Enabling Smart Response Technology on M4600

Hi mshults99,

Intel Smart Response Technology has to be enabled in BIOS and configured on the system. After this, Intel Rapid Start Technology can be configured.

Please use the following link for steps to configure Intel Smart Response Technology: http://dell.to/TUV9hB

After configuring Intel Smart Response Technology, use the following link for steps to configure Intel Rapid Start Technology: http://dell.to/TUVjFr

Kindly let me know the results.

@Nikhil -

Thanks for the prompt response.  I've reviewed both of the links supplied in detail.  A review of the downloads available for my Precision M4600 indicates that the caching feature I'm looking to enable should work on my system, since the requisite downloads are shown as available.  I didn't download the Rapid Storage Technology software and drivers supplied, however, because the drivers and software from Intel are already installed and are more current.

That point is moot, however, because the only option the BIOS gives me on the 4600 is to select between IDE mode, AHCI mode or RAID mode on the SATA controller.  There is no option to verify the setting of the 'accelerate' bit on the PCH.

My system is set to 'RAID' mode, and the SSD and SATA drives are both listed at boot time as non-RAID drives.

Per Intel's instructions on the subject, I've removed the RECOVERY partition and volume from the SATA drive and dropped all partitions from the SSD, before launching RST.

When I launch RST (11.7.0.1013), however, no 'accelerate' option is displayed.  The SATA and SSD drives are both present, but no 'Accelerate' option is shown.

The only direction in the Dell document referenced above is to confirm that the SATA controller is set to RAID mode.  I've done that.  RST still refuses to display the 'accelerate' option, so I can't perform any of the subsequent steps.

Any other ideas?  I've updated the BIOS on the unit to the current released version on the Dell website.  Somehow I doubt that you want me to get my EEPROM programmer out and start poking around in the BIOS looking for the accelerate bit.

Standing by.

I've got the same issue as mshults99.  Using Smart Response Successfully on an M4700, but unsuccessful on an M4600.  Seems like a pretty simple question - can it be done, or are we doing something wrong in our setup of the M4600s?

Any update?  My company has dozens of these M4600 units in our inventory.  If SSD caching is possible, we'd sure like to know that.  Thanks!

Hi mshults99,

I have researched on this issue and found couple of links on Intel website. I have verified the specifications page of QM67 chipset and QM77 chipset.  

http://intel.ly/11IQCDa

http://intel.ly/T4yPUz

Intel® Smart Response Technology is not listed as a supported feature under QM67 chipset specifications however it is listed as supported feature under QM77 chipset specifications page.

More info.  This specification update document (http://intel.ly/10FoJMh), under 'Documentation Changes', page 43, title "Intel Smart Response Technology Functional Description Updates" provides an update to the documentation in the main spec document regarding this feature.  The comment further refers to "Section 1.3" of the specification document for a list of specific SKU's in the 6-series chipset family for which SRT is enabled.

If the QM67 is not found in Section 1.3 of the 6-series specification document as an SRT-supporting SKU, then that's definitive - it won't work.

Found the document (http://intel.ly/AyjlRi).  Table 1.3 on page 52 contains the feature compatibility matrix.

The 'smoking gun' here is that the desktop chipset matrix (Table 1.2, p51) DOES include "Intel RST SSD Caching" in its candidate supported features list (only the Z68 chipset in the 6-series family actually supports this feature), while the mobile chipset matrix (Table 1.3, p52) does NOT.

In an Intel chipset datasheet, vs. a high-level marketing document, such an explicit omission effectively states that "the feature in question is not available for any member of this chipset family". Intel just hates to say such things in so many words, especially for such a valuable feature, but there you have it.

Question answered: The Intel QM67 chipset is not enabled to support SSD caching.  Guess I'll have to live with crappy performance.

Thanks, Nikhil.  I think I need to just chat up my ex-colleagues at Intel to find out what the real scoop is here.  As you correctly note, the marketing document for the QM77 chipset explicitly calls out support for Smart Response Technology (e.g. - SSD caching by the chipset), and the equivalent document for the QM67 (your second link) does not.

Knowing Intel as I do, however, absence of an explicit mention does not necessarily mean that the feature cannot be supported.

Intel's Smart Response Technology brief (http://intel.ly/URhThu), on page 2, under "System Requirements" states that SRT requires "a premium RAID-enabled SKU of an Intel 7 Series Express Chipset or Intel 6 Series Express Chipset, Intel Rapid Storage Technology 10.5 or later, and a dedicated SSD with a minimum of 18.6GB of formatted capacity."

Referring to your link #2 above, the page states that "The mobile Intel® QM67 Express Chipset is part of the mobile Intel® 6 Series Chipset family".

So if the SRT brief is accurate, and membership in the 6-series family is all that's required for SRT to be supported, the QM67 qualifies.  I can't speculate as to why the marketers for the QM67 chose not to mention the feature explicitly.  Given the timing of SRT availability and the release of the QM67, however, it's not all that surprising.

If I could find any documentation on Intel.com that explicitly says that the QM67 chipset does NOT support SRT, then that would be definitive.  Mere lack of mention of support is not the same thing in Intel-speak.

A detailed spec sheet for the QM67 would no doubt state explictly whether or not SRT is supported, but that information may not be public on Intel.com.  Dell, however, would have access to such a document.

I'll continue to look for a smoking gun on this and post the details here if I can find them.  If you can get your engineering counterparts at Dell to take a look, that would be helpful.  Thanks.

Hi mshults99,

I realize that this feature was very important for you, at your work and I am sorry for the chipset limitation that does not allow you to use this particular feature. If you have any other concern related to dell hardware I would be more than glad to help you with the same.
Please do reach out to me.

Hi Nikhil -

Thanks again for your help.  Not Dell's fault that the QM67 doesn't support Smart Response.  That was Intel's choice, not yours.  I should have said 'conventional performance' above, since it's only crappy performance in comparison to a system that can use SRT.  Against another system that can't use SRT, performance is competitive.  My M4600 is a fine machine.  It's just frustrating to know that it could be even better with SRT, but that is not to be.

-  Mitch