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More storage space - Serial ATA?

  • 16-09-2005 1:29pm
    #1
    Oriel
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭


    Folks,
    I currently have a 80Gb primary drive and a 200Gb storage drive, both with various partitions. I'm running out of space and want to add more.
    However, due to the fact that I'm currently running two hard drives, should I move to SATA?
    I'm not exactly sure how this works, and a quick google returns far too much information to make an quick informed decision. From what I understand, it's where the computer sees the drives as an array of drives, rather than the standard two. Am I right?

    Could somebody quickly explain to me what this is, and how I could make the switch to SATA?

    Cheers!
    S.


Comments

  • #2
    greglo23
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭greglo23


    your mixing 2 technologies here. sata is serial ata (http://www.serialata.org/) and raid is redundant array of independent disks
    (http://tinyurl.com/686ck) see these links for further info and if you want more info try GOOGLE !!


  • #3
    jozi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,391 ✭✭✭jozi


    If your motherboard suports sata then you can just add a sata drive no problem, you may just have to install drivers and thats it.

    Jozi


  • #4
    Oriel
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    But is one of these not where, if you save a file, it splits the file up over several disks or something like that? (Kinda like the way a single HD splits the file over the platters)
    Also, will I be able to keep my existing drives, and just add more hard drives on top of what I currently have, or will I need to replace the storage system?


  • #5
    srdb20
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,175 ✭✭✭srdb20


    Serial ATA works by transporting the data in serial (one piece of data after the other, and hence the cables are slimmer and smaller),

    Where as IDE use (Parallel to transport data, i.e data running side by side, and hence the cables are wide and slim)

    To use SATA your MOBO must support it, if you post up the model i can have a look at it for ya?


  • #6
    KdjaCL
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,346 ✭✭✭✭KdjaCL


    Raid as useful tool is 2 to 5 drives all mirrored ie 5x10GB isnt 50gb but 10gb. The hds all contain the same data just as a failsafe its there 5 times in case one dies.

    Most general users use them as they are faster drives ie an SCSI raid is 10,000rpm drives compared to IDE 7200.

    Sata can be used in a raid confiuration but the effects to a general user are neglible but to a company server raid is invaluable.

    If you have SATA ports buy a sata and make it your main boot drive, they are faster than IDE. You can get PCI sata cards if you dont have sata built in.


    kdjac


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  • #7
    jozi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,391 ✭✭✭jozi


    sinecurea wrote:
    But is one of these not where, if you save a file, it splits the file up over several disks or something like that? (Kinda like the way a single HD splits the file over the platters)
    Also, will I be able to keep my existing drives, and just add more hard drives on top of what I currently have, or will I need to replace the storage system?
    You can just add a sata drive and use it like a normal ide one, no need for multiple drives unless you go raid.
    As mentioned above to, use you sata drive to boot windows


  • #8
    Oriel
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    I'm not sure of the model of the motherboard, but it's an Asus one, I bought it about 3 years ago now, so I think i'm going to have to buy a card or upgrade the motherboard.
    But if I'm going to upgrade the mother board, then I'm going to have to upgrade everything else too, which is a completetly different thing in it's self, which is something I'm going to leave until after Christmas to do.

    I perfectly understand the principles involved (CS graduate), it's just that I've stayed away from storage types and just stuck to the usual pri/sec hard drive config.


  • #9
    jozi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,391 ✭✭✭jozi


    you can just add the sata ones and keep the ide as well.
    I used to have both working fine, you just have to setup the bios to boot from what ever drive has the os


  • #10
    KdjaCL
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,346 ✭✭✭✭KdjaCL


    3 year old mobo doubt it has sata built in or the ability to boot from a PCI controller.

    I have 3 250GB IDE and 2 120GB sata in my pc with the sata the boot drive and other a back up of that. I collect porn.


    kdjac


  • #11
    jozi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,391 ✭✭✭jozi


    KdjaC wrote:
    3 year old mobo doubt it has sata built in or the ability to boot from a PCI controller.

    I have 3 250GB IDE and 2 120GB sata in my pc with the sata the boot drive and other a back up of that. I collect porn.


    kdjac
    ROFL


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  • #12
    Blogoffmen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 80 ✭✭Blogoffmen


    Kdjac, lol but an honest man!

    sinecurea, how many optical drives do you have (dvd, internal zip)?
    If you have only one then you can get another ide drive.

    Also consider external USB2.0 or better Firewire HDD's, if upgrading
    mainboard + buying new hdd is too costly.

    You can aswell replace your 80gb with a Maxtor 300gb for €130 and sell of your 80gb.
    Using Ghost to clone all data over is piece of cake and some mainboards came with a version of it on CD.

    regards


  • #13
    Kintarō Hattori
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,039 ✭✭✭✭Kintarō Hattori


    sinecurea wrote:
    But is one of these not where, if you save a file, it splits the file up over several disks or something like that? (Kinda like the way a single HD splits the file over the platters)
    Also, will I be able to keep my existing drives, and just add more hard drives on top of what I currently have, or will I need to replace the storage system?

    RAID will, if you set it up, split the file over two hard drives, and Serial ATA drives can do this. But all you want is to add another hard drive to your system. There are a few ways you can do this:

    1. The two connectors on you motherboard can hold two devices each, be they hard drives or optical drives, so as there are two connectors that means you can connect up to 4 devices. Have a look inside your PC and see how many devices are connected.

    2. Install a SATA hard drive. If your motherboard already has a SATA connector, then all you need to do is buy a SATA hard drive, connect it to the motherboard and power supply. You might very well have to install drivers, but it's not terribly difficult. SATA drives can do raid in the way your imagining, but you do not have to do that.

    As people have been asking, give us the model number of your motherboard and we'll tell you if it has SATA built in, though at 3 years old it's doubtful.

    Don't think to hard about it- I think your getting yourself confused. Adding a SATA hard drive to your computer really is no more difficult than adding the older PATA hard drives.

    PS - You can keep your old hard drives as well, most people here would have a mix of the older drives and the newer ones. They don't interfere with each other in any way.


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