HP Vectra XU 6/XXX HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance
HP Vectra XU 6/XXX Manual
 |
View all HP Vectra XU 6/XXX manuals
Add to My Manuals
Save this manual to your list of manuals |
HP Vectra XU 6/XXX manual content summary:
- HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 1
TO OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE A guide to the performance benefits of your HP Vectra XU PC. THE PERFORMANCE BENEFITS OF YOUR HP VECTRA PC Your Hewlett-Packard PC makes use of a number of new features to provide you with the best performance currently available from a PC. The configuration - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 2
of your HP Vectra XU PC and how these features can bring optimized performance to your desktop application. OVERVIEW Your HP Vectra XU PC provides capability • Flexible memory configuration • Advanced operating system support • PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus • Support for Ultra SCSI - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 3
Your HP Vectra XU PC uses the most powerful processor currently available in any HP Vectra PC: All operations on the local bus (such as data transfers with memory) are synchronized to this clock. Other devices in the PC For example, the 150 MHz processor uses the 60 MHz clock source and multiplies - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 4
to complete. The Pentium Pro processor integrates some functions that were performed by external components in previous generations of PCs; level-two cache memory is an example of one of these functions. This means that the Pentium Pro processor can perform a significant proportion of its work - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 5
System board switches Switch 4 ON OFF ON OFF Switch 6 ON ON OFF OFF Switch 7 OFF OFF ON ON Processor Speed (Internal Clock) 150 MHz 166 MHz 180 MHz 200 MHz Local Bus Speed (External clock) 60 MHz 66 MHz 60 MHz 66 MHz Clock Multiplication Factor 5/2 5/2 3 3 To increase your processor's clock - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 6
(MPS) for dual processing in PCs. This standard defines how multiple processors work with a single set of system memory and I/O resources. The HP Vectra XU supports symmetric multiprocessing, which means that each processor can perform any task. Symmetric multiprocessors appear to the user as - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 7
Yes Yes Yes Multithreaded? No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MPS-Ready? No No No Yes Yes Yes No No Refer to the manual supplied with your operating system for more information on its characteristics and capabilities. - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 8
Multithreaded Operating Systems Any operating system consists of a number of functions, each of which controls some small part of the PC's operation. Application software uses these functions as building blocks to create specific, more powerful tools for the user. Under a single threaded operating - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 9
Refer to the manual supplied with your software application to determine if it is multithreaded. The Advantages of Dual Processing in your PC Your HP Vectra PC is is increased, meaning that your PC can process more commands and instructions at one time. The use you make of the second processor will - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 10
of Dual Processing One of the most important functions that a processor performs is handling interrupts. An interrupt is a request for attention or service from another area of the PC. The processor's ability to respond to interrupts is an essential part of your PC's operation. Interrupts allow - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 11
cache memory. Cache memory increases the performance of any processor by making copies of the most frequently used data and instructions available same clock speeds. MATCHING MEMORY CAPACITY TO YOUR REQUIREMENTS The HP Vectra XU PC is supplied with 16 MB of memory. This memory is sufficient to run - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 12
and can be ordered from HP in the following capacities: • 16 MB (two 8 MB modules) • 32 MB (two 16 MB modules) • 64 MB (two 32 MB modules). The maximum memory capacity of your PC is 256 MB. Refer to your PC's User's Guide for more information on installing memory. The memory modules used by your - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 13
the latest data read from or written to the hard disks. If the processor then accesses the same data again, it will be loaded from memory at much higher speed than from hard disk. Because much of your PC's work is repetitive, disk caches offer a significant performance advantage with most - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 14
can configure directly. Others, such as Windows NT and Windows 95, use a dynamic allocation mechanism that configures the disk cache according to the amount of memory available. The memory used by the disk cache will not be available for use by your applications. When determining your - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 15
Always Improve Performance? Once you have sufficient memory, any extra memory you install will have no effect on performance. Indeed, surplus memory will probably not be used. BENEFITS OF 32-BIT APPLICATIONS Your HP Vectra PC has been designed to offer optimized performance. The benefit that you - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 16
of today's more popular applications, including any designed for Windows for Workgroups, are 16-bit applications. These use 16-bit instructions, and handle both data and memory addresses as 16-bit quantities. The Pentium Pro Processor The Pentium Pro processor in your PC is a 32-bit processor. This - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 17
