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ULTRA DMA PERFORMANCE: Ultra DMA "widens" the path to the hard drive by transferring twice as much data per clock cycle. The net effect is that the maximum burst data transfer rate from the disk drive increases from 16.6 Megabytes per second (MB/s) to 33 MB/s. Hard disk drive manufacturers can now bring higher performance products to market that will scale with the rest of the PC platform (faster hard drives to feed faster processors, memory and graphics). The Ultra DMA protocol lets host computers (PCs) send and retrieve data faster, removing bottlenecks associated with data transfers -- especially during sequential operations. Users of new PCs will need less time to boot their systems and open applications, a direct result of the improved throughput provided by Ultra DMA. Current disk drive technology has been optimized to perform within the limits of the legacy protocol (16.6MB/s). Raising the data transfer headroom results in moderate performance gains with today’s drive technology. Even greater performance improvements will emerge as drive manufacturers introduce products which generate a faster data stream. Bus Mastering technology can also be implemented with Ultra DMA disk drives. Similar reductions in CPU utilization will be experienced when Bus Mastering drivers are installed. In addition to speed improvements, the protocol brings new data integrity capabilities to the ATA/IDE interface. Improved timing margins and the use of Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC), a data protection verification not implemented in legacy ATA modes, help ensure the integrity of transferred data. ULTRA DMA SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: To utilize Ultra DMA technology your system must have all of the following elements:
The Ultra DMA protocol allows drives and systems to retain backward compatibility with the existing ATA standard. Because of this feature, installed PCs without the Ultra DMA capability can use new disk drives in legacy ATA modes at transfer rates up to 16.6 MB/second. To take advantage of the high-speed 33 MB/s protocol, PC users in the installed base can purchase an Ultra DMA PCI adapter card. (a.) To have the retail release of Windows 95 recognize and correctly configure an Intel 430TX PCIset or an Intel 440LX AGPset (both with the 82371AB - PIIX4 ISA/IDE interface) based platform, some modification to the Windows* '95 .INF files are required. Intel provides a utility to quickly make these modifications. Intel 430TX PCIset and Intel 440LX AGPset based platforms from system manufacturers with Windows 95 pre-installed will already contain these modifications. ATTENTION: PRIOR TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED Integrating a system with Ultra DMA technology requires advanced knowledge of PC hardware and software. Consequently, Intel recommends that Ultra DMA drives be installed by a PC manufacturer or knowledgeable dealer. Incorrect installation could damage your system or result in loss of data. Contact your PC manufacturer for information on whether your system already contains an Ultra DMA drive. If you continue to have questions regarding Ultra DMA or Intel Bus master IDE drivers, please refer to Frequently Asked Questions. The Intel UDMA FAQ: GENERAL INFORMATION Q1. What is the Ultra DMA protocol and what does it do? A1. Ultra DMA is a new protocol for the ATA/IDE hard disk drive interface that doubles the current burst data transfer rate to 33 megabytes (MB) per second. This technology is capable of transferring twice as much data per clock cycle and provides a path for disk drive vendors to scale the performance of their products. A user can potentially benefit from faster disk reads and writes, resulting in less waiting time when starting a system or application. The Ultra DMA protocol is implemented in all new Intel PCIsets (beginning with the 430TX), Intel AGPsets (beginning with the 440LX), and disk drive products from all leading vendors. To utilize Ultra DMA your system must have all of the following elements:
Q2. Do I need the 430TX or the 440LX to use an Ultra DMA drive or vice-versa? A2. A platform based on either the Intel 430TX PCIset or the Intel 440LX AGPset is a very cost effective method of employing an Ultra DMA drive, as the control logic is integrated onto the motherboard. New systems based on earlier PCIsets or installed systems can take advantage of Ultra DMA’s 33 MB/s transfer rate by installing a PCI Ultra DMA IDE controller card. Both the Intel 430TX PCIset and the Intel 440LX AGPset continue to support legacy IDE/ATA drives at 16.6 MB/s. Q3. How does Ultra DMA affect my system performance? A3. The Ultra DMA protocol is a "wider" channel for data traffic to flow to and from your hard drive. Performance gains due to Ultra DMA are dependent on the rate at which your specific drive sends data through the channel. Because legacy IDE protocol (16.6 MB/s) has become a speed limiter, initial Ultra DMA hard drive products with current mechanical designs will achieve moderate performance increases (< 10 %). New hard drive products that transmit and receive data at higher rates will result in greater performance. Q4. How can I purchase a system with Ultra DMA capability? A4. Contact your PC manufacturer and request a list of PC models that have an Ultra DMA hard drive or can be upgraded without the extra cost of a controller card. For specific disk drive availability, contact individual drive manufacturers or their authorized sales outlets. Q5. Do I already have an Ultra DMA drive in my system? A5. Contact your PC manufacturer or disk drive vendor to determine if your system contains an Ultra DMA disk drive. