Ata/ide?

[rosh325]

Hey, Quick question...if i want to replace my current hd (fujitsu 8gig capacity).....do i need to do anything as far as my IDE cables...i constantly see "ATA 100" associated with HD but i dont know what that is...my MB is about 3 years old......i can provide more info if needed...thanks

 

[rmay635703]

Don't bother changing cables if your system only supports ATA33, if it supports above ata33 you need to buy an 80wire IDE cable and attach it correctly to your system board

Cheers

 

[rosh325]

I'm a tad bit confused...how do i know what my sistem has (as far as ata)..also...is ata 33 slower than ata100....can a 33 system support 100?

 

[JohnWill]

Bigger numbers are faster. AFAIK, only Maxtor is up to ATA-133, the new WD drives are still ATA-100. As mentioned, anything faster than ATA-33 requires 80 conductor cables. Your controller auto-recognizes if you have the proper cable and adjusts the DMA speed.

 

[rosh325]

"controller"? afaid i dont know that......as far as this cable...how expensive is it/complicated to hook up?

 

[JSanguancheu]

You'll need to check the IDE controller specs in your PC's owner's manual or go to the manufacturer's site and see if they have the specs listed.

There are 5 different flavors of ATA out there right now.
ATA 33/66/100/133 and the newest.. Serial ATA (SATA)

Since your HD is only 8Gb, it's probably ATA33 which uses an IDE cable with 40 wires in it.

The faster ATA versions require a new IDE cable that has 80 wires. To transfer more data faster. Most of the HD's sold today are ATA 100/133/or SATA. The new cables are fairly cheap. $3-6.

If your PC only supports ATA33, you should still be able to use the new drives on it, but the HD just won't perform to its best ability.

Good luck.