HP Vectra XW Optimization Manual page 37

The 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, the IDE controller helps to improve
the overall performance of your system 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,
the 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 system's processor. This
means that the processor is free to continue with other work.
The IDE controller can
transfer data between
IDE devices and memory
without intervention from
the processor
You can configure your system's IDE controller as a PCI master through
the IDE driver used by Windows NT. For more information on this IDE
driver, refer to the manual supplied with your operating system.
1 Your Personal Workstation's Performance Features
IDE device
Memory
Making the Most of Your System's IDE Channels
Your system's processor can
continue with other work
English 31