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Q1. What hardware is needed to install an Ultra DMA drive on a system? A1. An Ultra DMA capable system includes an IDE host controller that is capable of transferring data between a system and IDE drives utilizing the Ultra DMA protocol. This may reside on a motherboard in an integrated core logic solution (such as the Intel 430TX PCIset or Intel 440LX AGPset) or on a PCI add-on card. The system must also have a disk drive which supports the Ultra DMA protocol. Cables for an Ultra DMA solution are identical to those used for legacy drives. Q2. Can I use Intel’s Bus Master IDE drivers with an Ultra DMA drive? A2. If the Ultra DMA drive is enabled by the integrated logic in an Intel PCIset directly on your motherboard, it can be used in conjunction with the latest Intel Bus Master IDE driver (Intel’s Bus Master IDE driver for Windows* ’95 ver 3.0 - or later). Contact you operating system vendor or system manufacturer for bus master drivers for other operating systems. Q3. Which Ultra DMA host controllers are supported by Intel's Bus Master IDE drivers? A3. The IDE host controller supported is the PCI to ISA bridge component included in both Intel's 430TX PCIset and Intel's 440LX AGPset. Specifically, the 82371AB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller in both the Intel 430TX PCIset and the Intel 440LX AGPset. Other Ultra DMA host controllers are not supported by the Intel Bus Master IDE drivers. Q4. Can I use Ultra DMA capable and standard IDE drives in the same system? A4. Yes, an Ultra DMA capable and standard IDE drives can be used in the same system. Ultra DMA drives are also fully backward compatible with existing IDE drives and CD-ROM drives. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS Q1. What software requirements are needed to support Ultra DMA drives? A1. Ultra DMA disk drive supporting software must include the following for a system to function correctly:
Contact your PC and/or disk drive manufacturer for more information in determining a system's ability to support Ultra DMA. Q2. How do I know if my system BIOS supports Ultra DMA IDE? A2. System BIOS is responsible for configuring the IDE host controller and IDE drives based on the capabilities of the IDE drives. There is no convenient way to find out if your system BIOS is Bus Master or Ultra DMA compatible. Contact your system manufacturer to determe if your BIOS supports Ultra DMA and has been validated with Ultra DMA and Bus Master IDE. Q3. Which Applications benefit from Ultra DMA? A3. Any disk intensive applications will see the benefits of Ultra DMA’s increased throughput. Applications that reside on the local Ultra DMA hard drive will load faster. A4. First, confirm that your system contains either the Intel 430TX PCIset or the Intel 440LX AGPset. If your computer’s mainboard contains Intel devices marked 82439TX and 82371AB, then your system is based on the 430TX. If your computer’s mainboard contains Intel devices marked 82439LX and 82371AB, then your system is based on the 440LX. You should contact your system manufacturer if you are unsure. If you do have a 430TX of 440LX based system, look in the Windows* '95 Device Manager. The drivers listed should appear as such: Hard Disk Controllers
If you do not see these drivers or there is an exclamation mark next to the primary or secondary IDE controller, you should run the attached utility. Information in this document is provided in connection with Intel products. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted by this document. Except as provided in Intel's Terms and Conditions of Sale for such products, Intel assumes no liability whatsoever, and Intel disclaims any express or implied warranty, relating to sale and/or use of Intel products including liability or warranties relating to fitness for a particular purpose, merchantability, or infringement of any patent, copyright or other intellectual property right. Intel products are not intended for use in medical, life saving, or life sustaining applications. Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time, without notice. THIS SPECIFICATION [DOCUMENT] IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT, FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY WARRANTY OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF ANY PROPOSAL, SPECIFICATION OR SAMPLE. Intel disclaims all liability, including liability for infringement of any proprietary rights, relating to use of information in this specification. No license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any intellectual property rights is granted herein. * Third-party brands and names are the property of their respective owners. |