Chapter 2 | Specifications |
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
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