sata hardrive not compatible with all computers?

[tpcanboo]

I purchased a 500 gig SATA hardrive, however i heard it's not compatible with all motherboards...how do I determine whether its compatible? (without opening it up) can i tell using the model of the motherboard?? any and all help is appreciated thanks.

[tmpz]

Yes you can. If your motherboard supports SATA then it works. Most likely your hard drive is SATA2, it is SATA1 backwards compatible. SATA2 is faster.

[willy]

Older generation motherboards do not support SATA HD, only IDE HD ...

If you can identify the exactly model # of the motherboard, you can tell whether it supports SATA(2) or not.

The easiest way is to open up the case and look for something like the following ....

http://resources.vr-zone.com/yantronic/GA-8I945GMH-RH/sata2.jpg

or

http://www.hardwarezone.com/img/data/articles/2006/1916/C51XEM2AA_sata.jpg

[Bell Rep]

Why would you buy it if you dont know if it works or not ?

Just more hassle now you have to return to the store for a refund or buy a SATA to IDE connector

This just serves you a lesson not to buy things you dont know anything about

[willy]

Why would you buy it if you dont know if it works or not ?
Hee hee .... RFDers buy what they *want* not what they *need* ;)

[Happy13178]

Why would you buy it if you dont know if it works or not ?

Just more hassle now you have to return to the store for a refund or buy a SATA to IDE connector

This just serves you a lesson not to buy things you dont know anything about

The only way most people learn about this stuff is by trial and error, and your average modern day computer system has no less than 3 or 4 dozen different terms associated with it. Don't blast the guy for trying...would you like it if when you made a simple mistake someone you didn't even know jumped down their throats?

[KorruptioN]

Why would you buy it if you dont know if it works or not ?

The logic of RFD

[Bell Rep]

Why would you buy it if you dont know if it works or not ?

Just more hassle now you have to return to the store for a refund or buy a SATA to IDE connector

This just serves you a lesson not to buy things you dont know anything about

Honestly this is not meant to make fun of him

I wouldnt go out and buy a AAA battery for a flashlight that uses AA thinking that it will fit because its a battery, you would check first right ?
We are talking about computer parts which mainly is all about compatibility

Well atleast OP knows not to buy things without knowing alittle about it

[Amourek]

It's not his fault - $99 is fricken cheap.

Anyway figure out what motherboard you're using through CPU-Z, AIDA32 or Everest, do a quick Google and there you go. Oh and you'll also need a SATA data and power cable... which I'm guessing you don't have.

[HunkaHunkaBurningLove]

Just buy a PCI SATA controller card if your MB doesn't support SATA. I think they are like $25, but yeah just google your computer's motherboard on the net to find it's specs if you don't want to open it up.

[Bell Rep]

Just buy a PCI SATA controller card if your MB doesn't support SATA. I think they are like $25, but yeah just google your computer's motherboard on the net to find it's specs if you don't want to open it up.

Apparently Happy13178 says this wont help him at all, not a good suggestion at all HunkaHunkaBurningLove

[Happy13178]

Apparently Happy13178 says this wont help him at all, not a good suggestion at all HunkaHunkaBurningLove

No, I said you won't help him at all. Everyone else has been very nice to him.

[Bell Rep]

No, I said you won't help him at all. Everyone else has been very nice to him.

Right...

[ASharp]

I think you guys scared him off. :razz:

If he came back with a reply about what motherboard he had, that would be quite helpful.

[Bell Rep]

He found a fix either motherboard supported or bought/going to get a connector

Anyways 500GB SATA drive is $99-$105 so $99 aint hot at all + he might have to buy a connector for $25, $99 hdd deal gone wrong

[tpcanboo]

The only way most people learn about this stuff is by trial and error, and your average modern day computer system has no less than 3 or 4 dozen different terms associated with it. Don't blast the guy for trying...would you like it if when you made a simple mistake someone you didn't even know jumped down their throats?

thanks for that. usually i get my brother to do all my computer work, but i'm tryign to learn, and typically trial and error works best for me lol. while it may cuase some unneeded expenditure in the long run, i will be able to learn better.

[Happy13178]

thanks for that. usually i get my brother to do all my computer work, but i'm tryign to learn, and typically trial and error works best for me lol. while it may cuase some unneeded expenditure in the long run, i will be able to learn better.

Agreed. Whether your motherboard supports it natively or not, you still have options. You can get a pci card that supports it, a converter to plug into the drive, or a usb enclosure, all of which will let you use it, at a minimal cost.

[tpcanboo]

lol sorry can only post when i'm at work, i'll try googling the motherboard type to find out if it's compatible when i get home, thanks for all your help guys, i'll post back with any problems. :)

[Vinman]

Just go to Device Manager (under Control Panel) and check the IDE/ATA controllers drop-down to see if it says PATA or SATA.

[willy]

Just go to Device Manager (under Control Panel) and check the IDE/ATA controllers drop-down to see if it says PATA or SATA.
This, sometimes, may not be good enough .... The onboard SATA could be disabled in BIOS when it was not used initially. Not likely but possible.

[kitty]

Some motherboards with 1.5 Gbps SATA connector won't properly detect the newer 3 Gbps SATA drives. However, the HDD drives these days usually have a jumper you can set to disable the 3 Gbps feature and work at the lower speed.

I found that out the hard way, 'cause my motherboard had a VIA VT8237 chipset on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#SATA_1.5_Gbit.2Fs

[crazdefool]

I purchased a 500 gig SATA hardrive, however i heard it's not compatible with all motherboards...how do I determine whether its compatible? (without opening it up) can i tell using the model of the motherboard?? any and all help is appreciated thanks.

you can always use a usb enclosure that supports sata drives.