Yes, I did update BIOS. *always uptodate checking thru the internet.
AFASK, Intel rst is not just for RAID system.
As a matter of fact, IRST make my SSD 21% faster in 4K write speed !
I tested SATA connection many times, it always works nice, but it's not the case for E-sata connection.
I think Intel didn't test e-SATA at all d/t it's not the common way to transfer data.