PCI/PCI Express IDE Controller Card

[rockymtnhigh]

I treated myself yesterday to a new desktop computer -- upgraded to a Dell Quad-Core (6Gb Ram, Vista-64, 750GB HDD). And while the computer is great (its better than great, it rocks), I have a 7200rpm IDE Hard Drive and an IDE DVD-DL burner that I want to add to the new system. Of course, there are NO IDE controllers on the new system. And the machine has 2 PCI Express slots open, and 1 PCI slot (which is supporting a modem).

So I did a search on Amazon for PCI IDE Controller Board and PCI Express, and found a few boards.

Anyone have any experience with these?

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag...xpress IDE controller&sourceid=Mozilla-search

 

[vurbano]

Offtopic: Is there really any advantage to using SATA devices like DVD burners in these systems if the motherboard has IDE also? Because I have been contmplating an upgrade and why buy new devices like those?

 

[tstolze]

No experience, but a quick search and I found something that may work out better.

IDE-SATA IDE Drive to SATA Cable Converter for IDE HDD/CD/DVD

 

[vurbano]

No experience, but a quick search and I found something that may work out better.

IDE-SATA IDE Drive to SATA Cable Converter for IDE HDD/CD/DVD

I wonder how an IDE HD with one of those gadgets on it compares to an SATA drive. Lord knows I have a lot of them around

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I wonder how an IDE HD with one of those gadgets on it compares to an SATA drive. Lord knows I have a lot of them around

Yeah, tell me about it.


Of course it costs $20 for just 1, whereas the PCI Express card will handle 2 IDE drives. Still, it might be worth the extra cost to NOT have a IDE controller installed and just live entirely in the SATA world.

 

[JAG72]

Rocky - What processor is in your new machine?

 

[John Kotches]

It's a little slower in either direction vs. native drives but it isn't the end of the world. Figure to lose about 3-5% of the performance in translation.

Best,

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Rocky - What processor is in your new machine?

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @2.33 HZ, 6GB RAM, 6MB L2 Cache
Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost, 750GB hard drive (7200rpm)
ATI RADEON 3450 graphics
Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition

I picked up the Samsung 24" 2443 LCD monitor to go with it, and I am a very happy camper. (Running dual display with my Sammy 19" LCD).

 

[John Kotches]

Rocky:

I forgot to mention you have to watch out for the extra length the adapters add. In a case that has little clearance behind the back of the drive you could have issues.

Best,

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Rocky:

I forgot to mention you have to watch out for the extra length the adapters add. In a case that has little clearance behind the back of the drive you could have issues.

Best,

Thanks. It looks like there is plenty of space; the tower is actually designed quite nice. But I'll definitely check first.

 

[JAG72]

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 @2.33 HZ, 6GB RAM, 6MB L2 Cache
Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost, 750GB hard drive (7200rpm)
ATI RADEON 3450 graphics
Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition

I picked up the Samsung 24" 2443 LCD monitor to go with it, and I am a very happy camper. (Running dual display with my Sammy 19" LCD).

Very nice. I also just upgraded two months ago to a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @2.66 Ghz with 12MB L2 Cache. The time it takes to do the HD encoding is night and day difference from my Dual Core AMD system.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Very nice. I also just upgraded two months ago to a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @2.66 Ghz with 12MB L2 Cache. The time it takes to do the HD encoding is night and day difference from my Dual Core AMD system.

If I was willing to spend a few hundred more dollars (AND wasn't in an instant gratification mood) I could have gotten a bit more on the cache and ram, and a TB HDD, but I really wanted the 24" monitor, so decided that this was good enough. Heck, I was upgrading from a single core AMD64 processor. Plus, for $1050 including tax, I thought I got a helluva lot of computer.

And the Samsung monitor for $329 is excellent. Its PQ is just as good as the $600 Dell I have at the office; yes, it lacks HDMI inputs, but for the price it is a good deal. It normally goes for $440.

 

[goaliebob99]

Sata is suppost to have a quicker transfer rate than IDE, With my machine, there are times where im transfering super quick, like to transfer from one sata to another stata drive quick. on average 10 gigs will take me 4 min to transfer from one sata to another.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Sata is suppost to have a quicker transfer rate than IDE, With my machine, there are times where im transfering super quick, like to transfer from one sata to another stata drive quick. on average 10 gigs will take me 4 min to transfer from one sata to another.

Certainly, and I can see the rationale to possibly just stay SATA for the drives, but for a DVD burner? Is that going to make that much of a difference? I have a decent Memorex 20X DVD R/DL drive not in use.

 

[John Kotches]

Sata is suppost to have a quicker transfer rate than IDE, With my machine, there are times where im transfering super quick, like to transfer from one sata to another stata drive quick. on average 10 gigs will take me 4 min to transfer from one sata to another.

In theory yes. In practice, the drives don't have a ton of performance difference. The channel has more bandwidth but there are no drives that sustain above that anyway.

It sounds like you're running sequential block level transfers to get that speed. It's "only" 40 or so MB per second though.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Ok, rather than start a new thread I have an off-topic, but related question. Turned on the new machine this morning, and when the monitor came on, there was one pixel that was blue (while the screen was black). Once it booted, you can't see it. And everything looks fine.

Obviously a bad pixel, but is one bad pixel likely to spiral to MORE bad pixels? Its annoying, but should I just return it and get another? I do like the display.

When I am running the computer (like now), I can not tell that there is a problem. I guess I should just watch it for the next few days; I have 14 days to return it if necessary.

 

[snathanb]

Ok, rather than start a new thread I have an off-topic, but related question. Turned on the new machine this morning, and when the monitor came on, there was one pixel that was blue (while the screen was black). Once it booted, you can't see it. And everything looks fine.

Obviously a bad pixel, but is one bad pixel likely to spiral to MORE bad pixels? Its annoying, but should I just return it and get another? I do like the display.

When I am running the computer (like now), I can not tell that there is a problem. I guess I should just watch it for the next few days; I have 14 days to return it if necessary.

Sounds like a "stuck" pixel, not a bad one.

Give this utility a try.

JScreenFix - Fix stuck pixels

Here's another good page.

http://www.wikihow.com/Fix-a-Stuck-Pixel-on-an-LCD-Monitor

1 stuck pixel doesn't tend to lead to more. However, if you can exchange it, I would. While it may not bother you during normal operations, you may find applications where it does bother you, like watching a movie. Plus, degrades resale value if you decide to sell it in the future.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Sounds like a "stuck" pixel, not a bad one.

Give this utility a try.

JScreenFix - Fix stuck pixels

Here's another good page.

How to Fix a Stuck Pixel on an LCD Monitor - wikiHow

1 stuck pixel doesn't tend to lead to more. However, if you can exchange it, I would. While it may not bother you during normal operations, you may find applications where it does bother you, like watching a movie. Plus, degrades resale value if you decide to sell it in the future.

Thanks. I ran JScreenFix and the stuck pixel is now not as bright, but still there. I will exchange the monitor. Too much of an annoyance. And for the price, it should work out of the box. Thanks again.