Round Cables

[scientificlee]

Hello,

Do round cables add any value? Are they any better then the flat cables my case came with?

 

[Mem]

Do round cables add any value? Are they any better then the flat cables my case came with?

Round cables are getting to be standard now,infact quite a few companies ship round cables with their motherboards,as to are they better?They make your case look neater and some say help reduce case temps compared to normal flat cables(in the real world probably by only 1c or so if you`re lucky).

Nothing wrong with using flat cables but round cables now seem to be more popular,especially if you have a window for your case.

 

[FFactory0x]

They are alot easier to use and make the inside of you case less clutterful. They also allow for good airflow if ocing

 

[scientificlee]

Thanks,

I'll check out SVC, I did a search on round cables before I posted, and order some up.

Another quick question. I have a Primary IDE channel and an Seconday IDE channel on my board (Tyan K7).
I noticed the round cables are one device per channel. How do I connect 2 HDDs and 1 DVD/CD+R using round cables?

 

[Mem]

I noticed the round cables are one device per channel. How do I connect 2 HDDs and 1 DVD/CD+R using round cables?

Round cables have two IDE connectors(master and slave,3 if you count motherboard connection) so you could buy two round cables and put two IDE devices on each cable.

They have the same connectors(in general) as a normal flat IDE ribbon cable,lengths do vary.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: Mem

I noticed the round cables are one device per channel. How do I connect 2 HDDs and 1 DVD/CD+R using round cables?

Round cables have two IDE connectors(master and slave,3 if you count motherboard connection) so you could buy two round cables and put two IDE devices on each cable.

They have the same connectors(in general) as a normal flat IDE ribbon cable,lengths do vary.

Some only do have 2 connectors, motherboard and device. Make sure you ordered the right ones to fit your needs.

KK

 

[Mem]

Some only do have 2 connectors, motherboard and device. Make sure you ordered the right ones to fit your needs

Yep,but in general they have two IDE connectors,good idea to check as you said before ordering.

 

[scientificlee]

Is there any performance benefits from using a single device cable vs multi-device cables.
For my primary IDE channel, I'm forced to use a dual-device cable.
But for my secondary IDE channel, I only have a DVD/CD+R device. I don't plan on adding anything in the future.

 

[Mem]

Is there any performance benefits from using a single device cable vs multi-device cables.

Nope,no difference.

 

[BuckNaked]

Not to crap on SVC, but I had significant issues with the rounded cables they sell... I went with the Antec Cobras and no longer had problems with data corruption or slower transfer rates...

Dave

 

[snidy1]

Flat cables are more reliable. The hard drive manufactuers even say so.

 

[scientificlee]

I'll look into those as well.

I'm still hesitant on the rounded IDE cables, but it the sleeving for the power cables makes a lot of sense to me.
It seems to be a bit more involved though. Heh.

 

[Mem]

I`ve been using round cables now for 3 years or so,never had any problems.

If you`re worried about round cables then just make sure you buy good quality round cables.

Flat cables are more reliable. The hard drive manufactuers even say so.

I wouldn`t say that`s true,you can argue quality of round cables vary and length size can effect performance on poor quality round cables(18" is the recommended standard length) however I`m using some 24" round cables and I`ve never had any problems,now do I believe the HD manufacturers or my 3 years experience with using real round cables in my system .

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: scientificlee
Is there any performance benefits from using a single device cable vs multi-device cables.
For my primary IDE channel, I'm forced to use a dual-device cable.
But for my secondary IDE channel, I only have a DVD/CD+R device. I don't plan on adding anything in the future.

You may want to look at the way you have them configured. You could put the single device(boot up harddrive) on the Primary and then move the second HD on the one with the dvd drive(secondary IDE). Some say that is faster, I guess it has something to do with the total bandwidth per channel or maybe only one can tranfer data at any single microsecond. I'm not 100% sure if that is true, maybe someone here has some benchmarks on it.

KK

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

Double check how long you need your cables to be. If you get cables that are too short, you're screwed, but if you get cables that are too long, you won't get any airflow benefits.

 

[HappyCracker]

ATA spec calls for no longer than 18 inch cables if I remember correctly. While round cables are neat and all, they didn't route as easy for me; it was easier to do some origami with ribbon cable. You probably can't go wrong with either. It's all personal preference.