Supported Operating SystemĬompared with IDE mode, AHCI mode supports fewer operating systems. In this section, we will talk about the IDE vs AHCI topic from the aspects of their supported operating system, operating modes, compatibility, and performance. The following section will focus on the differences between AHCI and IDE. Right now, you may have an overall understanding of AHCI and IDE mode. That’s why IDE is more suitable for the average and old devices. At present, IDE seems to be replaced some new hard drive modes like NVMe and AHCI.
IDE mode also has some obvious defects such as it no Hot Plugging and NCQ supports. It is compatible with almost all operating systems. That is to say, a SATA hard drive is backward compatible with IDE mode.Ĭompared with the AHCI mode, IDE has better compatibility. An IDE mode is commonly used by hard drives to communicate with your computer system via a SATA controller. IDE (Integrated Development Environments) is a relatively old mode defined by Western Digital. From the aspect of the number of storage devices per controller that can configure, the AHCI configuration mode can support a maximum of 32 devices/ports. Moreover, the hot-plugging (also called hot swapping) enables you to add or remove devices to the computer system while the computer is running. Its NCQ feature can optimize the process of the controller requesting data from your hard drive. It is a newer technology that provides some advanced features to the Serial ATA standard.ĪHCI can be used to access the native functions of the SATA interface such as NCQ (Native Command Queuing) and hot plugging, which is beneficial to improve the compatibility and performance of your devices. What Is AHCI ModeĪHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface), defined by Intel, is an operating mode in the BIOS settings of the newer PCs. To help you make a wise decision, we will compare the AHCI vs IDE in the following context, including their own definition, compatibility, performance, and other related information. Ghost 2003) simply don't detect my hard drives if I choose AHCI mode. However, I've also noticed that certain programs (e.g.
I'm suspecting that AHCI "performs" better, but I really don't know much about that from a practical standpoint. I've noticed in the BIOS settings of the newer PCs I own that I can configure the drive controller work either in AHCI. For instance, what is AHCI mode? Why does AHCI exist? AHCI vs IDE which one should I use? Here is a report on the Superuser forum that’s discussing these topics. Here are lots of people discussing some topics about AHCI vs IDE mode in forums.
How to Check the Operating Mode of Your Hard Disk.