Dell Dimension 9200 Owner's Manual

Also see for 9200: Owner's manual Setup guide Owner's manual Getting started guide Service manual

Contents

Optimizing Performance 37Optimizing PerformanceHyper-ThreadingHyper-Threading is an Intel® technology that can enhance overall computer performance byallowing one physical processor to function as two logical processors, capable of performing certaintasks simultaneously. It is recommended that you use the Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 1(SP1) or later operating system because Windows XP is optimized to take advantage of Hyper-Threading technology. While many programs can benefit from Hyper-Threading, some programshave not been optimized for Hyper-Threading and may require an update from the softwaremanufacturer. Contact the software manufacturer for updates and information about using Hyper-Threading with your software.To determine if your computer is using Hyper-Threading technology:1 Click the Start button, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.2 Click Hardware, then click Device Manager.3 In the Device Manager window, click the plus (+) sign next to Processors. If Hyper-Threading isenabled, the processor is listed twice.You can enable or disable Hyper-Threading through system setup. For more information on accessingsystem setup, see "Entering System Setup" on page 127. For more information on Hyper-Threading,search the Knowledge Base on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.About Your RAID ConfigurationThis section provides an overview of the RAID configuration you may have selected when youpurchased your computer. There are several RAID configurations are available in the computerindustry for different types of uses. Your Dell Dimension™ computer supports RAID level 0 andRAID level 1. A RAID level 0 configuration is recommended for high-performance programs orgaming, and a RAID level 1 configuration is recommended for users that desire a high level of dataintegrity, such as that required in digital photography and audio.NOTE: RAID levels do not represent a hierarchy. A RAID level 1 configuration is not inherently better or worsethan a RAID level 0 configuration.The drives in a RAID configuration should be the same size in order to ensure that the larger drivedoes not contain unallocated (and therefore unusable) space.