Patriot Torqx M28 Firmware

[Maury]

Simple question and one I haven't been able to get an answer to anywhere.

The "M28" apparently has the Samsung and Not indillix controller. I recently read on Anandtech that the Samsung firmware can't be updated WITHOUT SENDING IT BACK TO SAMSUNG!

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/sho...px?i=3631&p=19

Is this correct? The support page (which doesn't even acknowledge that my 64 GB drive exists!) shows no firmware is available... hmmmm...

Apparently the garbage collection in this drive might be far inferior to TRIM as well. This was further emphasized to me a bit ago when I received an e-mail from a Patriot Rep saying I made the wrong choice going with the M28 series. That wasn't exactly comforting seeing I bought their top of the line product less than 24 hours ago.

So here I am, stuck with an M28 waiting to install it in a machine and I think I have to return the dang thing before I'm ever put it in my machine because I'll never be able to update the firmware to support trim...

Can the M28 firmware be updated? Will it have Trim support?

I need some answers and everyone but Patriot Ben has given me incorrect information or told me not to buy the patriot products (even from a patriot rep!)

[magic-man]

I do not work for Patriot, but I have talked to Tech Support department and they have assured me that the new firmware has been recieved from Samsung and that it is currently in burn-in testing. Approx release is end of Jan.
I have an M28 64 Gig and would not give it up! YES, it DOES have auto-trim. YES, it rocks in Windows 7. YES, it is firmware updatable.
If you want to know about the M28 auto-trim, try here: http://pcper.com/article.php?aid=766&type=expert&pid=11

Good luck trying to get my M28 away from me!!!
Go for the install. Make a backup when the firmware DOES come out since it will erase the SSD. Any image backup tool (like the one in Win7) should work.
Performance in Windows 7 got even better after using the SSD for a couple day. Just be advised:
you must format the SSD to NTFS for auto trim to work.

Bill Martin

[Maury]

Thanks for the reply magic man... You've been very helpful.

[mdzcpa]

I have experienced the same as magic-man with my 256G M28 drives in that I have seen no degradation in performance at all. Its been about 3 months now of daily use. I beleive the auto garbage collection built into the Samsung controller does the job.

That said, I am also eager to see the firmware update for the M28 series. Although the hardware controlled auto garbage collection works, it would be a nice enhancement to allow Win 7 to invoke TRIM for an extra measure.

I also beleive the firmware IS coming. It is certainly not true the Samsung based SSDs need to be "sent in." OCZ and Corsair have their Samsung based firmware updates recently released:

http://www.patriotmem.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2334

I'm being patient for Patriot to release their version. Hopefully soon. But, all told, I am not losing any sleep. The auto "trim" feature built in has kept me pretty happy thus far.

Hope this helps.

[magic-man]

Originally Posted by mdzcpa

I have experienced the same as magic-man with my 256G M28 drives in that I have seen no degradation in performance at all. Its been about 3 months now of daily use. I beleive the auto garbage collection built into the Samsung controller does the job.

That said, I am also eager to see the firmware update for the M28 series. Although the hardware controlled auto garbage collection works, it would be a nice enhancement to allow Win 7 to invoke TRIM for an extra measure.

I also beleive the firmware IS coming. It is certainly not true the Samsung based SSDs need to be "sent in." OCZ and Corsair have their Samsung based firmware updates recently released:

http://www.patriotmem.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2334

I'm being patient for Patriot to release their version. Hopefully soon. But, all told, I am not losing any sleep. The auto "trim" feature built in has kept me pretty happy thus far.

Hope this helps.

The only time that having it built inti Win 7 would be critical is if you do a LOT of writing and erasing. There are things U can do that minimize it in Win7 WITHOUT reducing performance. Also, FWIW, I have found performance is HIGHER with superfetch on and page-file on SSD as opposed to some of the OCZ guides...

[bmoses]

I don't know how old this is, can't be too old (Jan 6th), but I just came across this on Samsung's website. It's a FW update and tool for what looks like the FW used in the m28 drives. I know mine is a an 18C1Q. It looks as if it has mostly to do with TRIM support for Windows 7, but I'm wondering what else it might do in terms of updating the auto-trimming w/ NTFS function or any other performance enhancing updates.

Here is the link http://www.samsung.com/global/busine.../business.html

[magic-man]

From what little I have been able to gather, most of it has to do with enabling TRIM in Windows 7, however there are mixed reports of some better small file performance. Personally, I would wait for PATRIOT to finish their burn-in testing...
You could do a search (google) on the 19c1q and see what the benchmark changes are. Some were better, some were the same... I don't think they have given the new FW a chance to settle into their normal usage patterms to get an accurate benchmark.

[bmoses]

Thanks for the reply Magic. These all sound like good ideas. I shall await Patriot's testing and approval of the new FW.

[magic-man]

First of all, I want to discourage the downloading and installation of the firmware above from Samsung, even though it works. When deciding on which SSD I wanted to buy, I tested a few different Samsung based SSDs like the M28 from patriot in Windows 7 64-bit. In my research, I found the M28 overall to be more stable and faster, at least in the way I use it, than some of the other SSDs I looked at that were more expensive. I chose the Samsung controller because I like the company and the fact that they like to test things thouroughly before releasing them and have good overall performance. All my big-screens are Samsung, as is a lot of my home electronics and hard drives. Even though the controller may be the same, each manufacturer has the opportunity to add their own little touches to the firmware and hardware of the product.
When Patriot is finished adding their touches (if any) and fully testing the firmware to assure that there are as few issues as possible (if any) they will release the firmware. Who knows... they may even put in a performance enhancement for all I know...
The Patriot M28 is already in my opinion one of the best SSDs in their line for the cost/GB. It is smooth, fast, and mostly trouble free.
That said, yes, there will be some small improvements in the M28 when the firmware is ready. It will run a bit smoother and feel a bit snappier. It will recover from heavy usage much faster (in Windows 7). Transfer rates will be more stable when benchmarking. Note: You WILL lose ALL data on the SSD when it is flashed. This is necessary.
For those who might want to go get it and put the above update in, please be patient and allow Patriot to finish their burn-in testing. They will let you know when it is safe

[bmoses]

I agree fully with your statements.

I am just happy to discover that it's possible to update the FW and that it's likely that FW updates will be available from Patriot for the m28. Keep in mind, I thought I was buying an Indilinx based SSD when I bought the m28. I had no idea it wasn't, therefore I'm trying to keep an open mind about it and I'm glad to see things like updatable FW and I'm hoping the auto GC/NTFS thing works out really well. If that is the case I may end up being happier with this drive than an Indilinx based drive.