means of accelerating instruction execution, the negative impact on performance is significant. NOTE For the reasons explained above, HP does not , Windows NT, or OS/2, may also be 16-bit. Refer to the manual supplied with your application software for more details. Which Applications are 32-bit? - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 18
INSTALLING FAST PERIPHERALS ON THE PCI BUS The HP Vectra XU PC provides six slots for accessory boards. Two of Any peripheral that needs to exchange large quantities of data with your PC's processor or memory will benefit from the bandwidth (data handling capability) of the PCI bus. For this reason - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 19
for use automatically. Low Power Migration The PCI bus in your PC supports PCI accessory boards that use two different power sources, 3.3 volts or MB each second. INCREASING THE SPEED LIMIT WITH ULTRA SCSI Your HP Vectra XU PC integrates an advanced SCSI controller for connecting mass storage devices - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 20
which gives data transfer rates of up to 20 MB per second. As new mass storage devices supporting this standard become available, you will be able to make use of them immediately. Installing an Ultra installed using the SCSISelect Utility. Refer to your User's Guide for information on this Utility. - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 21
PC. 3 Turn on your PC. Any SCSI device connected to your PC which supports SCAM will be configured automatically by your PC's SCSI BIOS. You can confirm For more information on your PC's Setup program, refer to your PC's User's Guide. NOTE By default, your PC is set to boot from an IDE hard disk - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 22
When connecting SCSI devices, it is recommended that you observe the following overall cable length restrictions. Configuration Ultra SCSI operation (20 MB/s) with up to four devices connected Ultra SCSI operation (20 MB/s) with five or more devices connected SCSI-2 operation (10 MB/s) with up to - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 23
only available with Windows NT. Refer to the manual supplied with this operating system for information on to two IDE devices. Both IDE channels support the highest data transfer rates currently available Programmed Input/Output (PIO) modes and Direct Memory Access (DMA) modes. When transferring data - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 24
between the PCI bus and the IDE device. Your PC's IDE controller supports five PIO modes, PIO Mode 0 - 4, and three DMA modes, Master Capability The integrated IDE controller transfers data with your PC's processor and memory through the PCI bus. PCI devices fall into two categories: slaves and - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 25
the IDE controller can transfer data to and from memory without intervention from your PC's processor. This means driver, refer to the manual supplied with your operating system. Optimized Timings Different IDE devices have different data transfer capabilities. The latest IDE hard disk drives support - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 26
the latest graphic acceleration features as well as MPEG-1 software support for high quality video playback. The Millennium Video Adapter gives PC's processor and converts it into pixel data for your display • Video memory (frame buffer), where the pixel data is stored by the graphics controller • - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 27
The graphics controller stores screens of data for output to the display in video memory. These screens of data are called frames and so your video memory is also known as a frame buffer. Pixel Data The pixel data stored by the graphics controller defines the color to be displayed for each pixel. - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 28
playback. By implementing these acceleration features through hardware the Millennium Video Adapter ensures that they are always available, whatever the operating system, application, or video driver. WRAM Video Memory The key to your Millennium Video Adapter's high performance is the type of video - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 29
8 MB For more information on installing additional video memory, refer to the User's Guide supplied with your PC. MPEG-1 Support MPEG is a standard for the transmission of video display. The video MPEG module cannot be ordered from HP. Contact your dealer for more information about this accessory. - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 30
120 Hz for flicker free displays. The 120 Hz refresh rate supported by the MGA Video Adaptor is nearly twice the rate used Hz 120 Hz 120 Hz 100 Hz 90 Hz 66 Hz Refer to your PC's User's Guide for more information on available video resolutions and refresh rates. YOUR PC'S AUDIO RESOURCES Your PC's - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 31
in ROM memory. The AWE HP support for time-sensitive applications such as multimedia presentations. No Data Collisions The HP Drivers are supplied with your PC that will enable you to use the network adapter with any type of network for all supported operating systems. For further information on the HP - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 32
your PC's processor Advantages of dual processor configurations Matching memory capacity to your requirements Benefits of 32-bit applications your PC's IDE channels More video performance Your PC's audio resources HP PCI Integrated 10/100VG LAN Interface Adjusting Your PC's Setup Parameters - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 33
to your desktop application. ARCHITECTURAL OVERVIEW Bus architecture Your HP Vectra XU PC is based on a three-bus architecture. Each bus : • The (processor's) local bus, which connects the Pentium™ Pro processor with main memory. This bus operates at 60 or 66 MHz (depending on your processor) and is - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 34
one Pentium Pro processor as standard, but also provides a socket for installation of a second Pentium Pro processor. If you are using an operating system that supports the Intel Multiprocessor Specification (MPS), you can improve your PC's processing performance by installing a second processor. - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 35
