[DRIVERS] Intel Chipset/MEI/SATA (6x/7x/8x/9x)

[MoKiChU]

Hi everyone,

- Intel Chipset Drivers :

Package : 10.1.18010.8141 WHQL [24/04/2019]
Download : Link

Install/Update Process :

Launch "CHIPSET_Intel_vxx.x.xxxxx.xxxx.exe"

- Intel MEI Drivers (Drivers Only) :

Drivers - 8x/9x : 11.7.0.1057 WHQL [19/11/2017]
Drivers - 6x/7x : 11.0.5.1189 WHQL [28/03/2016]
Download - 8x/9x : Link
Download - 6x/7x : Link

Install/Update Process :

- Press Windows key + X > Device Manager > Right-click on your Intel MEI device > Update driver > Browse my computer for driver software
- Browse... > Select the extracted drivers folder (MEI_Intel_v...) > Next

- Intel SATA AHCI-RAID Drivers (Drivers Only) :

Drivers - 8x/9x : 14.8.18.1066 WHQL [06/07/2017]
Drivers - 6x/7x : 12.9.4.1000 WHQL [07/04/2014]
Download - 8x/9x : Link
Download - 6x/7x : Link

Install/Update Process :

- Press Windows key + X > Device Manager > Right-click on your Intel SATA device > Update driver > Browse my computer for driver software
- Browse... > Select the extracted drivers folder (SATA_AHCI-RAID_Intel_v...) > Next

OS requirements : Windows 10 64 bit or more recent.
Hardware requirements : Motherboards with Intel 6x/7x/8x/9x series chipsets.

TIPS :

If you want to manage the drivers (remove old/unused drivers for example) that you have in your Windows DriverStore
Use Driver Store Explorer (Right click on "Rapr.exe" > Run as administrator).

If you want better interrupts delivery latency
Enable MSI (Message Signaled-based Interrupts) mode on all your supported devices (see the column "supported modes") with
MSI Mode Utility (Right click on "MSI_Mode_Utility_v3.exe" > Run as administrator).

[Axle_Grease]

Thank you for the driver updates, MoKiChU. I also made use of the Driver Store Explorer and MSI mode utility. The latter is intriguing. Information on it is scarce. Anyway, I checked the MSI mode box for my GTX 1080ti and set the priority to high hoping that it fixes the occasional 3-4 sec lag spike I get while playing Battlefield 5. Not touching the limit/Max limit without knowledge of what they do. Some youtube guy bluescreened his PC changing one of those. It also buggered Safemode and forced him to reinstall.

[MoKiChU]

Axle Grease wrote:
Thank you for the driver updates, MoKiChU. I also made use of the Driver Store Explorer and MSI mode utility. The latter is intriguing. Information on it is scarce. Anyway, I checked the MSI mode box for my GTX 1080ti and set the priority to high hoping that it fixes the occasional 3-4 sec lag spike I get while playing Battlefield 5. Not touching the limit/Max limit without knowledge of what they do. Some youtube guy bluescreened his PC changing one of those. It also buggered Safemode and forced him to reinstall.

Hi,

Here is a detailed analysis by Intel : https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/white-papers/msg-signaled-interrupts-pa...

Conclusion
MSI provides a significant reduction in interrupt latency over the previous two generations of Intel interrupt architecture. The benefits extend beyond a reduction in interrupt latency to a reduction in CPU utilization by eliminating the time spent by the CPU determining what interrupt needs servicing (by polling devices and masking interrupt controllers). Embedded developers considering Intel® architecture for a solution or currently developing one should fully adopt the MSI model for interrupt delivery and servicing to ensure not only the best IO performance for their solution, but also the most CPU headroom for user-applications and other interrupts. In summary, MSI provides the following key benefits to the embedded developer over previous interrupt architectures:
• Increased number of interrupts to support more devices and peripherals.
• Dramatic reduction in the delay from when a device needs servicing to when the CPU begins servicing the device.
• Simplified board design: no need for an interrupt controller (IOAPIC/PIC).
• Flexible interrupt priority assignment scheme.
• Interrupt load balancing across CPUs. Devices can direct interrupts to specific cores to leverage common caches and to ensure equal workloads on all CPUs.

Enable MSI mode can also help to fix (when only disabling Fast Startup/Hibernation did not fix it) the crackling, popping, audio stutter problem.


Note : You don't need to touch the priority/limit.

[Axle_Grease]

MoKiChU wrote:
Hi,

Here is a detailed analysis by Intel : https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/white-papers/msg-signaled-interrupts-pa...



