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    Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by Specialista, Feb 2, 2009.

  1. Specialista

    Specialista Notebook Geek

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    I noticed the Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver on my factory install Thinkpad T61. How useful is this driver? The marketing materials on the Intel website do not do a satisfactory job in explaining the benefits and functionality of this driver in a one hard disk setup.

    Does it provide unique functionality that is not duplicated in Vista or Thinkvantage ? What happens if I get rid of it as bloatware? :confused:
     
    Specialista, Feb 2, 2009
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  2. Bog

    Bog Losing it...

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    Yes, they do explain fairly well what Matrix Storage Manager does for single HDs. I pulled this from the link you provided.
     
    Bog, Feb 2, 2009
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  3. Specialista

    Specialista Notebook Geek

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    Thanks for quick response, Bog! :)

    If I correctly understand the benefits of Link Power Management and SMART alerts, then this driver is a must-have for every laptop, right?

    I was not able to understand some of the more technical stuff. What is Native Command Queuing (NCQ), Quad DMA controllers please?
     
    Specialista, Feb 2, 2009
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  4. Bog

    Bog Losing it...

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    If you have the compatible Intel chipset and SATA controller hub, yes you can use the driver; but you don't need it for single drive set-ups.

    DMA is Direct Memory Access. Basically it allows computer hardware access to system memory without making use of the CPU.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Command_Queuing
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_memory_access
     
    Bog, Feb 2, 2009
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