Interrupts / MSI mode
Also searched as: interrupts · irq · msi mode · message signaled interrupts · message-signaled interrupts · interrupt
What it means
How hardware taps the CPU on the shoulder to say "I need attention." MSI mode is a more modern, efficient way to do that tap than the old shared-line method.
More detail
MSI stands for Message-Signaled Interrupts — instead of devices sharing one alert wire, each sends its own message. Switching a GPU or network card to it can genuinely lower interrupt latency, but it's driver-dependent and reversible, so it's a measure-it tweak, not a guaranteed win. Forcing it blindly across every device is how people break things.
The Compy Blackbook holds 174 graded entries like this one, judged against your hardware — and every change it does make is reversible, with the receipt to prove it.
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