Buy a new S-ATA HDD

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Hi,

I'm going to buy a new HDD, because my old one is full. Think I captured too much video :rolleyes:

Since IDE is a "dead" technology and S-ATA provides more performance, I want to buy a S-ATA HDD. Furthermore I want to use this HDD in my future PC and I don't think it will have an IDE controller.

Only Problem is, that my current PC does not have a S-ATA controller. So I think best thing is to buy a S-ATA controller plus S-ATA HDD. Now what I need to now: Is there something special I need to know about when buying a S-ATA controller? And what about power-supply? Will it work with my current power-supply? I think I'll need an adaptor at least...

And finally: Will I be able to boot Windows from the new S-ATA HDD or do I need to keep the old IDE drive as boot device ???


Thanks for answer :)

[CWR03]

Maxtor sells a SATA drive with a PCI slot controller in a box set that's cheaper than buying the individual components. I don't know if it comes with a SATA power plug converter, but those are cheap.

Had you considered a DVD burner instead? You'll never fill it up.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Maxtor sells a SATA drive with a PCI slot controller in a box set that's cheaper than buying the individual components. I don't know if it comes with a SATA power plug converter, but those are cheap.

Had you considered a DVD burner instead? You'll never fill it up.

Already got a DVD burner ^^

Okay, but do I need a SATA-150 or SATA-300 controller?
And waht's the difference between 25€ controllers and 50€ or even 100€ controllers? I didn't see any difference, even the chip was the same. Is "quality" of the controller important?

The power-plug converter: Is it just a short peace of cable with the right plug connectors or is any conversion (like 12V to 15V or something like that) needed?

Finally: What about booting? Would the new S-ATA drive be recognized automatically, so I can install Windows there and boot from it, or will I need to install Windows to my old IDE drive and then install a certain driver to make it find the S-ATA drive?

[CWR03]

Just get the cheapest controller for now, since even the slow ones are faster than the EIDE or PCI slots to which they will be connected. That's why I suggested a Maxtor kit - a local store puts the kits on sale all the time, making it even cheaper than the same drive by itself. I bought the drive I wanted, saved money and tossed the controller in a shoebox because I didn't need it.

As far as booting from it, most motherboards allow a "Boot other device" setting in BIOS. The controller documentation should tell you how to set it up as a boot drive. I personally would recommend using the old drive for the OS and the SATA as storage - you'll get better overall performance that way.

[deets]

if your installing on a SATA you might need a floppy with drivers to get it to recognise the drive.

personally, im not a huge fan of SATA as the connectors are very flimsy and i had a nightmare getting hitachi to replace a model where the plastic broke without me doing anything to it :(

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Just get the cheapest controller for now, since even the slow ones are faster than the EIDE or PCI slots to which they will be connected. That's why I suggested a Maxtor kit - a local store puts the kits on sale all the time, making it even cheaper than the same drive by itself. I bought the drive I wanted, saved money and tossed the controller in a shoebox because I didn't need it.

As far as booting from it, most motherboards allow a "Boot other device" setting in BIOS. The controller documentation should tell you how to set it up as a boot drive. I personally would recommend using the old drive for the OS and the SATA as storage - you'll get better overall performance that way.

When I buy a S-ATA HDD then the Floppy with the required drivers should be included with the HDD, correct?

Well, do you think a cheap controller will work well ?!?
You think this (http://shop.zeg-shop.de/shop/info.asp?product_code=2604000024) one will do the job ???

BTW: Could not find the Maxtor-Kit you mentioned anywhere...

[CWR03]

The Maxtor kits I've bought come with a cheap controller, similar to the one to which you've linked, and it works well. If you had multiple SATA drives connected to one card, you would benefit from a better one, but just one drive planned for future upgrades doesn't need anything special.

I couldn't find a package deal from Maxtor either - they may have stopped doing it.

The ad does list a CD among the contents - it should include all the drivers and documentation which you should also be able to get from the manufacturer's website so you can read it before you purchase to make sure it suits your needs. Your motherboard's manual may also have instructions as to how you can boot from an OS on a drive not on an EIDE port.

[LoRd_MuldeR]

Thanks for Info