Hard drives

gloomer · 07-02-2008, 10:41 PM

I'm in dire need of a new hard drive, mine being only 80gb. However, I don't want to throw the 80gb one away. I was wondering if I could use both hard drives.

I need to find out what kind of hard drive I have (SATA, IDE, ATA,) all these names are confusing me. But I need to find out what type of Hard drive I have, and which one to get, and if I can have both going at the same time.

Sorry if I sound a little confusing. I'm just a bit rushed.

rkagin · 07-02-2008, 10:50 PM

If it's a desktop, open it up and determine if the hard drive has a fat cord (IDE) or 4-pin cord (SATA).

As for installing a second hard drive, I believe it's just as easy as popping it in and making sure your bios sees the drive. From there, just format the drive to your desires.

gloomer · 07-02-2008, 11:21 PM

Alright, there's a 4 pin cable that does not look like it's connected to anything, and a smaller cable from the HDD that plugs directly into the motherboard.

So it's SATA I assume? Unfortunately, there's only one slot for a hard drive and doesn't look like there's room for more. Guess I'll have to sell it on craigslist or something heh.

If that above is all true, and it is a SATA, any recommendations? Preferably from NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection. because it's the store closest to me. I'm looking for something around 250gigs to 500, but not lower. I'm just hoping the price is under $120.

Thanks!

EDIT: Also, will the physical size of the drive matter? 3.5inch vs 2.5inch?

carnageX · 07-03-2008, 01:55 AM

3.5" is used in desktops, 2.5" is used in laptops.

rkagin · 07-03-2008, 10:03 AM

These seem to be what you're looking for:

NCIX.com - Buy Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive - ST3500320AS In Canada.
NCIX.com - Buy Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB Cache 8.9MS NCQ Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty - WD5000AAKS In Canada.

Both are under 100 CAD.

Trotter · 07-03-2008, 10:12 AM

ATA = IDE = EIDE = wide flat ribbon cable

SATA = thin cable, maybe 1/4" wide

Since you don't have room for another drive in the cage, do you have a spare drive bay? If so, you can use this to mount the drive:
Removable drive tray

07-02-2008, 10:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
gloomer True Techie Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 162	Hard drives I'm in dire need of a new hard drive, mine being only 80gb. However, I don't want to throw the 80gb one away. I was wondering if I could use both hard drives. I need to find out what kind of hard drive I have (SATA, IDE, ATA,) all these names are confusing me. But I need to find out what type of Hard drive I have, and which one to get, and if I can have both going at the same time. Sorry if I sound a little confusing. I'm just a bit rushed.

07-02-2008, 10:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
rkagin Junior Techie Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 74	Re: Hard drives If it's a desktop, open it up and determine if the hard drive has a fat cord (IDE) or 4-pin cord (SATA). As for installing a second hard drive, I believe it's just as easy as popping it in and making sure your bios sees the drive. From there, just format the drive to your desires.

07-02-2008, 11:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
gloomer True Techie Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 162	Re: Hard drives Alright, there's a 4 pin cable that does not look like it's connected to anything, and a smaller cable from the HDD that plugs directly into the motherboard. So it's SATA I assume? Unfortunately, there's only one slot for a hard drive and doesn't look like there's room for more. Guess I'll have to sell it on craigslist or something heh. If that above is all true, and it is a SATA, any recommendations? Preferably from NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Great Technology, Service and Selection. because it's the store closest to me. I'm looking for something around 250gigs to 500, but not lower. I'm just hoping the price is under $120. Thanks! EDIT: Also, will the physical size of the drive matter? 3.5inch vs 2.5inch? Last edited by gloomer; 07-02-2008 at 11:30 PM. Reason: sizes

07-03-2008, 01:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
carnageX Lurker Techie Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: South Dakota Posts: 2,505	Re: Hard drives 3.5" is used in desktops, 2.5" is used in laptops. __________________ /Antec 900...................................Intel e6750 @ 3.53GHz\ /Xigmatek Rifle S1283..............GigaByte GA-P35-DS3R mobo\ /2x1GB G.Skill/2x1GB OCZ Gold DDR2-800 @ 5-5-5-15, 441MHz\ \EVGA 8800GT 512MB @ 730/1000................Corsair 520hx PSU/ \19" Hanns-G Widescreen LCD.............19" AOC Fullscreen CRT/ \SeaGate 500GB/320GB; Maxtor 160GB external; W.D. 160GB/ 3DMark06 Score: 13700 \| carnageX \| e6750 @ 3.53GHz \| 8800GT 512MB @ 760/1080 \| XP Home 32bit

07-03-2008, 10:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
rkagin Junior Techie Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 74	Re: Hard drives These seem to be what you're looking for: NCIX.com - Buy Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 3.5IN 500GB SATA2 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive - ST3500320AS In Canada. NCIX.com - Buy Western Digital SE16 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB Cache 8.9MS NCQ Hard Drive OEM 3YR MFR Warranty - WD5000AAKS In Canada. Both are under 100 CAD.

07-03-2008, 10:12 AM	#6 (permalink)
Trotter Tech-Forums Management Das BanHammer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: The South Posts: 13,969	Re: Hard drives ATA = IDE = EIDE = wide flat ribbon cable SATA = thin cable, maybe 1/4" wide Since you don't have room for another drive in the cage, do you have a spare drive bay? If so, you can use this to mount the drive: Removable drive tray __________________ Avatar created by pokernod Tech-Forums Management -Das Banhammer- CoolerMaster WaveMaster (black) - Vantec Stealth 520W DFI LanParty UT nF4 SLI-D - AMD Athlon X2 4200+ - Zalman CNPS9500 2GB (2x1 GB) G.SKILL ZS - Seagate 80GB, 250GB SATA - Razer Lachesis ATI 3850 w/Accelero S1 - NEC 19" MultiSync 1970GX RegistryBooster, SpeedUpMyPC, SpyEraser, WinTasks - Uniblue Free Software Trials

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