My motherboard currently is set to run in IDE mode, and it has been for the entire time that I have used it, and it has functioned perfectly well without any problems, thus far.
However, I have heard that AHCI mode offers options that IDE mode does not, most notably superior performance, especially when the computer is using solid-state drives. My current computer is still using a mechanical hard drive, so would I notice any increase in performance if I switched my motherboard to AHCI mode? Or would switching to AHCI mode completely disrupt my system, since it has been operating in IDE for all this time? What can anyone else here say about this? Also, as a side note, I shall be using a solid-state drive for my next computer, so I shall be certain to switch the motherboard of that system to AHCI mode before I even install the operating system upon it, to ensure that I can gain maximum performance from my next machine.