Step 1 --- Before you even install it confirm that you are running your SSD is running in AHCI mode. If not be prepared to reinstall windows. Step 2 --- You need PCI-E 2.0 to see the gains of SATA3 over SATA2. Please note that if you have a graphics card and sound card already in PCI-E 2.0 (like me!), it may limit your speeds to 250MB/s. Step 3 --- Hook up your SSD and boot into the bios. Confirgure your boot menu to boot from the SSD. (It may be titled IDE: <INSERT SSD NAME HERE> but dont worry) Save bios and reboot. Step 4 --- if you were sensible and already installed windows on your SSD in AHCI mode then carry on straight into your OS, if not then install windows again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warning 1 --- if updating SSD firmware, remember to connect the SSD back to the motherboard SATA connections (and in the case of the C300, switch the mode from AHCI back to IDE. Once firmware is updated, revert back to AHCI) Warning 2 --- adding a highpoint rocket to your system adds around 8 seconds to your boot time. Just something to be aware of if this kind of thing concerns you.
Ummmm... if it's that 620 card that bittech recommended then sticking it into a 4x 1.0 slot won't make a jot of difference... As it's a 1x card then you could stick it in a slot with a million lanes & it will still only run at the bandwidth that it's given for one - ie 250MB/s for 1.0, 500MB/s for 2.0 per lane - or rather a little bit below as there's overheads. &, obviously, 250MB/s is lower than an onboard 3Gb/s connection.
PCI-E 1.0 1x runs at 250MB/s, and 4x at 1000MB/s. If what you said was true then i wouldn't have been getting 360MB/s in the ATTO benchmarch!
As said, it depends upon which Highpoint card you're using & the slot itself. As bittech recommended a 1x lane card going back then for that card it does not physically have any ability to connect to another 3 lanes... ...so either you are using a different highpoint card than the 1x lane 620, or your 4x lane slot has to actually be pcie 2.0. Now, you've clearly stated in your OP that - "Even though it is advertised as PCI-E 2.0 compatible, if you have a graphics card and sound card already in PCI-E 2.0 (like me!)" - so, assuming you have the 620, the 1x card is getting 2.0 speeds from a single lane because it's impossible for anything else to be happening (unless you've forged your b/m which would be a little pointless - & am in no way suggesting that you have). So what i said was true. But, & this was my original point, you can't get more speed from a 4x/8x/16x 1.0 slot using a 1x card than a 1x 1.0 slot... AND ...if all you have are 1.0 slots then you will get much better results using an onboard 3Gb/s sata port... Well, the 1x card will max out at ~240MB/s after overheads, whereas something like the ich9r/10r controllers will do ~285MB/s (& have lower latencies improving the small r/ws).
I appreciate what you are saying but the problem i faced was that in my 3rd PCI-E 2.0 slot, my rates were capped at around 220MB/s. So i tried the PCI-E 1.0 slot and got a full 350MB/s. I cannot explain how this is possible!!! I am now back to the 3rd PCI-E 2.0 slot and have set the 2nd/3rd slots to 8x/8x in the bios and it appears to work fine. This was just supposed to be a simple tips thread.... anyway i'll updated the OP.
Assuming what you're saying is correct then, unless there's mislabelling of the board specs &/or the lanes get reassigned depending on what other cards are in there, that's really very bizarre & doesn't fit in with either the pcie specs or any testing that anyone else has done - inc myself in the past when i've tried to fit extra cards into machines & been stuck with 1.0 slots... Yeah, wasn't trying to make a nuisance of myself, but what you were saying would be akin to someone getting the full speeds from a C300 on a 3Gb/s sata port. Anyway, not to worry. Mmmmm... just thought to look up the x58 chipset &, assuming i can add up & haven't missed anything... ...there's 40x pcie 2.0 lanes available in total (without nVidia bridge chips if used)... ...32 of them go with the 16x physical slots (in some combination)... ...4 of them are used as a 4x dmi connection to the ich10r southbridge... ...& that leaves 4 spare which would be the 4x slot. So it would appear that they've simply not labelled the 4x slot as being 2.0...