Promise SuperTrak Ex8350 has onboard CPU for HDD I/O Processing, less SYSTEM CPU USE
See my subject line-title above for this reply, & these specs from the Promise SuperTrak Ex8350:
# Intel IOP333 XScale I/O processor (500 MHz)
# 128MB DDR ECC on-board controller cache
That first one? Makes me offload my mobo CPU, to 0% CPU use in fact, & our tests here showed it in fact:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=16252&page=13&highlight=Tach
CPU USAGE CATEGORY & MY SYSTEM'S PLACEMENT IN IT of 20 total testers: avg - 3.46% & highest cpu usage was 11%:
1. Alec§taar=0% - (2xWD "Raptor 'X'" RAID 0 (Promise Caching 128mb ECC RAM + onboard CPU Controller))
Our own test here w/ HD Tach, also proves that much... (that was the last day I charted the HD Tach test, & the proof is 2 posts down of my statement - 300% to 1100% variances in fact, in MY favor!).
I hate to disagree Alec but the hard drive hos no bearing on CPU useage.
Ah, but it does in mine (as I specifically stated above in fact "how I have it set up") - ALL via the controller I use...
E.G.-> It not only has 128mb of ECC cache onboard it, but it has its own onboard "CPU" to handle any & all disk related request activity... lessening the system CPU usage to drive it, via its filtering driver taking interrupt requests!
Interrupt request for DISK I/O that MOST systems have their mobo CPU drive - this one directs them @ the HDD Controller CPU for disk I/O by INTEL onboard it!
(0% System CPU use was shown in the URL above in our tests WE DID HERE no less, & this is HOW it was done: A good driver redirecting Interrupt requests to the HDD Caching controller card's onboard HDD I/O processor by INTEL, instead of the mobo System CPU)
The type of controller I use? Server-Oriented more I would say because it is like high-end UltraScSi controllers this way, & using its OWN dedicated CPU onboard for disk I/O processing!
It is a LOT diff. than most RAID controllers (cache & onboard CPU dedicated ASICS for it) folks here use...
APK
P.S.=>
My Silicone controller and many others use the CPU to computer the disk algorythim.
IN yours yes (Silicon Image variant, lol, "SILICONE")...
Not mine (look up the model # @ Promise Technology if you wish & see its specs)... if the test results above don't prove that to you that is... mine's pretty "advanced" over most by how it works is why.
(It's WHY I picked it up: TO OFFLOAD THE SYSTEM CPU, because it has a dedicated "brain" of its own for disk I/O processing!)
By lessening SYSTEM CPU usage? Other tasks get the interrupts they need, MORE, from the SYSTEM CPU (for stuff like gaming or other tasks)... apk