SATA!? Ultra ATA!? EIDE?!

[Hazard]

ok so im building my new computer and this being the first time im building one i got a seagate 120GB SATA drive. I cant connect this drive to my mobo because the wiring is totally different so i guess i have to get an EIDE drive. problem is that many of hte EIDE or IDE drives say Ultra ATA somewhere in their description.

Is Ultra ATA different from SATA and EIDE?

 

[ViRGE]

A SATA drive will explicitly be SATA, so you're not going to have a problem there. As for your current situation, look in to a PATA->SATA adaptor; I know when they were first designing these things, there was talk of allowing them to work both ways(use a PATA drive on a SATA system, and use a SATA drive on a PATA system), so you might be able to go that route.

 

[Hazard]

I was thinking i would just return the SATA and get an EIDE cause thats cheaper anyways.

Any idea how much the adapter is? Its PCI right? would connecting the SATA through the adapter affect speed/performance in any way?

 

[ViRGE]

You're thinking of a PCI SATA card(has a SATA controller on the card, connects to the computer via a PCI slot), whereas I'm thinking of something slightly different. What I'm talking about is a PATA->SATA adaptor, which is a small device that connects to a normal parallel ATA port, and turns it in to a SATA port. These run ~$20, and go by different product lines such as the Rockethead, and what-not. I didn't realize that you had the option of returning the drive, however, so I would reccomend that instead, as it's definately cheaper, and has fewer potential problems.

 

[Hazard]

ok i will go ahead and return the drive. thanks

any suggestions as to a good drive? around 120-160 gigs... willing to spend around $100-$130

I was going to get a seagate.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Hazard
ok i will go ahead and return the drive. thanks

any suggestions as to a good drive? around 120-160 gigs... willing to spend around $100-$130

I was going to get a seagate.

Seagate makes those capacities with standard ATA fittings too, if you want to stick with Seagate. The one that I would steer clear of, for myself anyway, are the Western Digital models, because many of them use ball-bearing motors instead of fluid-bearing, and may develop a nasty "ZZZZZING!" noise over the course of time.

 

[Hazard]

oh and one more thing. are rounded cables for harddrives etc better or worse then the regular ones? I see their convenience but i have also heard bad things about the cables being too close to each other and causing interference.

thanks a lot by the way. I just assembled my computer yesterday and i guess i have a lot of questions, so the help is realy appreciated.

 

[mechBgon]

For as popular as rounded cables have become, we still don't hear enough horror stories about them to where they're Bad News as a whole. I have some myself.

Yeah, don't be shy with the questions if you get in over your head. Everyone here started where you're at At the same time I can offer two tips:

1) do read through the owner's manual for your motherboard, they can be quite helpful sometimes, and

2) if you think your problem might've been discovered by someone else in the past, do a quick Search with the Search button, to see what you can dredge up (maybe using the part name, the motherboard model name, or the general technology in question).

 

[AFB]

Originally posted by: Hazard
oh and one more thing. are rounded cables for harddrives etc better or worse then the regular ones? I see their convenience but i have also heard bad things about the cables being too close to each other and causing interference.

thanks a lot by the way. I just assembled my computer yesterday and i guess i have a lot of questions, so the help is realy appreciated.

There fine, just stay 18" or under.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: ViRGE
A SATA drive will explicitly be SATA, so you're not going to have a problem there. As for your current situation, look in to a PATA->SATA adaptor; I know when they were first designing these things, there was talk of allowing them to work both ways(use a PATA drive on a SATA system, and use a SATA drive on a PATA system), so you might be able to go that route.

I agree with ViRGE. I have been pleasantly surprised (performance and response wise) by using a PATA-to-SATA adapter on my Maxtor DiamondMax 9+. I am using the Abit Serillel2 adapter which can be had . Keep in mind that people have had problems getting this adapter to work on some motherboards, especially built by Asus.

-Por

 

[Hazard]

Well the problem is solved. I returned the SATA and got a 200 GIG EIDE seagate for $99 (paind $135 for the 120GIG SATA) so im pretty happy about that. thanks to all!

 

[ctbook]

So what does it mean when the drive sez Enhanced IDE? MN# WD1600JB-00eva0. Its really had no clear type of drive like the Seagates do.
Oh, wait...IDE-ATA interface, This is cool for a A7N8x-E Deluxe? I just have the parts in a pile here. Still need ram and vid card.

Thanks,

cb

 

[bishop04]

To follow along this converstion, I'm also installing a new HDD, Seagate 120 GB Ultra ATA.
I've exhausted my resources on determining whether my motherboard is Ultra ATA 100 compatible or not, or rather Compaq techinical support have exhausted me. I have even tried tracking down the board manufacturer(UWAVE..maybe FIC) but I really haven't gotten anywhere.

How can I tell what transfer mode my board is capable of? (could Si Soft Sandra tell me??)
Should I get a 40-pin, 80 conductor cable anyways? will that cable work with a regular ata 33 drive?(i.e. my old drive, soon to be a slave)
At my local shop they are only selling Ultra ATA 100 Cables- will this also work with an Ultra ATA 66?(I have a feeling my board supports Ultra ATA66)

Will I really notice any difference by doing all this work, or should I just plug it in and see what happens?

Thanks

MAINBOARD INFORMATION
======================
Manufacturer ------------------- Compaq
Model (revision) --------------- 06E4h (None)
Chipset (revision)-------------- VIA Apollo Pro (3)
Southbridge -------------------- VIA VT82C686
BIOS Brand --------------------- Compaq
BIOS Version ------------------- 786K1
BIOS Date ---------------------- 03/28/2002
AGP Revision ------------------- 2.0
AGP Transfer Rate -------------- 4x
AGP Aperture Size -------------- 64Mb
AGP Side Band Addressing ------- disabled
Display adapter Manufacturer --- nVidia
Model (revision) --------------- Riva TNT2 M64 (15)

 

[thorin]

I haven't updated the FAQ in a while but it should answer all your accronym questions:
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.html?i=53

Thorin