, it is enabled whether with or without IRST drivers installed.

Want I'm trying to know is why Intel's SSD Toolbox states that my current storage driver does not support DIPM settings, when using IRST drivers and it works fine when using the Microsoft AHCI drivers.

But, unless IRST really boosts the SSD performance, I guess I should just drop it.

Thanks, tho. I appreciate the help.

 

[groberts101]

has to do with the drivers designed default settings and how they interact with the hardware. This is why we saw so many issues with Sandforce 2281 controllers, early LPM hack requirements with Marvell controllers, and various laptop implementations.And that statement from toolbox saying that it's "not supported" seems to be false according to hundreds of posts around the net for those who solved BSOD/stutter issues by enabling DIPM. This allows the device to control it's power mgmt rather than the chipset/OS to better avoid disconnects/timeout issues. If you use the linked tutorial and enable those settings to be seen in power options?.. then you should see them become available to you in advanced power mgmt. By default they should not be visible. So, if I understand you?.. you're saying that they are visible by default regardless of which driver is used? Never once seen that happen before as they are always hidden by default in W7. New one on me there.Look here at the screen of bottom post. I'd link directly to that but I have too many systems and drives to keep track of my saved links.http://communities.intel.com/message/122861PS. sorry for the large unbroken sentence structure here. The forum seems to be fudged up lately with all sorts if issues and everything formats to one large sentence.

 

[nocookiesleft]

If you use the linked tutorial and enable those settings to be seen in power options?.. then you should see them become available to you in advanced power mgmt. By default they should not be visible. So, if I understand you?.. you're saying that they are visible by default regardless of which driver is used?

I missexplained myself. Once I enabled those hidden settings in Advanced Power Options, I confirmed that the DIPM was already active, hence I said that, by default, the DIPM feature was enabled either by Windows or Intel's SSD Toolbox. The driver used just changes the status message shown on the Toolbox.

So, from what I understand, if Windows shows the DIPM as active, it is enabled even if Intel's SSD Toolbox states the opposite. Or am I wrong here?

 

[groberts101]

IIRC.. "active" actually means disabled... which has screwed more than a few up, I'm sure. Google it just to be sure though.PS. yeah that's right... I just googled it and it's also in that first sevenforums link i posted already.

 

[nocookiesleft]

Once again I didn't use the right words.

By active I meant "DIPM+HIPM" as the option active, regardless of the drivers installed. So I guess the status message given by Intel's Toolbox is bugged?

 

[groberts101]

according to this.. Intel says that with MSAHCI it's inactive by default and active with RST. So, my main point was that not all is what it seems to be sometimes and may warrant further research on your end.http://communities.intel.com/thread/21199?wapkw=dipmSo, it would depend on the power settings involved and even possibly the hardware used. And "bugged" may not be the best term to use. Think.. "incorrect" as others have had many issues related to the detection of current status relating to those settings as well. Tons of posts revolving around these drives by others as well would be a good place to start reading, I would imagine. Wish I had definitive answers beyond the rec to look a bit deeper before believing any utility.. but that's about all I got. Good luck with it all.

 

[nocookiesleft]

From what I've been reading, IRST doesn't really improve the drive performance unless I have a RAID configuration. Since the DIPM feature works perfectly with MSAHCI drivers, I'll just drop the IRST ones for now and wait for a new version release.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to post the issue on Intel Community forums, but for some reason it fails to email me the registration link. The registration on the main page has been successful, tho.

Thanks a lot for your time and help, groberts. You've been great. I'd still be lost at the moment.