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Maximus IX Extreme with Optane and SSD caching

rolldog
Level 9
I just finished a new build, and I'm using an Intel Optane 32GB memory module, a 1TB Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD, a SanDisk Extreme 2TB SATA SSD, and a Seagate Barracuda 7TB HDD. The Optane is setup caching the SanDisk 2TB SATA SSD, which is used as my boot drive, but I'd like to know if there's any way to setup the Samsung 960 EVO M.2 NVMe SSD to cache my Seagate 7TB HDD. With Intel RST Premium with Intel Optane set in my BIOS under PCH Storage Configuration, Intel RST doesn't recognize my Samsung 960 EVO NVMe SSD and neither does the Samsung 960 driver/firmware/Magician. I'm assuming this is because the storage controller has to be configured as RAID instead of AHCI.

Is there any way I can load the Samsung driver and/or firmware while using this Optane drive? If the controller is already setup for RAID to use the Optane drive with the SanDisk SSD, is it possible to setup this Samsung SSD to cache my Seagate HDD? Originally, I purchased the Optane drive to cache the 7TB Seagate drive, but then I found out I could only use it with my boot drive, and I don't want to use this 7TB drive as my boot drive. I just want to speed up the performance of this Seagate 7TB HDD. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
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rolldog
Level 9
zimou13 wrote:
The massive array of software available for the ROG Maximus IX Formula is designed for the user to maximize the performance of their system to its fullest capacity. The Maximus IX Formula does just that. ShowBox VidMate Mobdro between the software option and the Aura lighting built into the board, you can truly customize your system to perform and look the way that best fits your user case and personality.
Well, unfortunately I disabled the M.2 Optane drive that I was hoping to cache my 7TB drive with since the Optane can only be used to cache my boot drive.

Instead, I setup my 1TB Samsung 960 M.2 NVMe drive to be my boot drive. After doing this, I switched the controller back to ACHI mode and the Samsung drivers and firmware saw the drive and could be loaded. I'm using a 2TB SanDisk Extreme SSD to hold my program files, and the non-cached 7TB drive for all my data files. I would swap this Optane drive out with another Samsung M.2 drive, but it's installed under the MB heatsinks, and I don't feel like breaking down my custom glass waterloop, drain it, take everything apart to swap out the drive, and then put everything back together again. I'm just going to live with having one M.2 slot disabled. Besides this, I love the features of having temp sensors, flow rate, etc built into the Extreme waterblock. Now I don't need my Aquaero anymore. I don't have any external drive bays in this case either

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