System Overvie w 1-11

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T he video s ubsy st em consists of eit her a high- speed, high-r esolut ion AGP or a
PCI graphics adap ter card. (For more information, see the documentation that
came with the graphics adapte r card.) AGP greatly improves graphics perfor-
mance b y providing a dedicated bus for a faster inter face betwe en the video
subsystem and system memory. AGP also allows conventional memory to be
used for video-related tasks.

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Dell Precision 410 systems contain an integrated 10/100-Mbps 3Com PCI
3C905b-TX NIC (uses a 3Com 3C917 application-specif ic integrated circuit
[A SIC]). The NIC subsy stem connects to the Ethernet network through a single
RJ45 connector on the back panel of the computer.
T he 10/100-Mbps NIC supports a 10-Mbps direct connection to either a
Category 3 or a Category 5 Ethernet cable. When the NIC operates in the
100-Mbps mode, a Category 5 Ethernet cable must be used.
Chapter 5, “Using the Network Interface Controller,” in the

User ’s Guide

pro-
vides instructions for connecting the computer to, and configuring it for use
on, an Ethernet network.

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USB capability simplifies connection of peripheral devices such as mice, print-
ers, and computer speakers. The USB connectors on the computer’s back
panel provide a singl e connection point f or multiple USB-compliant devices.
USB-compliant devices can be connected and disconnected while the com-
puter is running.

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If a processor or hard-disk drive exceeds its recommended operating tempera-
ture range, a system event triggers a system management interrupt (SMI),
which alerts the BIOS. If the Dell Thermal Shutdown Service is installed, the
po wer indicator flashes and a message appears on the monito r to alert the
user that the system will shut down in an orderly manner, preventing the loss
of data. If the s ervice is unable to shut down the system within appro ximately
3 minutes, the BIOS p o w er s down the c omputer. If the T hermal Shutdown Ser -
vice is not inst alled, the computer turns off immediately.

NOTE: The BIOS powers do wn t he computer in the e vent of a thermal alert

only if the T hermal Po wer-Of f category is set to ENABLED in t he Sy stem Set up

program.