36-bit address bus. It integrates two 8 KB level-one cache memories (one for instructions, one for data) and a 256 KB level-two cache. Internally it uses three pipelines and five execution units for instruction execution. The table below summarizes the Pentium Pro's characteristics and compares them - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 36
a branch prediction unit that can identify program branches and load their instructions into the level-one instruction cache memory. However, unlike the Pentium, the Pentium Pro is also able to execute these instructions in case they are needed. This feature is called speculative execution, and - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 37
closer to the pipelines than the level-two cache. The caches are hierarchical, so that any data or instructions stored in level-one cache memories will also be stored in the level-two cache memory. Level-One Caches The Pentium Pro's two 8 KB level-one caches are similar to the level-one caches - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 38
speed of the processor. Cache Coherency One important implication of using cache memories is that duplicate copies of data exist in different parts of your PC where duplications can exist not only between a processor cache and memory, but also between the caches in the two processors. The Pentium - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 39
make better use of its local bus. To use the transactional protocol, the Pentium Pro processor requires support from other devices on the local bus, such as the memory controller. If this support is not available, the Pentium Pro will use the simple protocol, used by previous generation x86 family - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 40
by installing eight 32 MB DIMM modules. NOTE The DIMM modules used by your HP Vectra XU PC use a 5 volt power source. DIMM modules that use a 3.3 volt power source are not supported and must not be installed. 128-bit Memory Each DIMM module stores 64 bits of data plus 8-bits of Error Correcting - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 41
are 32 bytes long, which corresponds to four consecutive data transfers of 64 bits each. DATA INTEGRITY Previous generations of PCs protected the integrity of memory data by using parity bits stored with each data byte. Parity is calculated by adding up all the data bits in a byte. If the total - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 42
PATH The memory configuration of your HP Vectra XU PC is very flexible. Your PC's memory capacity can be increased by installing pairs of memory modules of 8 MB, 16 MB or 32 MB in any memory bank in any order. The total memory capacities available are indicated in the following tables (duplicate - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 43
technical characteristics of the HP Vectra XU PC are summarized in the following tables. Type Clock speeds supported Architecture Level-one cache memory Level-two cache memory Local Bus Dual processor support Type Data integrity Available capacities Memory Controller Memory Performance Clock speed - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 44
memory Supported KB) IDE Channels Two fast IDE channels supporting split-mode timings Up to four IDE mass byte FIFO input buffer HP 10/100VG LAN Interface Memory Address Map Description Interrupt Vector Table BIOS Data Area Base MemoryUsed by PC operating systems and software applications Video Memory - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 45
F0000h - FFFFFh (960 KB to 1024 KB) 100000h - F00000h (1024 KB to top of memory) DMA 0 DMA 1 DMA 2 DMA 3 DMA 4 DMA 5 DMA 6 DMA 7 Address (hexadecimal) 170h - 177h 1F0h - 1F7h 220h - 22Fh 278h - 27Fh 2E8h - 2EFh 2F8h - 2FFh 300h - 301h 330h - - HP Vectra XU 6/XXX | HP Vectra XU 6/XXX - Guide to Optimization Performance - Page 46
IRQ 12 IRQ 13 IRQ 14 IRQ 15 Mouse controller if not disabled through the Setup program (if so available) Processor (floating-point unit) Integrated IDE controller Available if not used by integrated IDE controller
-
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
7 -
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
-
31
-
32
-
33
-
34
-
35
-
36
-
37
-
38
-
39
-
40
-
41
-
42
-
43
-
44
-
45
-
46
 |
 |
GUIDE TO OPTIMIZING PERFORMANCE
A guide to the performance benefits of your HP Vectra XU PC.
THE PERFORMANCE BENEFITS OF YOUR HP VECTRA PC
Your Hewlett-Packard PC makes use of a number of new features to provide you with the best
performance currently available from a PC. The configuration of your PC has been optimized
by HP to make the best use of these features for general applications.
The performance of your PC will depend on the applications you use. For example, different
software applications require different amounts of memory and will produce files of different
sizes. Best performance is obtained by balancing your PC’s configuration with the requirements
of your software.
To provide versatility in your PC’s configuration, Hewlett-Packard offers a number of
performance-enhancing accessories. Some of these are upgrades that allow you to increase
the performance of your PC in one particular area. Other accessories add to your PC’s existing
capabilities.
This guide describes the high-performance features of your PC and how you can obtain
maximum benefit from them. This will help you to optimize the performance of your HP Vectra
PC for your specific use.
This guide is presented in two chapters:
•
Your PC’s performance features
Describes the new features used by your PC, with suggestions on how to optimize their
performance.
•
Technical reference
Gives general technical reference information, with emphasis on the new features used by
the HP Vectra XU PC.
NOTE
The advanced Pentium™ Pro processor installed in
your PC provides the best performance when used
with 32-bit operating systems and applications.