User guide

8
Chapter 2, Preparing Your System
Overview of the preparation steps
In order to ensure a successful RT.X100 Xtreme installation and trouble-free
operation afterwards, there are certain things you must do to prepare your system
before installing your RT.X100 Xtreme hardware and software.
The following list provides an overview of the steps required. These steps are
explained in greater detail later in this chapter.
1 Plan your storage configuration and install your drives. See page 8.
2 Install Windows XP or Windows 2000 on your system drive. See page 11.
3 Configure your Windows display. See page 12.
4 Configure your sound card. See page 13.
5 Install Adobe Premiere. See page 14.
6 Install your third-party software. See page 14.
¡ImportantYou must follow all the steps in this chapter before attempting to
install your Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme card and software.
1. Plan your storage configuration and install
your drives
You should plan how you’ll set up your storage devices and then connect them
accordingly. If you’re installing your RT.X100 Xtreme card in an existing system,
you may have to reconfigure your storage connections for proper performance. If
you have a new system, it’s important to set up your system right the first time.
For all cases, the instructions in this section will help you avoid problems or
having to repeat procedures later on.
Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme data transfer rate
requirements
To be compatible with the dual-stream operation of Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme, the
storage device you use must sustain a data rate of at least 12 MB/sec.
¦NoteOur tests have shown that 1394 hard drives are not capable of sustaining
the data transfer rates that are needed for video editing with RT.X100 Xtreme.
General storage considerations
Storage plays a vital role in the overall performance of your Matrox RT.X100
Xtreme system. Without adequate storage for your audio and video clips, your
system will not work properly.
Certain issues, such as what to store on your A/V drives, use of the NTFS file
system, and disk fragmentation, are important to the use of both EIDE and SCSI
storage devices with Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme.