Question on Serial ATA

[Vitter]

Ok, it looks like my HD went kapoot on me (in regards to the other thread). So, i decided to get a new HD from newegg.

After looking around I decided on getting a Seagate 160gb 7200RPM with SATA interface. I figured I could use it for a few months and then give it to my fiance, then I would get 2 SATA 10000RPM HD's and set them up on a RAID-0 array.

I have a Asus P4C800E-Deluxe MB. According to the manual there are 2 SATA connectors which are labled SATA1 and SATA2. The box came with the cable I need to use.

My question is, how does the HD connect to the MB? Do I just connect a SATA cable from the HD to one of the SATA slots on the MB? Does a SATA HD involve connecting a ribbon into an IDE channel? Do I need to do both?

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on the process of hooking up this SATA HD before it arrives from NewEgg.

Thanks :)

[Smaug]

no ribbons involved with SATA. You're exactly right, just hook up that thin cable directly from the HD to the mobo. The only thing I would check out with seagate is the power connections. I have 2 seagate 120 gig SATA drives, and they don't come with 4 pin molex power connectors like raptors do. They have only the SATA power connections. But if its not a big deal you can buy molex-to-SATA power converters for about 5 bucks each.

[Vitter]

Radio Shak? ;)

[Smaug]

Uh dunno about radio shack they kinda suck. I got mine at compUSA, but for 10 bucks each a huge ripoff. Where do you plan on buying the drive from? If its from an online retailer, they most likely have some you could buy.

[Ait'al]

IF you bought the retail version of the P4C800-E you should have SATA power cables and conector cables. But you can spend 20 bucks and get a quickconnect SATA cable from Westerndigital that is both the power and the signal cable if you want. Anyway connect the signal connector to the regular SATA one on the board. Theyre the two SATA higher up on the board if your using a tower and its in the case(The board has two SATA regular connections and two SATA Raid connectors for using SATA in a raid). When you get the raid the two SATA connectors on the board closer to the power led connector and etc and the onboard firewire connector are the Raid SATA connectors. It should say SATA Raid 1 and SATA Raid 2 under the SATA Raid connectors on the board and SATA 1 and SATA 2 next to the regular SATA ones.

The Raid cables with the retail P4C800-E are the two bags of thin flat red cables and red caps. The power ones are the ones in the bags with a molex connector and two small flat black connectors laying against each other. There are two in each bag and two bags of them. They will, as i said, have two black connectors laying opposite directions against one another and when you find the end that is the connector it will look like a long usb connection. The Sata power cords that come with the board just connect to the SATA power and then to a regular molex connector from the power supply. There are two SATA side connecters per Molex so you only need one for the raid later.

You can combine different types of harddrives on this board but you have to read the manual for the exact combos you can use. Though its pretty much any of them you want, besides combining none raid and raid in one drive. Though You use the regular IDE connectors to make an IDE raid i think with the IDE raid connector. Youd have to read how to do it in the manual.

[Rbstr]

Why didn't i get SATA power connectors with my board it has everything else the c has arg.

I would try out a WesterDigital SATA, they have Molex and SATA power conectors, so no worries and the WD drive offer slighly more performance at the expence of 3-4 deccibles of sound. I'm gona be getting the 120 WD SATA soon

[Ait'al]

The SATA quick connects that come with WDs SATA drives kick ass. There nice and long, connect both the power and the signal cable to the motherboard, and are sturdy as hell. Not to mention the nice blue color. I think they come with both the newer SATA OEMs and the boxed drives that have there hardrive software.

Edit: And i got that round Zalmans hsf. The weight is nowhere near a problem. It feels heavy when you hold it, but when you put it on the board and lift it, it feels like a feather. I havent used it yet. Ive just stuck it on the MB with the processor to test its stability. ITs also stable as hell once its screwed down, and easy to remove and put back one.

Side question, but, Do you have to worry about putting thermal stuf on a processor with one of those little venting holes on its top.

[Smaug]

The SATA quick connects that come with WDs SATA drives kick ass. There nice and long, connect both the power and the signal cable to the motherboard, and are sturdy as hell. Not to mention the nice blue color. I think they come with both the newer SATA OEMs and the boxed drives that have there hardrive software.

Last time I checked, no mobo on the market supports connecting hard drive power cables direcly to the board. If the Asus one does, show me a link please that would be interesting.

[Rbstr]

i don't think it does

[Vitter]

I just checked my box and it did come with all the SATA cables I need.

What's this about connecting the HD power to the MB?

[Smaug]

You can't don't listen to aital, hes smoking major cheeba. Did your mobo come with molex to sata power connectors? If so you just connect those to the PSU molexs and then to the HD

[Ait'al]

SATA use alot less power than an IDE. And the quick connect cables have pins in the power SATA part of it. I thought it dealt with the power.

Did your mobo come with molex to sata power connectors? If so you just connect those to the PSU molexs and then to the HD

Thats what i said already dipshit. 8\

[Smaug]

And once again aital is wrong. There are seperate power, and data connections on SATA drives, the connectors look similar, but are seperate.

Thats what i said already dipshit. 8\
and I already said it about 8 posts up before you went on your ramble about getting power from the mobo...

[Ait'al]

WDs secure connect is a long connector that covers both the power and the signal part of it. Shut up. I have one my damn hands.

[Smaug]

Congratulations but that doesn't connect to a mobo. The mobo only has a data connection. You cannot get power to the harddrive solely from the mobo

[Baneblade]

If you can't do it with a floppy drive, you sure as hell can't with a hard drive...

[Smaug]

I know what cable you're talking about aital (here (http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/wdsc50rcw.asp)) but I'm pretty sure you still have to power it with the molex.

[Ait'al]

Well either way, if he gets a WD, he should try it first without the legacy power connector to see if it doesnt do it, so he doesnt fry his Hard drive. The connectors cord doesnt look bigger, but its doubled. I thought they squeezed some power cords in there and there was just enough power for it through that.

My power supply get here on monday, so ill see if it does or not and put a post in here.