Dell Precision 390 - Manual (Page 12)

Hyper-Threading
Hyper-Threading is an Intel® technology that can enhance overall computer performance by allowing one physical processor to function as two logical
processors, capable of performing certain tasks simultaneously. It is recommended that you use the Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) or higher
operating system because Windows XP is optimized to take advantage of Hyper-Threading technology. While many programs can benefit from Hyper-
Threading, some programs have not been optimized for Hyper-Threading and may require an update from the software manufacturer. Contact the software
manufacturer for updates and information about using Hyper-Threading with your software.
To determine if your computer is using Hyper-Threading technology:
1. Click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click Hardware and click Device Manager.
3. In the Device Manager window, click the plus (+) sign next to the processor type. If Hyper-Threading is enabled, the processor is listed twice.
You can enable or disable Hyper-Threading through system setup. See System Setup Options .
IEEE 1394
IEEE 1394 is a digital interface that can move large amounts of data between computers and peripheral devices. It is ideal for use with multimedia devices
because it speeds the transfer of data and large files, which enables a computer to connect directly to devices such as digital video cameras.
Your computer may have an optional front IEEE 1394 connector (see Information About Your Computer ). This connector is only available if you purchased an
add-in card that uses IEEE 1394. To purchase a card, contact Dell. See Contacting Dell .
About RAID Configurations
This section provides an overview of the RAID configuration that you might have selected when you purchased your computer. Although there are several RAID
configurations available in the computer industry for different types of uses, Dell offers either RAID level 0, RAID level 1, RAID level 5, or RAID level 10 on your
Dell Precision computer. A RAID level 0 configuration is recommended for high-performance programs, and a RAID level 1 configuration is recommended for
users that desire a high level of data integrity.
All drives must be the same type of drive; SAS and SATA drives cannot be mixed in a RAID array. The drives should also be the same size to ensure that the
larger drive does not contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.
The Intel RAID controller on your computer can only create a RAID level 0 configuration using two or three physical drives. If a third or fourth drive is present,
then that drive or those drives can be made part of a RAID level 0 configuration using the Intel RAID configuration program, or the drive or drives can be used
as a spare drive in a RAID level 1 configuration (see
Creating a Spare Hard Drive ). The drives should be the same size to ensure that the larger drive does not
contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.
Using RAID with Hard Drive Passwords
If you are using the hard-drive security option available in system setup you should not use a RAID configuration. Using a RAID configuration requires that the
hard drive password be cleared to allow data access.
RAID Level 0
RAID level 0 uses a storage technique known as "data striping" to provide a high data access rate. Data striping is a method of writing consecutive
segments—or stripes—of data sequentially across the physical drives to create a large virtual drive. Data striping allows one of the drives to read data while
the other drive is searching for and reading the next block.
Hibernate l Press the power button
l Auto power on
l Power management event
Shutdown l Press the power button
l Auto power on
l Power management event
NOTE: For more information on power management, see your operating system documentation.
NOTE: The connector can accept 4-pin IEEE 1394 devices with the use of an adapter.
NOTE: RAID levels do not represent a hierarchy. A RAID level 10 configuration is not inherently better or worse than a RAID level 0 configuration.