How to enable SSD caching on Asus P9X79 Deluxe

[My Name]

Hello friends, do not knowing that what I should do with the SSD caching section. I have to plug the unformatted SSD and a SATA drive which is capable of the new 6G/s into two of the SATA 6G/S ports and then have to boot the system. When done with it I have to format the drives and setup the SSD caching and install Windows on SSD. Is this method proper or not? I believe that the current SATA drives cannot do 6G/S so I have to go and get a new drive. Thinking to get RAID 0 2 TB array for programs and data. Also wanted to tell that I am using the C drive and an external E-SATA RAID 0 array for backup, but the new motherboard has the powered E-SATA connections and the external E-SATA array having its own power supply and uses a non-powered E-SATA cable. So wanted to know that cable will work in the powered ports? So please tell me that what I should do. Thank you.

[Himalayan]

The method which you are following is not the correct method, if you wanted to enable the SSD caching then you need to do the following steps, so just follow it,

• Install your HDD (SATA2 or SATA3) on any either of the Marvell SATA6G ports.
• Now install Windows (Operating System)
• Load all the required drivers from the Asus support DVD
• Install Asus AI Suite II application.
• Now shut down the system and connect SSD (SATA2 or SATA3) on other Marvell SATA6G port.
• You enter the Operating system, go to Ai Suite II and select SSD Caching. When you select it then click on the caching button.
• After all the data will be wiped clean from the SSD and SS will vanished from the system.
• You can continue to do your work, but do not shut down, let the initialization process completed.
• If you wish then you can copy files in and out from the HDD.
• Once the initialization process completed then AI Suite II will pop up a message confirming the completion, then it is done.
• After that SSD will be replaced with same amount of the HDD space with it and use that part of the HDD space to host backup of its data for data security in cases of SSD drive failure.
• You will get same read performance on the HDD as on the SSD.

[My Name]

When installing operating system then I should install on HDD? When I am getting SSD caching setup is there need to install operating system again as caching setup wipes both drives? I believe that SSD should read much faster than a HDD. Is there need to have SSD caching while doing automatic backups of the SSD drive? If I install another operating system and Microsoft Office on the SSD data going to my RAID 0 arrays, so can I do it? Can I mix my Corsair Force3 SSD with an older SATA drive which is having 3G/S? So please tell me about it, thank you.

[Miguel Reyes]

There is need to install the operating system on your HDD connected to the Marvell SATA port. Well there is do need reinstall operating system again and due to which the SSD Caching software was implemented, so you can do it with a simple click of mouse. Well the SSD Caching will wipe the SSD clean but not the HDD. The data which is there on HDD will be there. The main thing of these features is that you can insert the SSD into your build at any time. One time SSD Caching are been built well the SSD will replace the equivalent HDD space automatically. The Operating System will run off it use up the SSD space before it will be going to HDD and it will be full read performance of the SSD.

[Battista]

Well the Marvell controller only support two SATA ports you will not be able to build RAID at the same time as SSD Caching. If you are using the SSD as boot drive and keep the backup for it, then you will be knowing that what is been going into SSD and also give you optimal performance, there is no need for SSD Caching for it. If you are having the bigger SSD then there is more data that can be stored on the SSD and there will be less change in read performance. I think that the 60 GB is minimum for operating system with application and data transfer boost. If you get enhance the boot time and application opening time then 20 GB SSD will do the trick as well.

[Ramona19]

Where the SSD Caching can make some of the HDD space with same level of read performance which you get on SSD, but it will not give more performance on the top then what SSD can do when you use it alone.