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Rounded ATA100 Cables



<< Rounded cables are "mostly for cosmetic purposes," according to one cable supplier. >>


Unless you don't want airflow obstructed...or don't like huge ribbons obstructing your path to upgrading.
 
I'v made someone a computer with rounded cables.

Airflow is slightly more efficient and it looks a lot cooler and neater especially if they are colored and you have a case with a "see-through" window.

They are not really nessesary, i would only get them if I were to make a small LAN box.
 
Well I was lookin at them to tidy up my case a bit. I heard before though that there were cases of data corruption?
 
Same here... I got some cheap 2 months ago but am wary of trying them out for this reason. iI don't need data corruption ruining my day just to get better airflow... I'll stick to standard cables for now until this issue is resolved.
 
I've got 5 of them, self made! Real easy, just use a sharp knife to make a small cut btwn cables. I marked so that I would have 8 (i.e. still flat, just 1/8th of normal breadth) thinner cables to pile on top of each other and then tape them. When you've made the cuts (avoiding cutting into the copper) then just pull them apart. It is so easy and it makes the case so much more tidy.
 


<< what is the specification for IDE cables? >>


part of the spec says the length shouldn't be more than 18in(45 cm) though longer cables have been used without problems!
 
I`m using 3 rounded cables which I brought all within spec ie 18" and I have had no problems at all with them the main advantage are they make your case look tidy and probably reduce temps by no more then 1c or so.

Yes you can make your own but rounded cables are so cheap to buy nowadays and do look neater then home made ones.


🙂
 
Why paying for something you can do yourself with the cables you have? takes 30 min to do 4-5 cables and there you are...
 
I'd pay because my "time" is more valuable than the cost of the pre-made cable and.. I got $ to blow anyways.. woo.. 🙂
 
Well, that's what I was thinking, if you stick to the cables that apply to the IDE standard, ther is no real difference apart from shape of the cables from IDE ones, am I correct here?
 


<< Well, that's what I was thinking, if you stick to the cables that apply to the IDE standard, ther is no real difference apart from shape of the cables from IDE ones, am I correct here? >>



It will perform just as well as a normal flat IDE cable,you might get better cooling depending on how cramped your case is & if you`ve fans,we are talking 1c or so here.
 
Well, it's really for cosmetic reasons since the ribbons look spretty crap. Think I'll get me some of them then🙂 Thx.
 
If you want to keep to specs, how do you outfit a full-tower case? I have cables stretched as it is now and most of my drives have to be in the lower bays to just reach the ide connectors.
 
personally I would not use anything else As my hands are always bumpin around in the case.

So I'd say they are just plain handy 🙂
 
Wasn't there a new style of rounded cable that came out in the last couple of months that didn't have the data corruption problems?

Also is it Ok to use an ATA100 cable thats long enough to run up to a CDROM in the lowest bay (since the slave has to be on the cables middle connector for ATA66/100 spec (?)), then back down to the hard drive in the HDD cage? Maybe a 24"? The one (probably 18"?) that came w/ my Epox 8KHA+ isn't long enough.

Also what's the longest you can use for 40pin ATA33? I'm thinking mine's a 24" and is pretty stretched so I can't route it even slightly neat.
 


<< If you want to keep to specs, how do you outfit a full-tower case? I have cables stretched as it is now and most of my drives have to be in the lower bays to just reach the ide connectors. >>



Considering that IDE only allows for two devices per channel that, generally speaking, means that there are only 4 devices you can use. Most mid-tower cases will suffice this. Full towers are really meant for SCSI applications, where the spec is 3 feet and a lot of devices per channel.
 
If you want to keep to specs, how do you outfit a full-tower case? I have cables stretched as it is now and most of my drives have to be in the lower bays to just reach the ide connectors.

good question,. I have 2 QVS Rounded Internal High Performance Cables (Ultra IDE Supports 133MB/s), UltraIDE 33/66/100/133, (3) IDC40S with 80 wires, 35" (0, 23", 35")

I am running a 16x DVD and 24X CDWR on one cable and my Seagate 7200rpm drive on the other, I have not had any problems or seen any performance issues, i'm not saying I won't.. but I have had no problems.



Man. website, bought at a local retail store

Yonux
 


<< Considering that IDE only allows for two devices per channel that, generally speaking, means that there are only 4 devices you can use. Most mid-tower cases will suffice this. >>


I can never get any of the standard UDMA66/100 cables that come w/ my mobo's to reach back down the the HDD after connecting to a drive in the lowest 5.25 bay in my mid tower cases (Antec SX840 now). If I went against spec and hooked to the HDD first (coming from the mobo) on the middle connector, then to the drive in the 5.25 bay, it would reach. Is everyone else just buying longer cables or just hooking it up wrong to get it to reach?




<< I have 2 QVS Rounded Internal High Performance Cables (Ultra IDE Supports 133MB/s), UltraIDE 33/66/100/133, (3) IDC40S with 80 wires, 35" (0, 23", 35") >>


You're saying the first connector is at 23" and the 2nd at 35", correct? Wow, thats a long IDE cable. Why the need for them to call it 'Internal'?
Where did you hear about these? How much was yours?
Have there been any reviews or reports from others on these cables? Are they supposed to fix any data corruption problem that's possibly w/ other rounded cables?
 
<You're saying the first connector is at 23" and the 2nd at 35", correct? Wow, that?s a long IDE cable. Why the need for them to call it 'Internal'?
Where did you hear about these? How much was yours?
Have there been any reviews or reports from others on these cables? Are they supposed to fix any data corruption problem that's possibly w/ other rounded cables? >

Well, the cables themselves were kinda expensive about 24 bucks (US) each. I know that seems like a lot but I wanted them at the time and didn?t want to wait. The case I have is a Chieftech DX-01BD Link and I am able to place my drives easily on the upper most bays without any cable length issues. I didn?t actually do any research on degradation of longer cables, but rather went on a need for a long IDE cable and wanting them to be rounded. The manufacturers website does have some links to reviews, but I don?t believe they address the any degradation with longer cables Link,. reviews are at bottom of page

I hope this answers your questions.

Yonux
 
Rounded cables eliminate proper grounding.
In an ATA 66/100/133 cable every other wire is ground.
By "rounding" the cable, you are defeating the purpose of those ground pins and inducing noise on the data lines.
With rounded cables you may not get corrupt data, but the data may have to be resent because the noise has affected the line voltage, which decreases performance...

Rounded cables are definitely not worth it until this problem has been resolved, and it doesn't look like it'll be anytime soon.

Peace!
 
Well, I did some quick testing with my Rounded cable vs. my ATA 100 flat ribbon cable that came with my Iwill MOBO.

I shut down my system and removed my 35" rounded cable and replaced it with the ATA100 18" flat ribbon cable and booted into Windows XP Pro. I ran the Sandra HD test on my C: drive and produced a score of 18828/10ms with the Flat 18" ribbon cable. I then powered down my system again and replaced the Flat IDE cable with the QVS rounded cable, redoing the Sandra HD test and received a score of 18847/10ns.

I know my testing wasn?t the most effective way of testing IDE cables, but it is the only real test I could run. It appears the rounded cable produced a higher score than the standard 18? flat ATA100 ribbon cable that came with my MOBO.

I guess in conclusion the Rounded cables I had purchased appear to be comparable to a flat shorter IDE cable that came with my MOBO.

Yonux
 
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