BIOS Features

PC is constantly advancing in CPU’s, chipsets, memory, video, drives, etc. The key features that are included in a BIOS.

• CPU support BIOS should support a rich range of CPUs, preferably from such CPU makers as Intel and, AMD.
• Chipset support The BIOS should support the latest chipset families. Chipset support is crucial because it allows motherboard designers to implement other features, such as USB and advanced memory.
• Memory support The BIOS should be able to auto-size and support the most modern forms of memory. Memory error checking (parity and ECC) should also be supported.
• Drive support The BIOS must support large SATA/EIDE/Ultra-ATA hard drives  with very fast data-transfer modes, such as PIO Modes and Ultra DMA.
• ACPI/APM support The BIOS should be fully compliant with the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) specification , and supports APM BIOS specifications through version 1.2. Power management is important for mobile systems, and is widely used in desktop/tower systems to reduce energy waste.
• Boot versatility support The BIOS should be able to boot from a number of different drives, and include the BIOS Boot Specification for Initial Program Load (IPL) devices. This currently supports booting from up to four IDE/EIDE/SATA drives (including CD-ROM drives), SCSI drives, USB and network cards.
• Plug-and-Play support The BIOS must detect and configure PnP devices during POST.