[Techtalk] hdparm ?

[ed orphan]

Somebody who claims to be an expert told
me that using hdparm would significantly
improve hard drive performance.
Sounded good to me, so I took a look at
the man file for hdparm. Confusing indeed,
and alarming! So many of the options are
labelled  "dangerous" and "use with caution".
  Does hdparm make a big improvement for
hard drive performance. I've got an 80 Gig
Western Cavier.
   Can anyone advise me on what parameters
to use that won't destroy the computer?