SATA to IDE Adapter - Are they worth it?

[quantass]

I own an older PC which uses IDE. I need to purchase a new HDD and so I'm eyeing a 500GB+. I know at some point i will be upgrading my PC so perhaps a SATA2/3 drive would be best.

Can you tell me what adapters exist for "SATA2/3 to IDE" and "SATA power to MOLEX". Do they effect performance much? Where can i find such things online (i live in London Ontario)?

Thank you

[willy]

IDE won't disappear completely ... Most current generation motherboards still have 1 IDE channel (for up to 2 IDE devices).

However, if the HD you are planning to purchase has only SATA interface, you can add a SATA PCI controller to your existing system.

Like this one ... http://www.cty.ca/productdetails.asp?pid=1172


One question ... Just how 'old' is your 'older' system ? Some very old systems cannot handle HDs > 137GB ... Also, what version of OS are you using ?

[quantass]

My system is a P4 1.7GHZ using Windows XP Pro. Not too sure the mobo or chipset.

Good point about IDE being around for some time. If thats the case maybe i will stick with it. Is there any advantage to going SATA2/3 ?

And what about molex power?

[willy]

Power ... You can use this ... http://www.canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=002672&cid=CA.784.429

[willy]

Just in case there's no more IDE channels in the future motherboard, you can still use this ... http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040701&p_id=327&seq=1&format=1#largeimage

There's also another alternative ... Get an external HD ... It will work on your current system and it will also work on your future system ...

[7jaii]

I do not recommend using IDE to SATA molex/input adapters. When SATA1 first arrived every store was selling adapters for mobos. The result was a high rate of disk failure and stores pulled them off the shelves. This is one reason (the other is poor quality control), few Toronto stores carry onboard adapters.

You may see eSATA or SATA PCI expansion cards but those contain onboard control chips to relay data & voltage.

Your best bet is purchasing:

1. Simple USB2.0 SATAII External - insert SATA HDD and connect through your PC USB port

2. SATA HDD Docking Station - insert HDD into slot and plug through USB2.0 or eSATA port

3. SATAII expansion or RAID PC card - insert into mobo PCI slot

4. eSATA bracket - now this requires thinking because some are strictly PCI and don't require a free SATA port...but cheapo brands require a mobo SATA port

In each case your data Read/Write is controlled by a dedicated IC or control card. When you use a IDE to SATA adapter it's just molded PCB with pins. And if you must purchase a IDE/SATA ribbon adapter then don't leave it plugged in (ie. use it for Bit Torrent). If ribbon/PCB adapters were safer & better then why would Vantec manufacture Externals? At retail shops, Externals outnumber old-style adapters 50:1

[rabbit]

If you can wait a month or so (for shipping), I recommend:

Silicon Image 3 port SATA RAID card $17.27
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4734
or
Silicon Image 4 port SATA (RAID?) card $20.12
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4660

Power Cable $1.19
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9809


- some SATA cards come with the SATA cable, but if not, you can buy one there for $1-1.50

- they also sell PCI Cards that have SATA + IDE ports (extra IDE ports may come in handy whenever you buy a new computer), but they most likely have a Via chipset, which isn't as good as Silicon Image

- if you don't have USB2, they have SATA and/or IDE cards with USB2, and maybe with 1394a, as well (again, probably Via)



edit// added "for shipping" in first sentence

[lead]

ok comps not so reliable for xboxs. Timing problem where the drive won't show up periodically

[Riffer]

Does no one use the buy and sell forums anymore?

I am sure you could get a large capacity IDE drive at a sweet price with a WTB!

[NvMySi]

alright so im using an older computer as well and it doesnt have a SATA plug on it but i already have a 500gb hitachi sata harddrive from my previous system that i sold, i want to copy some of the stuff to my ide harddrive, so will this work ? do i just plug it into the mobo ide and im set or should i buy step 2?

step 1:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040701&p_id=327&seq=1&format=1#largeimage


step 2

http://www.cty.ca/productdetails.asp?pid=1172

[rabbit]

I would recommend an SATA/IDE to USB cable/adaptor, like:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10113
It's great to have around for emergencies.

If you can't wait a month for it to ship from DX, you can probably find one at a local computer store, although most likely at a higher price.