Enable MSI mode can also help to fix (when only disabling Fast Startup/Hibernation did not fix it) the crackling, popping, audio stutter problem.


Note : You don't need to touch the priority/limit.

Thanks for that link. Having programmed interrupt handlers for the Amiga platform ages ago helped me understand most of what's in the PDF. I'm still a bit fuzzy on what the Limit and Limit Max fields actually mean. I know they represent message interrupt limits. Limit Max is the maximum number of message interrupts supported by the hardware device, and Limit is a value found in the registry that represents the maximum number of message interrupts supported by the driver. Well that is my interpretation of some poorly written explanation. The graphics card priority is back to "Undefined." Have yet to test either setting properly. As to audio stutter and popping, don't notice any of it, apart from when the audio device initializes.

[MoKiChU]

Axle Grease wrote:
I'm still a bit fuzzy on what the Limit and Limit Max fields actually mean. I know they represent message interrupt limits. Limit Max is the maximum number of message interrupts supported by the hardware device, and Limit is a value found in the registry that represents the maximum number of message interrupts supported by the driver. Well that is my interpretation of some poorly written explanation.

Your interpretation is completely correct :

- Max Limit : hardware device limit.
- Limit : driver limit implemented or not (no line of code for Limit in the driver, or line of code present but Limit >= Max Limit).

- Supported Modes : hardware device MSI/MSIX mode capability.
- MSI : driver MSI/MSIX mode capability implemented or not (no line of code for MSI mode in the driver and in this case you don't need enable the MSI mode each time the drivers are updated, or line of code present but MSI mode intentionally disabled (as is the case for example of NVIDIA drivers, because it reserves this "feature" (low latency) for their Quadro products (MSI mode is enabled by default on NVIDIA Quadro drivers), and in this case you must enable the MSI mode each time the NVIDIA drivers are updated). Intel for example enable MSI mode on all its drivers.

- Interrupt Priority : driver interrupt level priority implemented or not (no line of code for Interrupt Priority in the driver).

[MPTraxx]

Do i need this driver for Z370 with i7 8700K?

[MoKiChU]

---

@MPTraxx wrote:

Do i need this driver for Z370 with i7 8700K?

---

Hi,

No. You post in the wrong thread. I answered you in the correct thread for your motherboard : https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/intel-500-400-series/drivers-intel-chipset-mei-sata-1xx-2xx-3xx-4xx-5x....

[XYchromosone]

@MoKiChU
Good to see you posting driver updates. I just wanted to add that there is an Intel MEI firmware update available for Z390 chipset [version 12.0.64.1551]. The easy way to install it is to download the package via the following web page at station drivers [choose "Download"]:

https://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=352&func=fileinfo&id=4360〈=en

The direct download link for the zip file is:
http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=352&func=startdown&id=4360〈=en

[MoKiChU]

@XYchromosone : Thank you but please, it's a thread for motherboards with Intel 9x series chipsets not 3xx series chipset. If everyone posts everything anywhere we're not going to make it ...

[Axle_Grease]

MoKiChU wrote:
@XYchromosone : Thank you but please, it's a thread for motherboards with Intel 8x/9x series chipsets not 3xx series chipset. If everyone posts everything anywhere we're not going to make it ...



Your interpretation is completely correct :

- Max Limit : hardware device limit.
- Limit : driver limit implemented or not (no line of code for Limit in the driver, or line of code present but Limit >= Max Limit).

- Supported Modes : hardware device MSI/MSIX mode capability.
- MSI : driver MSI/MSIX mode capability implemented or not (no line of code for MSI mode in the driver and in this case you don't need enable the MSI mode each time the drivers are updated, or line of code present but MSI mode intentionally disabled (as is the case for example of NVIDIA drivers, because it reserves this "feature" (low latency) for their Quadro products (MSI mode is enabled by default on NVIDIA Quadro drivers), and in this case you must enable the MSI mode each time the NVIDIA drivers are updated). Intel for example enable MSI mode on all its drivers.

- Interrupt Priority : driver interrupt level priority implemented or not (no line of code for Interrupt Priority in the driver).

Does a blank Limit field mean that the driver does not support message signaled interrupts even if the hardware device does?



For a Quadro driver, the MSI field would be ticked and the Limit would be filled in, correct?

The second condition where driver limit is not implement is when "Limit >= Max Limit". At least, that's how I read your statement. The above pic highlights 4 instances where Limit is >= Max Limit. Why is there a Limit value at all if it is not implemented?