Different IDE cables (rounded, ATA/33, etc.)

[BaconTastesGood]

Two questions:

- are rounded cables worth it?
- what's the difference between ATA/33 and ATA/66/100 IDE cables? Are they physically any different? How can you tell them apart? If you hook up an ATA33 cable to an ATA100 drive, do Bad Things Happen?

 

[Athlex]

Rounded cables do nothing different performance-wise from any other IDE cable, they're just sheathed to help airflow inside your case.
ATA33 cables have 40 stranded wires in its ribbon. In order to achieve faster speeds, ATA66+ cables use 80 solid-core wires. It's basically a 40 wire cable with every line grounded.
Nothing bad will happen if you connect an ATA100 drive to the HBA using an ATA33 cable, but the transfer speed will peak at 33MB/s instead of the drive's max speed (which generally isn't much more than 33MB/s anyway).
Atx

 

[BaconTastesGood]

Cool, thanks for the heads up. Is there any reason NOT to go with rounded IDE cables? I like the idea of slightly better airflow, and they seem to reduce case clutter. I'm just worried they may end up being less reliable due to kinking...is this a fear grounded in reality?

 

[Athlex]

Nah, kinking wouldn't pose a problem unless it actually breaks one of the wires inside. I have heard of issues with crosstalk from people who have rounded their own cables, but any machine rounded cable is a safe bet. I also know that joinT (here in the forums) makes and sells rounded cables. You might be able to get some help from him or cut a deal for some of your own.
Atx