PCI IDE Bus Mastering For Windows 7

djrobbiepaul · 18 Jun 2011 at 02:32

Hi everyone.

I have just built myself a new pc and ihave come across a setting in my bios that i have never seen before.

The setting is for PCI IDE Busmaster enabled or disable.

Which one should i choose for windows 7 also all my drives including my dvd drive are sata devices does this make a difference.

Thanks

stulid · 18 Jun 2011 at 02:35

Google normally supplies answers to questions

But to save you looking, enable it.

djrobbiepaul · 18 Jun 2011 at 02:40

Look on google already and there was very little information regarding this.

nelviss · 18 Jun 2011 at 05:51

If this feature is enabled, then the BIOS loads a 16bit Busmastermode for the onboard IDE controller, whereby the latter can transmit its data in DMA mode. One hand, this results in a much lower CPU utilization, on the other we get a much higher performance and transfer rates during the booting of the operating system and real mode DOS.
__________________
my google-fu

djrobbiepaul · 18 Jun 2011 at 10:49

Thanks for the info but i dont use any ide devices i use sata devices so surely i wouldnt benefit from this.

paradisiac · 18 Jun 2011 at 10:53

djrobbiepaul said:
Thanks for the info but i dont use any ide devices i use sata devices so surely i wouldnt benefit from this.

IDE = Integrated Drive Electronics
this is not the old ribbon cable vs sata, they are both ide. the old ribbon cable is PATA (Parrallel ATA) and the new SATA (Serial ATA) are both IDE devices.

MagicBoy · 18 Jun 2011 at 10:57

IDE Busmaster! Someone call for some technology from the 90s?

As above it reduced CPU utilisation on pentium-era machines under Windows 95. Won't make a jot of difference to SATA drives on a modern OS. Google PIIX for more info.

paradisiac - in this context IDE is PATA, it got generically renamed when SATA arrived.