IDE Cable Help

[kevmev12]

I would just like to know how to tell the difference between an ATA 66 IDE cable and a ATA 100 (or higher) IDE cable. On the packet of IDE cables that were packaged with my new motherboard (MSI KT3 Ultra2), it says "For ATA66 Use". I've got a new 80Gb Seagate Barracuda 7200 and I'm worried that it will only run on ATA 66 because of the cable I used. Please help!

Thank you

-Kevin

 

[Boonesmi]

ata66/ata100 are the same cable (it was probably just labled ata66 before the ata100 standard came out)

 

[bacillus]

Originally posted by: Boonesmi
ata66/ata100 are the same cable (it was probably just labled ata66 before the ata100 standard came out)

yeh, that cable would also work fine with an ata133 drive!

 

[MSantiago]

Old ATA/33 cables have 40 pins and the newer ATA/66/100/133 cables all have 80 pins. If you hold a 33 and a 66 cable right next to each other, you can tell them apart by the width of the wires in the ribbon cable. All 80 pin IDE cables are identical and can be used for 66/100/133 transfer modes.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: MSantiago
Old ATA/33 cables have 40 pins and the newer ATA/66/100/133 cables all have 80 pins. If you hold a 33 and a 66 cable right next to each other, you can tell them apart by the width of the wires in the ribbon cable. All 80 pin IDE cables are identical and can be used for 66/100/133 transfer modes.

Wires, not pins. Both have 40 pins, but ATA/66/100/133 cables have 80 wires.

 

[thorin]

Ya AmusedOne has it completely correct. They are both 40 pins (the connectors never changed). Between ATA33 and ATA66/100/133 all they did was add an additional 40 wires to prevent (reduce) crosstalk between the original 40 wires (that actually carry signal(s)).

Thorin