Thread: How do you recommend setting up SATA & EIDE on same PC

I did a search and read through a lot of posts but it seems like everyone has a unlike situation. I did learn alot though I haven't built a PC since the Cyrix days !!

I'm buying components for a new build and while thinking during the installation, i have a question about connecting a previous hard drive. In my current Dell PC, i added a secondary drive 160GB Western Digital EIDE that holds all of my iTunes. It's less than a year old and that's all i use it for.

I bought a new hard drive Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB SATA that i want to be my main/primary/boot drive.

Are there too many compatibility issues with SATA/EIDE to make it worthwhile? Or should i just buy another SATA hard drive and transfer all of my data over so i would have 2 SATA drives?

I also saw an EIDE to SATA converter cable? Is that a better option?

Thanks,

Converters are never optional by the manufactures and will void a warranty (no that they'll ever find out) if they somehow they hear that’s a part of you RAM reason.

What mobo are you planning to use, btw? IDE and SATA drive can co-exist, as long as the board you would like to use current supports 1 or more IDE channel.

I have never had an issue running Sata and ide drives together. What possible issue could there be? They will both show up in bios, make the Sata the first drive, then when you install windows make sure you partition/format and install on the right drive. After that you will boot from that drive and Windows will assign a drive letter to the ide one.

If you're anxious about wiping your music, or putting XP on the wrong drive, just add the IDE after you're up and running with XP on the SATA. No problem.