A rchive Date
[ 01-06-2001 ]
Category
[ Information Technologies ]
sub-Categoy
[ Computers ]
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[Dig into your BIOS
The BIOS (Basic Input Output System) is a set of rules that tells your PC's components how they should work. The exact method you will use to access your computer's BIOS may differ, depending on which BIOS your PC uses (the top three are AMI, Award, and Phoenix, but there are a host of custom variations). As your computer starts to boot, you'll see a message at the bottom of your screen that typically says something like, "Press [keyname] to access setup." More often than not, [keyname] translates into either the F1, the F2, or the Delete key. (Since this utility opens before your mouse driver gets loaded, navigation and selection within the BIOS setup utility can be tricky; check the bottom of the screen for instructions.)
Warning: Messing around with the BIOS settings can freeze up your PC faster than a 15-way death match over a 56k modem. Before you change any of the settings, write down the original values so you can reset them if you need to.
Adjust CAS and RAS latency
Simply put, CAS (Column Address Strobe) and RAS (Row Address Strobe) latency refers to the number of clock cycles your RAM waits between accessing and showing data. You can adjust the CAS/RAS latency settings within the BIOS of some PCs to change the required amount of time between memory accesses for each row and column of memory. (Note: these settings aren't available on all computers.)
Generally, a lower latency is better because it means that the computer can access the same portion of memory more often. However, some RAM can't handle lower latencies, so if you didn't specifically buy CAS-2 SDRAM (CAS-2 being the latency the RAM was tested at--the standard latency for SDRAM is 3), you will want to run a long stability test on the computer before using it. To test the stability of the memory subsystem of the computer, run an Unreal timedemo loop or 3DMark2000 for at least an hour. Here's how to change your CAS/RAS latency:
- Enter the BIOS setup program by rebooting the PC and watching the POST screen for the prompt and pressing the appropriate key as outlined above.
- Navigate to the advanced options section. (The section name may be different from motherboard to motherboard--look for Advanced Options, Memory Settings, or another such title).
- Lower the CAS and RAS settings from the default latency of 3 to a latency of 2.
- Save the settings and restart your computer.
- Boot into Windows and run a stability test.
- If the test crashes, return to the BIOS and return the settings to their original values; otherwise leave them alone.
Other BIOS settings
A few other BIOS settings will also increase the speed of your system memory. Enter the BIOS as described above and look for the following settings:
- Shadow System BIOS
Enabling this setting shadows, or copies, the system BIOS into the much faster RAM. As a result, the underlying input/output system of the computer should speed up significantly, and you should notice slightly faster program operation.
- SDRAM Precharge Control
This setting controls how the computer manages the physical RAM of the computer. Enable this setting and run a stability test. If it passes, keep it enabled.
- Depending on your specific system, there may be even more settings available to speed up system memory from within the BIOS; or, alternately, the above settings may not be available at all. If you're looking for information on settings that we have not discussed here, we recommend looking at your motherboard manual, or if that is not available, at the manufacturer's Web site. ]
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