Adding an additional internal hard drive 2

[gkonop]

I would like to add an additional 200+ GB hard drive to my desktop pc. I am running Windows XP and all available IDE interfaces are taken. I would like to avoid having to add the hard drive as an external drive if possible so I know I'll have to install a separate controller card. So my question would be what type of controller card will recognize such a large drive? Are there size limitations on the controller cards? And if so what's better to install IDE/EIDE, Ultra ATA, Serial ATA? I've been trying to search for this information and what I've been finding isn't very clear. If adding the drive as an external is the better solution does it make sense to buy the enclosure and drive separately? Any help is very much appreciated.

 

[wolluf]

Any new controller card will recognise a drive of that size. Either IDE (PATA) or SATA perfectly ok.

If you did go for external, then buying separate enclosure gives you more flexibility.

 

[garebo]

Sata is a bit faster of course, all things being equal.
Do you already have the 200 gig hard drive? If so then an external usb2.0 or firewire is a great idea.
If not, then its basically a choice you make and live with.

Before i would have said go external. Anymore, personally, im leaning toward internal, wether ide or sata onboard or via a pci card. Again, though, its just a choice. Sata isnt that much faster, yet!






Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[micker377]

Does your motherboard have SATA connectors built in? If not, any speed gain you get from SATA, will be canceled by the 133mhz plug in IDE card. By the time you upgrade the motherboard (where you could use the SATA drive at full speed), the newer SATA smart-drives will be available.