More computer help needed!

[Wasatch Rebel]

I'm thinking of buying a hard drive like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-NA-_-NA-_-NA

I just don't know if my ASUS A7V8X-X MB is set up to handle an SATA drive. I don't really do a lot of opening up my case, and I'm not even sure what to look for in the way of connections. My current hard drive is a Seagate 80 Gig ultra-ATA, which I'd like to keep and add this additional one. So, would I be able to do it? And if so, what kind of connections will I need? Or would I be better off getting one of the external USB drives?

[BruteForce]

Well, if you have an Ultra ATA, you won't be able to use the SATA without an expansion controller card for SATA drives.

You can buy a replacement HD controller.

[Wasatch Rebel]

Well, if you have an Ultra ATA, you won't be able to use the SATA without an expansion controller card for SATA drives.

You can buy a replacement HD controller.

So, I'd need something like a PCI card with SATA connections on it?

[BruteForce]

Well, if you have an Ultra ATA, you won't be able to use the SATA without an expansion controller card for SATA drives.

You can buy a replacement HD controller.

So, I'd need something like a PCI card with SATA connections on it?

Yes. You should be able to get one online direct from NewEgg.

[Wasatch Rebel]

Thanks!. Now the only thing I need to find out if I have an empty PCI slot.

[KapitanSparrow]

I am eyeing this

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...6290&CatId=139

[BruteForce]

Might I further suggest you consider the Promise SATA/SAS Raid Controller. Then you can buy two large HD's and get super speed and perhaps some mirroring for redundancy.

http://www.promise.com/supertrak/?gc...FRIcawodlmhS-A

[Iceaxe]

u guys r weird n talk in scary nerd language!! =(

[skianddive]

I'm thinking of buying a hard drive like this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-NA-_-NA-_-NA

I just don't know if my ASUS A7V8X-X MB is set up to handle an SATA drive. I don't really do a lot of opening up my case, and I'm not even sure what to look for in the way of connections.

Your motherboard does not support SATA, only IDE. If you open up your case, you can use the pic I've attached below to identify your 6 PCI slots and how many are available to use.

My current hard drive is a Seagate 80 Gig ultra-ATA, which I'd like to keep and add this additional one. So, would I be able to do it? And if so, what kind of connections will I need? Or would I be better off getting one of the external USB drives?

Your existing motherboard and connectors should already be capable of handling an additional IDE drive. If you look at the cable that is connected to the back of your Seagate 80GB, it is likely to be labeled "Master", and there should be a second connector labeled "Slave" in a "Y" configuration that is not used. This could be used for your second drive.

BUT, you need to consider two things before adding another drive:

(1) Is your power supply capable of handling the additional usage of this new drive? Most manufacturers low-ball the power supply they install in new systems.

and

(2) Is there an empty 3.5" bay in your existing rack for mounting the new drive?

If the answer to either of the above questions is "no", you'd be better off considering an external drive. In addition, with an external drive, you will not have to worry about whether it is SATA because the interface will likely be through a USB 2.0 connection.

If you have the power and space for another drive, you might also consider buying a used ATA (i.e. PATA) drive instead of the SATA model. You can usually find some low usage models available on eBay.

If you do go ahead with the SATA drive you listed, you can buy an adapter like this one for under $30 to connect it to your existing IDE cables:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.as...43&dcaid=17902


Disclaimer: I am not a racist for using the words "master" and "slave", and I am not a sexist for using the word "rack".

[asdf]

Jim, why SATA?

I find it hard to believe that a SATA drive will improve the speed of your system considering you have an older mother board. I have a machine with both SATA and IDE drives installed and I can barely tell a difference between the transfer rates when moving a 1gb file.

Long story short.. You can not transfer data faster than the Mother Board can handle, keep it simple and just get an IDE drive....

[skianddive]

Jim, why SATA?

I'll provide one answer. It's getting very difficult to find new IDE/PATA drives. All manufacturers have discontinued their PATA lines, and very few retailers are carrying them. If you do find them, they are more expensive then there SATA equivalents.

Check out Best Buy's website. They have only 3 PATA drives listed vs. 18 SATA drives, and all 3 of them are more expensive than the SATA drive that Jim asked about - and only one comes close to the Newegg drive in capacity (500GB EIDE vs. 640GB SATA).

[Wasatch Rebel]

Yep. That's why. All the deals are on SATA drives, and I need a deal. Thanks skianddive for all the helpful info. I also saw an SATA to USB adaptor that supposed to plug right into a USB port on the outside of my computer. Are those any good? Maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817173048 or this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232002

[asdf]

ok......

[theking648]

there could be a problem getting a sata pci card because sata works at 3gb/s and older and even newer pci slots can't handle that you need a pci express slot for a SATA card.

from the looks of your mouther board, it looks like your have a really old pc and you might want to upgrade.

form the looks of your moutherboard it looks like you don't have a pci express. so your taking your chances with a pci card. your moutherboard might support the sata speeds and it might not.

if you have usb 2.0 then go for a external harddrive.

[Wasatch Rebel]

there could be a problem getting a sata pci card because sata works at 3gb/s and older and even newer pci slots can't handle that you need a pci express slot for a SATA card.

Ahh, I didn't know that.

from the looks of your mouther board, it looks like your have a really old pc and you might want to upgrade.

I definitely need to do that--but I can't convince my better half that I need to.

if you have usb 2.0 then go for a external harddrive.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Thanks.

[skianddive]

Yep. That's why. All the deals are on SATA drives, and I need a deal. Thanks skianddive for all the helpful info. I also saw an SATA to USB adaptor that supposed to plug right into a USB port on the outside of my computer. Are those any good? Maybe something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817173048 or this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812232002

Good question. I was going to talk about this in my original response, but I wanted to make sure I addressed your most salient points first, since I didn't want you going out and buying an expensive RAID CAGE when I could see where you were headed in terms of keeping your costs down.

The answer to your latest question comes down to transfer speeds of the devices that have access to the computer's data transfer bus (FSB) vs. the USB 2.0 ports. But then we must address how you want to use your new drive. Since your existing 80GB drive has your o/s and programs and all of your data, I'm going to assume you do not want to transfer/convert to another primary/main drive, but, in fact, you really just need additional storage - like we all do - for pictures, video, music, etc.

Given this assumption, I think an external drive is the way to go for you since the data transfer with USB 2.0 will be adequate for your needs, rather than trying to install an internal drive with all of the potential issues.

And I understand where you're going with an inexpensive SATA drive and then using an external drive enclosure or adapter because that makes good $$$ sense. And I, in fact, have gone down this road with IDE drives, and for short time use of the internal-to-external drives, your solutions are OK.

But if you want to have a solution that you can have running all the time, then I suggest you purchase a more expensive disk enclosure that includes its own cooling fan - in order to maximize the life of your disk. When you are using a drive for extended periods or downloading/uploading data to it, it's amazing at how much heat those damn drives give off. This is an example of one:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SkuSearch...iteria=AA74664

And in the words of computer geeks around the world, HEAT KILLS!

[BruteForce]

USB attached disk is fine if you're only looking for storage and not a drive to replace (or move) your operating system to.

If going cheap is your primary goal and you have no need to move the OS, then go with a USB 2.0 connected disk.

If you're looking for speed and a complete relocation of all data and OS, then you'll need to get a replacement internal disk.

You can still source IDE drives. I'd get a second internal drive (larger than what you have at present) and move your OS to the new drive, leaving the secondary for your applications/data (C: = OS, D: = Data/Apps). There are many utilities available to help you "move" your data and applications. (Ghost, Aloha Bob, etc.)

[Wasatch Rebel]

The answer to your latest question comes down to transfer speeds of the devices that have access to the computer's data transfer bus (FSB) vs. the USB 2.0 ports. But then we must address how you want to use your new drive. Since your existing 80GB drive has your o/s and programs and all of your data, I'm going to assume you do not want to transfer/convert to another primary/main drive, but, in fact, you really just need additional storage - like we all do - for pictures, video, music, etc.

Thanks ski and brute for the help. My exact need came about because I'm trying to edit a huge file with Audacity, and my 80 gig drive doesn't have enough free space to do it. It's an interview done on a cheap tape recorder with a lot of background noise, and it's almost two hours long. I could break it down into chunks and do it, or I could get another drive so I have enough room.

[BruteForce]

Jim, if you're in the SL Valley, I would gladly loan you a 160gb USB external drive.

[Wasatch Rebel]

Jim, if you're in the SL Valley, I would gladly loan you a 160gb USB external drive.

You would? I live in Kearns. I'll pm you.