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Sata HDD - very quick and maybe dumb question

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by richtea78, 27 Mar 2004.

  1. richtea78

    richtea78 Guest

    I recently started looking into building my own computer for the first time and had some help from people on here picking the system. Im trying to build it as quiet as possible hence the Tagen Power supply and the Lian Li 6070 case but air cooled as Im scared of water cooling :blush:

    So far I have the case and the motherboard - a DFI LAN Party Pro 875B Intel P4 Motherboard and am now looking for the HD. The mobo has support for 2 SATA drives and Ive seen lots of reviews saying how they are much quieter than similar IDE drives. My question is this

    Would it be possible to use 2 Seagate SERIAL SATA Barracuda 7200.7 80Gb drives without using an IDE drive at all or would I need an IDE drive in the system as well? I think it would be ok but would like some confirmation from someone who knows a bit more about it than me

    Thanks in advance for you help
    Chris
     
  2. Monster63385

    Monster63385 What's a Dremel?

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    Yea its possible, you just need to install the drivers for the SATA controller when it says press F6. I run a WD 36GB raptor 10k rpm hard drive and thats all. for killer speed you might want to consider a pair of 74 GB raptors in a raid 0 arrray, expensive but well worth it.
     
  3. whypick1

    whypick1 The über-Pick

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    Actually, Monster's got it wrong. You don't need to install any drivers because the SATA controller is on the southbridge as opposed to being on a seperate controller. This is all transperant to the OS.
     
  4. TMM

    TMM Modder

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    nah you still do, otherwise the setup won't detect it when you install the OS.. even if its onboard...
     
  5. Will

    Will Beware the judderman...

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    Thats what I thought too, but rtt tells me otherwise :)

    Basically I think with the S-ATA controller built into the ICH5R Southbridge on Intels i865/875 chip, you don't need to install the drivers using the old 'press F6 at the install menu' method, as it somehow tricks Windows into seeing them without drivers so you can set up with them. Remember this only applies to the S-ATA controller built into the southbridge, not the additional silicon image S-ATA controller a lot of Intel boards have as well as the ICH5R ones.
     
  6. richtea78

    richtea78 Guest

    Will - whats RTT?

    Just to confirm then as the mobo has the ICH5R southbridge I should be ok to connect the SATAs up without an IDE? I am installing a floppy into the system anyway as I like them and still use it so if I do have to install drivers that should be possible

    Thanks everyone for your help
    Chris
     
  7. yodasarmpit

    yodasarmpit Modder

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    You will learn..
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    He's the forum Admin
     
  8. richtea78

    richtea78 Guest

    Thanks - I thought it was something like Read The Thread :duh:
     
  9. mushky

    mushky gimme snails

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    This is RTT. Fear him.

    [​IMG]

    If you want quiet, steer well clear of raptors. I cant see how a SATA drive can be quiter than an exact same IDE one, as these are just the interfaces. The actual drive moving parts are the same. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong..

    I thikn you want to look out for drives with fluid bearings. I could be wrong..
     
  10. felix the cat

    felix the cat Spaceman Spiff

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    if you want quiet get the hdds you suggested...you wont hear them...

    i run two 120gig ones and they cant be heard...
     
  11. aaronrkelly

    aaronrkelly What's a Dremel?

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    I have an Intel D865GLC mobo and there is NO need to install drivers - the SATA just works....there is NO drivers to install.....other chips may require them.

    I also run a Raptor. FAST, REALLY FAST.....but definitely NOT quiet. Definite clicking noises can be heard over my PSU and my 4 case fans.

    I dont see how any SATA drive would be quieter than a PATA one. Most SATA drivers are pretty much PATA drives with a chip to do the conversion built on the hard drive controller - the mechanics cant be much, if any, different.
     
  12. Kermet

    Kermet [custom title]

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    I have 2 120GB SATA Seagates, nice and quiet...
     
  13. TMM

    TMM Modder

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    it will work if you add a sata hdd and windows is installed to something else. but if you ONLY have sata, and you wnat to install windows and all the hdds are blank, you need a floppy ;)
     
  14. aaronrkelly

    aaronrkelly What's a Dremel?

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    No man, let me say this again - NO NEED FOR DRIVER....EVER!!! The ICH5 chipset supports SATA natively - it basically shows up as IDE channel 3 and 4. My Raptor is my BOOT drive. I put in Windows XP CD and just installed. NO DRIVERS NEEDED.

    NONE

    NADA

    ZERO

    NO DRIVERS needed if SATA support is built into the chipset. If its a chip on the motherboard that is linked to the PCI bus then yes - you will need a driver. Read more about motherboards, trust me.......my ABIT IS7-E is like this also.
     
  15. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Where did this myth begin? I have 2x 80Gb, and 2x 160Gb Seagate Barracuda SATA drives. You can hear them. At idle they're silent, yes, but head activity is actually louder then my old drives, which were 7200rpm Deskstars. I've also owned Maxtor drives, and they were quieter as well. The Seagate drives are silent when just idling, yes, but as idle noise on all but the noisiest drives are hidden below other system noises usually (unless you run a totally water or passive cooled system), who cares? Head activity noise is what gets intrusive, and all 4 of my Barracudas are louder than the Maxtor and Deskstar equivalents.

    I'm not saying they're LOUD... as they're still very quiet, but this moniker of "silent" they've earned themselves is not deserved.

    Still the best drives you can get tho, as they are quiet, and they are fast... just not silent.
     
  16. Kermet

    Kermet [custom title]

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    aaronrkelly is right, no drivers needed for the ICH5...

    As for the Seagates, they are not silent when accessing but are pretty damn quiet, the quietest make I've ever had anyway. Though not quite as quiet as the IV series (have had a 120GB V series and 120GB IV series side by side).
     
  17. felix the cat

    felix the cat Spaceman Spiff

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    hmm...well i guess you must either be really unlucky, or me really lucky...

    after going through ibm deathstar 75,60 and 120gxp, wd normal, wd se, and maxtor dm9, seagate barracuda II, III, IV, V and now the sata version i still think they are the quietest drives compared to all others in all situations...

    guess that just must be me then...
     
  18. chucky

    chucky What's a Dremel?

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    does the asus a7n8x deluxe require a driver?
     
  19. felix the cat

    felix the cat Spaceman Spiff

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    yep...but its really easy to install, so no worries!
     
  20. Michael10642

    Michael10642 What's a Dremel?

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    Acoustic management can make head activity quieter, but seach times will almost double.
     

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