Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq (
More info?)
OK, but there are several different kinds and I wouldn't know which one to
buy, that would work with my Compaq S4020WM. So I'm back to square one with
technical problems beyond my capability preventing any progress!? For
example:
http://www.superwarehouse.com/Promise_ATA-IDE_RAID_Controller_Cards/b/333/c/2332
-E
"HH" <hahunt42@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:vhDdd.1970$Z9.863@fe25.usenetserver.com...
> Unfortunately, no. A regular IDE controller won't do it. A RAID controller
> will. Promise is probably the largest manufacturer of the cards.
> HH
>
> "Euclid" <euclid@mmiv.nu> wrote in message
> news:6pBdd.2554$KJ6.999@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>> Too much to swallow with just a sip of water, I presume...
>> -E
>>
>> "Euclid" <euclid@mmiv.nu> wrote in message
>> news:40xcd.5816$6k2.4121@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>>
>>> "HH" <hahunt42@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:7_bcd.536$Z9.68@fe25.usenetserver.com...
>>>
>>>> Quick questions. What, if anything, is runing in the background when
>>>> you try to run the database?
>>> Closing down my anti-virus and firewall have no effect on this problem,
>>> and there's nothing else significant running in the background. Note
>>> that my chess analysis engine software normally runs with 100% processor
>>> usage. That's the software which accesses the Tablebases, so it's
>>> necessary.
>>>
>>>> If anything, have you disabled same before starting?
>>> N/A
>>>
>>>> Do you have MS Office installed?
>>> No.
>>>
>>>> If so is Findfast enabled?
>>> N/A
>>>
>>>> Is indexing enabled for the drive/volume?
>>> No.
>>>
>>>> The drive is NTFS, correct?
>>> Yes.
>>>
>>>> Defrag regularly?
>>> Yes.
>>>
>>>> Delete temp internet files regularly?
>>> Yes. They are deleted automatically when I exit IE.
>>>
>>>> Have you thought about installing an IDE Raid controller card and
>>>> setting up a 2-drive for performance?
>>> Duh...no...and have no idea what's involved.
>>> I have a Maxtor Ultra ATA/133 PCI Adapter Card on my shelf, if that
>>> would do it? I used it in a former computer, but haven't had any reason
>>> to put it in this Compaq S4020WM.
>>>
>>> My only "Lone Ranger hunch" is that Compaq may have disabled the DDR
>>> feature of RAM on this S4020WM. It has DDR RAM installed, however the
>>> benchmarks (with Everest) show it as a speed typical of ordinary PC
>>> (non-DDR) RAM. So I guess the problem could be RAM speed, at least
>>> partly. At the same time Compaq hid all of those kinds of special
>>> settings in the BIOS setup utility, so there's apparently no way to
>>> tweak it back to DDR speed.
>>> -E
>>>
>>>> "Euclid" <euclid@mmiv.nu> wrote in message
>>>> news:F69cd.5549$gy1.4137@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>>>> Well, I have a "home use" that my 7200rpm drive can't handle
>>>>> properly... It's a 7GB chess endgame database of 290 files ranging up
>>>>> in size to about 150kb. The drive can't keep up with the software as
>>>>> this database is accessed, so it slows down things greatly. So the
>>>>> hard drive light remains on constantly, while the processor is running
>>>>> at 100% capacity constantly - for many hours, constantly.
>>>>>
>>>>> As a little background...
>>>>> The game of chess has now been solved for all combinations of 5 pieces
>>>>> remaining on the chessboard. These perfect & complete solutions go
>>>>> into the 7GB database in a format known as Nalimov EGTB Tablebases. As
>>>>> the end of a game of chess approaches, chess analysis engines will
>>>>> begin to access these Tablebases, which is a lot faster and more
>>>>> reliable than the engine calculating all of those possibilities again.
>>>>> That would be wasted effort, because they have already been
>>>>> calculated - i.e. they constitute the Tablebase data.
>>>>>
>>>>> How many Tablebase accesses are involved per second? A lot! A lot more
>>>>> than 7,200 rpm IDE drives can handle. The experts say that 15,000 rpm
>>>>> SCSI drives can keep up with the access demand OK, but nothing else
>>>>> can.
>>>>>
>>>>> Now, the 6-piece chess endgames are in process of being solved
>>>>> completely too, so the chess endgame Tablebases are increasing towards
>>>>> the order of a terrabyte of data when that task is completed (probably
>>>>> within a year or two). That makes the little 7GB Tablebases look puny
>>>>> by comparison, and the problems involved in accessing them will be
>>>>> correspondingly enormous.
>>>>> -E
>>>>>
>>>>> "HH" <hahunt42@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:5lPbd.380$Z9.276@fe25.usenetserver.com...
>>>>>> Hmmmm. I cannot think of any home use a good 7.2K ATA 100 drive
>>>>>> cannot handle, especially one with an 8MB cache. You are right SCSI
>>>>>> priced itself right out of the consumer market at the same time IDE
>>>>>> drives got faster and more reliable.
>>>>>> HH
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Euclid" <euclid@mmiv.nu> wrote in message
>>>>>> news:BeNbd.3732$6k2.756@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>>>>>>I sorta figured that out after a little googling, but thanks for
>>>>>>>confirmation of my suspicions. If I decide to buy a special adapter
>>>>>>>card and cables, I might as well get a SCSI anyway...or so my mind
>>>>>>>works. After doing some reading, I'd really prefer a 15K rpm hd,
>>>>>>>which only comes in SCSI. Of course you'd have to be a university
>>>>>>>professor to afford one, I suppose. (I'm not.)
>>>>>>> -E
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> "HH" <hahunt42@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>> news:EyGbd.370$Z9.150@fe25.usenetserver.com...
>>>>>>>> You would likely have to buy a PCI SATA controller card, since your
>>>>>>>> Presario onboard controller is an IDE controller. The SATA cable is
>>>>>>>> round and uses a much smaller connector. New Egg has the controller
>>>>>>>> cards and cables, too. Try here:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=16-124-101&depa=1
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> HH
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> "Euclid" <euclid@mmiv.nu> wrote in message
>>>>>>>> news:eGybd.3084$6k2.967@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>>>>>>>> Thanks. It looks like only Western Digital makes the 10K IDE
>>>>>>>>> drives, and calls them Raptors...
>>>>>>>>> Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model
>>>>>>>>> WD740GD, OEM Drive Only
>>>>>>>>> Specifications:
>>>>>>>>> Capacity: 74GB
>>>>>>>>> Average Seek Time: 4.5 ms
>>>>>>>>> Buffer: 8MB
>>>>>>>>> Rotational Speed: 10000 RPM
>>>>>>>>> Interface: Serial ATA
>>>>>>>>> Features: High Performance SATA Interface
>>>>>>>>> Packaging: OEM Drive Only
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Reading the reviews brings up several possible technical problems.
>>>>>>>>> For example a SATA cable is required. I have no idea what that
>>>>>>>>> means, nor how it will modify my computer. At present I have a
>>>>>>>>> cable which has a middle connector for the slave drive, and would
>>>>>>>>> want the same. They also talk about needing different drivers, and
>>>>>>>>> that the SATA drive won't work with some motherboards or will
>>>>>>>>> require a special BIOS. That creates another big research project,
>>>>>>>>> I suppose, which may put it beyond my capability or interest. I'd
>>>>>>>>> like to have the speed, but can't stomach too many technical
>>>>>>>>> uncertainties out of the gate...
>>>>>>>>> -E
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> "HH" <hahunt42@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>> news:Ygybd.346$Z9.179@fe25.usenetserver.com...
>>>>>>>>>> Try here:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=1
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> HH
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> "Euclid" <euclid@mmiv.nu> wrote in message
>>>>>>>>>> news:U4wbd.3887$gy1.3228@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> If you need real speed, get a 10,000 RPM IDE drive and put it
>>>>>>>>>>>> on a separate
>>>>>>>>>>>> controller Better yet, get a SATA controller and 10K drive.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I've looked but can't find anyplace to order 10K IDE drives. I
>>>>>>>>>>> see them mentioned in reviews only, so they must be very new.
>>>>>>>>>>> Got any links to retail suppliers?
>>>>>>>>>>> -E
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram