Technical > Computer Hardware Help > [hard drive] 2nd hard drive to IDE primary-IDE or SATA

[hard drive] 2nd hard drive to IDE primary-IDE or SATA

unless the mainboard has sata2 then there is really no point worrying about it. Sata1 and the fastest ide available and using an 80 conductor cable is about the same bandwidth.

If you have sata2 then DEFINITELY get a new hdd such as a caviar black or samsung spinpoit etc.

That would be SATA2, correct. There's SATA150, SATA300, and SATA600. Those are SATA, SATA2, and SATA3 respectively. I prefer to use the former terms, since they state in their names what the maximum PHY speed is.

I tend to stay away from Samsung (Spinpoint) disks given their extensive history of firmware bugs. Example. But go with whatever vendor you wish; everyone has ups and downs.
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reply to lmacmil
but I'm wondering if I should use a SATA drive since it's newer technology.

I don't think that is necessary if you have an ide drive to use, unless the performance isn't acceptable to you.

Are there any technical issues with mixing drive types that I should be aware of or any reason not to use a SATA drive as a 2nd drive with an IDE primary?

I think you should be fine if you want to do this

reply to lmacmil
what you might consider is getting a newer SATA drive and then using it as your primary drive.

I suspect you are running XP, given the apparent age of your system. So, you will likely need to get SATA drivers into your Windows install before making the transition. To do this, you physically install the new drive and boot into Windows as usual. After Windows recognizes the new drive and you are able to format it and use it as a blank spare drive, you can be pretty sure everything's ready for the move.

The next step is to clone the old IDE drive over to the new SATA drive. Most manufacturers offer a downloadable tool to help you do this. Just follow the instructions.

After the clone job is done, power off the machine and detach your IDE drive. Set your BIOS to boot the SATA drive and load up Windows.

Now you can either leave the IDE alone, keeping it as a backup in case of emergency or go ahead and use it as a second drive. In the latter case, you'd have to reattach the drive and just make sure that you are in fact booting your new drive and not the old one.
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reply to lmacmil
Normally you can mix drives w/o any issues. W.r.t. IDE vs SATA, if you already have and IDE drive you can put it in, but it usually makes no sense to buy a new IDE drive nowadays when there is an option for SATA.
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reply to pog