IDE or SATA?

[smiffy47]

I am considering replacing my HDD with something bigger. In Device manager I see "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Does this mean that I should purchase an IDE HDD rather than one described as SATA?

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[cdogg]

Not necessarily. SATA controllers are often listed under this category, and sometimes they're not called SATA. For example, my SATA controller is listed under IDE ATA/ATAPI and is just called "Ultra ATA Storage".

It would be best for you to look up the specs on your motherboard. If you have a brand name PC (like Dell or HP), then check the manual for your model.

~cdogg
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[smiffy47]

Thanks cdogg,
My Motherboard is an Asus A7V333.
Under "Primary/Secondary IDE Connectors" in the Motherboard literature there is a sentence that reads:
"Connect the opposite end of the cable to your UltraDMA133/100/66 device"
Does this suggest that it had SATA capability?
I assume SATA is a faster system, am I right?
Thanks for your help.

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[cdogg]

Regular SATA running at the older SATA150 interface isn't really much different than ATA/100 or ATA/133. However, newer generations of SATA have advanced features like Native Command Queuing that speed up disk transfer times. So it's more about the advanced technology than it is about the "speed" of the interface. Only when you use several drives in a RAID array does the interface speed matter. Single drives still have a hard time topping ATA/100 speeds.

You could take the side off your PC case and check the motherboard. You're looking for connectors that look like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA

~cdogg
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[Freestone]

Perhaps to save time, this is an old motherboard with no SATA support...

http://active-hardware.com/english/reviews/mainboard/a7v333-4.htm

 

[smiffy47]

Thanks for saving me time, Freestone.
Returning to the issue of actually choosing which drive to purchase, will drives that described as SATA simply not install on my system, or is it that they will fit but won't function any better than an ATA drive?
Steve

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[paparazi]

As Freestone pointed out, the A7V333 just didn't have SATA support (it does not have the connections)
SATA connections are quite different to IDE so you must get the older IDE type (SATA will not physically connect)
There are still plenty of good IDE drives to choose from, they aren't that much slower than SATA and I suppose you could use this drive are a backup in any new setup you buy in the future.
Martin

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[smiffy47]

thanks folks!
Steve

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[paparazi]

I'm not sure what capacity you are looking for but:
Something like this?

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/47654

Martin



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[ArizonaGeek]

You COULD buy a SATA hard drive but you'd have to buy a PCI SATA controller card along with the drive. You can find SATA drives cheaper now than a lot of IDE drives. I've seen 500 gig SATA drives for less than $100.

A decent controller should cost less than $50 and give you RAID capabilities on top of the faster drives. Make sure you get a controller that supports SATA 2 if you do go that route.

Cheers
Rob

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[ArizonaGeek]

I breezed over the fact you are in the UK so, if you are like me, you hate the conversions of dollars to pounds but I saw a few places that had 500 gig SATA II drives for less than £65 and controllers for less than £50.

Cheers
Rob

The answer is always "PEBKAC!

 

[smiffy47]

I went ahead and bought a:
250GB Samsung SP2514N 7200rpm 8Mb Cache IDE ATA133 Hard Disk Drive
for less than £45 inc. postage.
before I saw you recent posts.
I hope i@ve done OK.
Anyway, thanks for all the help
Steve

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