ASUS P5B need some basic info before reformat

[ranjan2001]

When this board was bought I was in hurry to get the system running so i did not pay much attention of doing the best installation but now its time that I am reformatting & going to have dual boot XP x64 with Vista x64, I want to have a stable & speed optimized system.

I am bit confused as to what all I need to know before I start my installation of XP & then vista.

What does JMICRON JMB363 CONTROLLER DRIVER required for?
What should I opt for in BIOS IDE/AHCI while installing, which one is better?
Do I need Intel INF Update Utility, what does it do?
Do I need Intel® Matrix Storage Manager for my general use (I don't plan RAID)?
My old BIOS 1101 is working fine is it better to use the latest BIOS 1233?

A short & simple explanation is what I need.
Thanks

no one knows??

[ranjan2001]

Guys need some help!

[hellgate]

Originally Posted by ranjan2001

What does JMICRON JMB363 CONTROLLER DRIVER required for?

This controller controls the pata ports and 1 internal sata and a e-sata port.u dont need to install drivers in Vista but for XP u may need to install driver if u wish to use the e-sata or maybe even for proper functioning of the controller.cant say bout XP much cuz havent installed XP when i had this mobo.

What should I opt for in BIOS IDE/AHCI while installing, which one is better?

If u enable AHCI then installing Vista wont be a prob cuz Vista has inbuilt driver support for sata RAID/AHCI mode but when installing XP u'll need to install the stat RAID/AHCI drivers first else XP will not recognise ur hdds.to solve this prob in XP u can use nlite to create a custom copy of XP where in u've to integrate the stt RAID/AHCI drivers.

Do I need

Intel INF Update Utility, what does it do?

Yes u need it.it updates all the chipset drivers and buses and enables them to function properly.

Do I need

Intel® Matrix Storage Manager for my general use (I don't plan RAID)?

If u enable AHCI then u sud install it.

My old BIOS 1101 is working fine is it better to use the latest BIOS 1233?

its recommended to update to the latest bios release.

Hope i hav answered all ur queries.

regards,
Hellgate

[realdan]

oh hellgate you have become the heavenly gate to knowledge for him

[ranjan2001]

Is AHCI better than IDE in performance or the difference is just that AHCI is open source & IDE is propitiatory?

[hellgate]

^^^ AHCI improves perf only where ur hdds support NCQ.
else there wont be any perf diff.

@realdan its nothin like dat dood.
hav used this mobo b4.so happened to know wat ranjan2001 was asking.

[ranjan2001]

1 of my hdd 320gb seagate supports NCQ rest of them do not, so if I load the OS in this hdd will I see the speed benefit? How will the non NCQ hdd affect the transfer speed among each other.

[casanova]

Originally Posted by hellgate

[COLOR=#0000ff]
its recommended to update to the latest bios release.

It is not recommended to update your bios unless you are having some bios wtih the existing bios or your current bios doesn't support some processor model whereas the newer one does.

[hellgate]

^^^ not always.for oc'er its gud to get the latest bios.
like the latest bios for my ip35-e has dec'd the voltage droop.has also inc'd the voltage range for the mch.

[ranjan2001]

I have now updated the BIOS without any problems.
Thanks

[ranjan2001]

Those who are using the mobo P5B deluxe wifi AP, have u installed XP in IDE mode or AHCI mode.
Was DMA enabled for all the ports ??
mine is not enabled for all ports.


I have 2 hdd connected right now, is it due to that that only 1 primary & 1 secondary is ultra dma 5 enabled rest of them are not?

[jbx907]

hi to all im new here, just got eclipse x58 intel i7 920, i really found somthing anoying, i install xp on the new platform but seem to get DMA 5 on my hdd.. on my asus striker II formula q6600 i had DMA6 on all my drives.. i really dont know if intel chipset are giving me slow hdd links dma5... its fast buy i get anoyed with read delays unlike my later platform.