AHCI stands for Advanced Host Controller Interface and is a technical standard that allows software to communicate with SATA devices. It offers features not available in older IDE modes.
AHCI is important because it allows for increased SATA drive performance through Native Command Queueing (NCQ), reduced latency, and the ability to hot-swap drives connected to the SATA bus.
To confirm that your SATA drive is running in AHCI mode, you need to enter your Computer’s BIOS (often Del, F2, F10, or F12), locate the SATA or Storage Configuration menu and confirm “AHCI” mode is enabled.
If you have already installed your operating system, and your BIOS indicates that IDE mode is enabled, your SSD will still function, but may not be operating at peak performance.
Kingston does not recommended changing from IDE to AHCI mode within the BIOS if your operating system is already installed, as this modification may cause the operating system not to boot.