Serial ATA-150 or Ultra ATA-133??

brandon_uop · 06-16-2005, 12:59 PM

I have a couple of questions.

First of all, if my new mobo does not specifically specify compatibility for an ATA/133 drive, for example "ATA-33/66/100", does that mean that an ATA-133 hard drive will not be compatible with it? Would I have to get an IDE controller card to accommodate the ATA-133 drive separately? I only ask because I have heard that it does not make a difference whether or not a mobo actually specifies ATA-133 or not.

My second question: Is there any distinct difference or disadvantage to using Serial ATA-150 drives as opposed to Ultra ATA-133's? Because if I used the serial my first question would not matter?

Thanks for any input.

ebackhus · 06-16-2005, 06:54 PM

Unless you have quality hardware you won't fully see the speed of SATA-150. ATA133 is plenty speedy and just about every board out there fully supports it. You just need to make sure that your acbles are 80-pin and capable of 133 and that if you have two drives on a cable that they are BOTH ATA133 capable. Mixing an ATA66 and ATA133 will result in both running at ATA66 speeds, kinda a waste!

**blackduck30** · 06-16-2005, 07:48 PM

The only thing i would add is that the mobo manufactures seem to be moving away from IDE dependant mobo's . You will notice on a lot of the upmarket boards are only providing 1 ide slot and mulitple sata inputs as well as PCI express slots. I think in the near future we will see the sata 2 released and more and more mobo manufacturers starting to take advantage of it.
I like like to look to future upgrades when buying hardware. The main thing is that the setup you have will meet your needs

**johnwill** · 06-16-2005, 08:41 PM

I agree that today there is no difference in performance, but like Blackduck30 says, SATA is where everyone is going.

06-16-2005, 12:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
brandon_uop Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 29 OS: XP HOME SP1	Serial ATA-150 or Ultra ATA-133?? I have a couple of questions. First of all, if my new mobo does not specifically specify compatibility for an ATA/133 drive, for example "ATA-33/66/100", does that mean that an ATA-133 hard drive will not be compatible with it? Would I have to get an IDE controller card to accommodate the ATA-133 drive separately? I only ask because I have heard that it does not make a difference whether or not a mobo actually specifies ATA-133 or not. My second question: Is there any distinct difference or disadvantage to using Serial ATA-150 drives as opposed to Ultra ATA-133's? Because if I used the serial my first question would not matter? Thanks for any input.

06-16-2005, 06:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,303 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Unless you have quality hardware you won't fully see the speed of SATA-150. ATA133 is plenty speedy and just about every board out there fully supports it. You just need to make sure that your acbles are 80-pin and capable of 133 and that if you have two drives on a cable that they are BOTH ATA133 capable. Mixing an ATA66 and ATA133 will result in both running at ATA66 speeds, kinda a waste! __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

06-16-2005, 07:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
blackduck30 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Wollongong/Australia Posts: 4,230 OS: XP pro SP3/Vista Ultimate My System	The only thing i would add is that the mobo manufactures seem to be moving away from IDE dependant mobo's . You will notice on a lot of the upmarket boards are only providing 1 ide slot and mulitple sata inputs as well as PCI express slots. I think in the near future we will see the sata 2 released and more and more mobo manufacturers starting to take advantage of it. I like like to look to future upgrades when buying hardware. The main thing is that the setup you have will meet your needs __________________ Blackduck30 Time is like money and milk, It's always running out Any Donations Help Keep TSF Free For All

06-16-2005, 08:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
johnwill Manager, Networking Forums Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania, US Posts: 41,787 OS: Windows 7, XP-Pro, Vista, Linux Blog Entries: 1	I agree that today there is no difference in performance, but like Blackduck30 says, SATA is where everyone is going. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience