Recommended SATA controller?

[Deinonych]

I'm repurposing an older system (w/ Intel 845 chipset) as an HTPC/media server. Currently, the system only has 160GB, so I'm planning to get a couple of 400GB SATA drives + controller to bump up the storage capacity. I'm looking at the Promise SATA300 TX4 controller, but Promise's website doesn't list my motherboard (Asus P4PE) or the chipset on their compatibility list.

Does anyone have 1.) experiences with this card or 2.) recommendations for another? I'm limited to PCI only - no PCIe.

 

[Zepper]

SATA controllers can be problematic on mobos that have no SATA ports to begin with. I recently bought a Rosewill RC-210 with one internal and one eSATA port which works just fine for me but my mobo has two SATA ports as standard equipment. I'm not sure who makes their controllers, but they seem highly regarded by their buyers. Many have the Silicon Image logic which has worked well for me on PATA RAID cards in the past.

.bh.

 

[Oyeve]

I have the promise sata150 and it worked fine on an old mobo that, at the time, was not on there compatability list.

 

[Deinonych]

Thanks for the replies. A friend of mine recommended a HighPoint Technologies RocketRAID card, as it has been rock-solid for him. I'm not using RAID, but it's a nice option to have if I decide to implement it. So, I think I'll give it a shot.

 

[Auric]

I would lean more towards Silicon Image too. In any case use the integrated controller for the OS drive, at least, and the PCI controller for less intensive duties (bulk media storage). Really though, the expense, hassle and limitations could prolly be avoided by simply using the existing controller(s), even if that means PATA drives or an adapter if it is desired to only purchase SATA models for future useage considerations.

 

[Dorkenstein]

I've had success with Promise IDE controllers years ago but for sata I would recommend Silicon Image also.

 

[Deinonych]

Originally posted by: Auric
I would lean more towards Silicon Image too. In any case use the integrated controller for the OS drive, at least, and the PCI controller for less intensive duties (bulk media storage). Really though, the expense, hassle and limitations could prolly be avoided by simply using the existing controller(s), even if that means PATA drives or an adapter if it is desired to only purchase SATA models for future useage considerations.

Good advice. I'll take a look at cards with Silicon Image controllers on them.

My reasoning behind going with SATA was indeed for future usage considerations. However, I may just go with a couple PATA drives instead. Because I'll be able to use the on-board controller, they'll be the easiest to install. Thanks!

 

[corkyg]

I have your same mobo (P4PE) and have just installed Vista Ultimate. I do not use RAID on this machine - I have two 160 GB drives - one PATA (the OS internal) and one SATA, internal for data. The SATA controller is a 2 port PCI Adaptec w/o RAID. (The Promise SATA/RAID on the mobo is not Vista ready.) Anyway - it runs nicely - no problems at all.

 

[frogger9]

I used a Rosewill Silicon Image card PCI 4x internal, 2x external SATA 150 in an older system I put together as a Linux file server. It's been running fine for a few months now and is only $25 at Newegg

It is only SATA 150, but since it's on standard PCI that will be the first bottleneck anyway.

 

[paulney]

Originally posted by: frogger9
I used a Rosewill Silicon Image card PCI 4x internal, 2x external SATA 150 in an older system I put together as a Linux file server. It's been running fine for a few months now and is only $25 at Newegg

It is only SATA 150, but since it's on standard PCI that will be the first bottleneck anyway.

Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for, too. I have an old box running Linux, and I wanted to add storage to it for all the stuff I want to have accessible by all machines in the house.