Native Vs. Compatible Ide Mode; Compatible Mode; Native Mode; Intel® Processor Features - Ampro COM 830 Reference Manual

Chapter 2

Native vs. Compatible IDE mode

Compatible Mode

When operating in compatible mode, the SATA and PATA (Parallel ATA) controller together need two
legacy IRQs (14 and 15) and are unable to share these IRQs with other devices. This is a result of the fact
that the SATA and PATA controller emulate legacy IDE controllers.

Native Mode

Native mode allows the SATA and PATA controllers to operate as true PCI devices and therefore do not need
dedicated legacy resources, which means it can be configured anywhere within the system. When either the
SATA or PATA controller runs in native mode it only requires one PCI interrupt for both channels and also
has the ability to share this interrupt with other devices in the system. Setting Enhanced mode in the BIOS
setup program will automatically enable Native mode as Native mode is a subset of Enhanced mode.
Running in native mode frees up interrupt resources (IRQs 14 and 15) and decreases the chance that there
may be a shortage of interrupts when installing devices.
NOTE If your operating system supports native mode then Ampro recommends you
enable it.
®
Intel Processor Features

Thermal Monitor and Catastrophic Thermal Protection

®
Intel Core™ 2 Duo, Core™ Duo and Celeron M processors have a thermal monitor feature that helps to
control the processor temperature. The integrated TCC (Thermal Control Circuit) activates if the processor
silicon reaches its maximum operating temperature. The activation temperature, that the Intel Thermal
Monitor uses to activate the TCC, cannot be configured by the user nor is it software visible.
The Thermal Monitor can control the processor temperature through the use of two different methods
defined as TM1 and TM2. TM1 method consists of the modulation (starting and stopping) of the processor
clocks at a 50% duty cycle. The TM2 method initiates an Enhanced Intel Speedstep transition to the lowest
performance state once the processor silicon reaches the maximum operating temperature.
NOTE The maximum operating temperature for Intel Core™ 2 Duo, Core™ Duo and
Celeron M processors is 100°C. TM2 mode is used for Intel Core 2 Duo and
Core Duo processors, it is not supported by Intel Celeron M processors.
Two modes are supported by the Thermal Monitor to activate the TCC. They are called Automatic and On-
Demand. No additional hardware, software, or handling routines are necessary when using Automatic
Mode.
NOTE
To ensure that the TCC is active for only short periods of time thus reducing the
impact on processor performance to a minimum, it is necessary to have a
properly designed thermal solution. The Intel Core 2 Duo, Core™ Duo and
Celeron M processor's respective datasheet can provide you with more
information about this subject.
THERMTRIP# signal is used by Intel's Intel Core 2 Duo, Core Duo and Celeron M processors for
catastrophic thermal protection. If the processor's silicon reaches a temperature of approximately 125°C then
the processor signal THERMTRIP# will go active and the system will automatically shut down to prevent
COM 830 Reference Manual
Specifications
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