limited IDE hook-ups...suckage

[ProMinx]

i have three hard drives, a CD burner, and a CD reader...and i can't plug them al in because you're limited to four IDE devices (right?)...and i know that every IDE device hooked up slows down the machine, but still...I want to have everything hooked up so i don't have to keep working around in there...
ProMinx

[hapoo]

yeah, i have the same problem. I also dont have enough bays open to hold all of them. Next motherboard i get will handle 8 though.

[ProMinx]

8! i thought that all motherboards allowed only 4 IDE devices... I should've done more research before buying this damn motherboard...
ProMinx

[hapoo]

some newer models come with support for 4 ATA-100 and 4 ATA-33 drives

[sbp]

Most motherboards come with 2 ide channels. Each ide channel allows you to use 2 ide devices which means your basically limited to 4 ide devices.

A few motherboards like Asus's A7V come with an additional ide controller chip which means the motherboard has 4 ide channels. This in turn means you can then use 8 ide devices.

My suggestion is you get a promise ultra 66 ide controller card: http://www.promise.com/Products/idecards/u66.htm
or Promise Ultra 100 ide controller card http://www.promise.com/Products/idecards/u100.htm

[ProMinx]

i've been looking at that promise page, but i can't find a price tag. Am i just blind? Does anyone know a rough price estimate for either card?
ProMinx

[sbp]

Promise ultra 66 ide controller card $20.53
http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10023443&hdwt=30451

Promise ultra 100 ide controller card $31.68
http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10253470&hdwt=30451

mwave.com promsie ide controller card page:
http://192.216.185.10/mwave/doSearch.hmx?bop=and&scriteria=promise&UID=&CID=&Back=&n=1

[ProMinx]

i know this will sound weird to some of you, but i paid RETAIL for the Ultra ATA 100 card from my workplace. I actually paid 49 bucks just because I saw it at work and I was like...I never saw these before (so i asked the buyer and he said we just started carrying them today). It was totally meant for me to buy this card today...so I did. I was just freaked out because I started working a few hours after I read this post and just saw this thing on the shelf...but fortunately there is a 50 dollar rebate if you get a 40+ GB Maxtor HD, and my friend is about to buy a 40 gigger, so we'll split the rebate.
ProMinx

[hapoo]

Originally posted by ProMinx
i know this will sound weird to some of you, but i paid RETAIL for the Ultra ATA 100 card from my workplace. I actually paid 49 bucks just because I saw it at work and I was like...I never saw these before (so i asked the buyer and he said we just started carrying them today). It was totally meant for me to buy this card today...so I did. I was just freaked out because I started working a few hours after I read this post and just saw this thing on the shelf...but fortunately there is a 50 dollar rebate if you get a 40+ GB Maxtor HD, and my friend is about to buy a 40 gigger, so we'll split the rebate.
ProMinx


no biggie, i've done that before too. sometimes its just not worth my time and energy to try and save a couple bucks.

[ProMinx]

actually, i went out and bought the maxtor card instead of the promise card. my mistake.
PM

[giambona]

I thought that IDE controllers don't add channels, only replace them? Like if you want to connect your drive to a higher spead controller than what's built onto the mobo.

[sbp]

Originally posted by giambona
I thought that IDE controllers don't add channels, only replace them? Like if you want to connect your drive to a higher spead controller than what's built onto the mobo. No giamboa. IDE controller PCI cards add channels. If a person wants to use a high speed IDE controller card channels instead of the build in IDE controller on the motherboard there's nothing to prevent them from doing so.