What does 32bit Data Transfer do in P4P800 IDE setup?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steve
  • Start date Start date
Darkfalz,
Are you telling me that 32bit Transfer for IDE devices shows NO kind of
improvement with your P4P800???

From the BIOS Optimization Guide:

32-bit Transfer Mode

Common Options : On, Off

Quick Review

This BIOS feature allows you to command the IDE controller to combine
two 16-bit hard disk reads into a single 32-bit data transfer to the
processor. This greatly improves the performance of the IDE controller
as well as the PCI bus.

Therefore, it is highly advisable to enable 32-bit Transfer Mode. If you
disable it, data transfers from the IDE controller to the processor will
only occur in 16-bits chunks.

Rob
 
Rob said:
Darkfalz,
Are you telling me that 32bit Transfer for IDE devices shows NO kind of
improvement with your P4P800???
Click to expand...

I have no idea. I am pretty sure mine was on by default. I'm already getting
over 50 mb/sec peak from my hard drives, I'm not too worried about speed.
 
Darkfalz said:
I have no idea. I am pretty sure mine was on by default. I'm already getting
over 50 mb/sec peak from my hard drives, I'm not too worried about speed.
Click to expand...

Okay, it was disabled. I enabled it for both my drives.

Absolutely NO DIFFERENCE in transfer rate, burst transfer rate or CPU usage.
 
Now try a "real-time application" benchmark, to burn 500mb of files to a
CD-RW from off of your HD with it on and off and you will see a
difference! (SATA not included). But your right, in younger days speed
was king, now performance is the word.
 
Rob said:
Now try a "real-time application" benchmark, to burn 500mb of files to a
CD-RW from off of your HD with it on and off and you will see a
difference! (SATA not included). But your right, in younger days speed
was king, now performance is the word.
Click to expand...
usage.
Remember the BIOS setting is overridden as soon as the proper drivers for
any OS like W2K/WXP are loaded. The BIOS setting, only affects boot,
operation in DOS mode, and operation with some old drivers. The setting
makes no change at all to a modern OS, except possibly reducing the boot
time by a very few seconds, and even this may be so small as to be
indetectable.

Best Wishes
 
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