Suggestions for SATA controller card?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
A

allamerican02

Distinguished
Dec 11, 2012
37
0
18,530
Hi,

I inherited a computer from my parents and I am trying to fix it. Best Buy said the hard drive had failed. It is an HP p6210f: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01852858

I bought a new hard drive:
(Seagate 2TB Desktop Gaming SSHD(Solid State Hybrid Drive) SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (ST2000DX001))

I also bought some memory and a copy of Windows 10 OEM.

I installed the new hard drive, and the memory, and put the Windows CD in the CD/DVD player. I powered it up and it got stuck at the boot screen. I ran the diagnostic tool that comes with the Motherboard and it said the CPU and the Memory passed, but the Hard Drive wasn't connected. I then went into BIOS and went to the boot priority screen, and it showed that there were no bootable devices detected i.e. there was no hard drive or CD/DVD player detected.

I've been doing some research. It looks like this motherboard (M2N78-LA violet) has a history of SATA controller issues. So I think that's the problem - the SATA controller on the motherboard is not functioning.

I'm wondering can I just install a PCI Express SATA Controller Card like this one? Can I install windows and run the hard drive and optical drive like normal with such a card?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816124064&cm_re=sata_controller_pci_card-_-16-124-064-_-Product

Is my prognosis of the problem and solution correct? What should I look for in a SATA card?Thanks for any help.
 
Solution
Blaise170
A PCIe card will not be limited by the motherboard's SATA controller but by the PCIe slot. SATA RAID cards generally work no problem without drivers, the main need for the driver is if you want to setup a software RAID array.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Rogue Leader

Rogue Leader

It's a trap!
Moderator
Dec 22, 2014
32,729
2,812
113,640
A cheap SATA card like that will work. It reads through the PCI bus as if you were plugged into a port on the motherboard. You don't need anything special, thats an older PC and that card will work fine.

And yes as discussed in your other thread, if you plug in new drives and they don't show in the BIOS the SATA controller is bad. Very likely the original hard drive is fine.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
A

allamerican02

Distinguished
Dec 11, 2012
37
0
18,530


Thanks. I tried the other SATA sockets in the motherboard and BIOS still didn't detect the hard drive and CD/DVD player. So I think you're right!

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

allamerican02

Distinguished
Dec 11, 2012
37
0
18,530
I'm getting a little worried about this after what I've been reading about SATA cards. I just needed to underscore that I am building a brand new system with an old motherboard that has dysfunctional SATA controllers.

I have a blank hard drive and a copy of Windows 10 OE that I need to install. I am concerned that this won't work because I haven't installed the SATA controller card drivers yet, which usually come on a cd.

If I put a SATA controller card into my computer and connect the devices to it will the BIOS automatically recognize those devices? Even if no OS or drivers are installed yet?

Also, does it matter if my motherboard only has SATA II? Will it support SATA III or is it limited by the motherboard's SATA specifications?

Thanks
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Blaise170

Blaise170

Honorable
Sep 12, 2013
1,830
1
12,465
A PCIe card will not be limited by the motherboard's SATA controller but by the PCIe slot. SATA RAID cards generally work no problem without drivers, the main need for the driver is if you want to setup a software RAID array.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom