HP Vectra XU 6/XXX Optimization Manual page 41

Your PC's integrated IDE controller can be configured as either a PCI
master or a PCI slave. As a PCI master, the IDE controller will give a
significantly improved performance for data transfers on the PCI bus.
Typical PCI transfer rates are greater than 15 MB per second (with a
maximum of 16.7 MB/s) when operating as a PCI master, compared
with up to 5 MB per second as a PCI slave.
When configured as a PCI master, your PC's IDE controller helps to
improve the overall performance of your PC in two ways:
PCI masters can begin and interrupt their PCI data transfers
according to the demands of other PCI data traffic. As a PCI master,
your PC's IDE controller works with other PCI devices to give
maximum PCI bandwidth.
As a PCI master, the IDE controller can transfer data to and from
memory without intervention from your PC's processor. This means
that the processor is free to continue with other work.
Your PC's IDE controller
can transfer data between
IDE devices and memory
without intervention from
the processor
You can configure your PC's IDE controller as a PCI master through the
IDE driver used by your operating system. For more information on
your operating system's IDE driver, refer to the manual supplied with
your operating system.
IDE device
Memory
1 Your PC's Performance Features
Making the Most of Your PC's IDE Channels
Your PC's processor can
continue with other work
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