Motherboard recommendation

[mullenmj]

I need a mobo that has a BIOS or BIOS update that will support my 1TB Samsung SATA HDD but also my CPU and RAM so I don't have to buy all that stuff again

I have an Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz socket 478 processor and 2GB of DDR RAM - my EPOX e4pda5+ mobo BIOS doesn't support the HDD.

Any help appreciated!

 

[GhislainG]

Buying a PCI SATA controller that supports your hard disk might be less expensive. You certainly won't find a new socket 478 motherboard.

 

[mullenmj]

but wouldn't my bios still have to be compatible - particularly if i wanted to boot from SATA drive, which is what I was hoping to do?

 

[GhislainG]

I have yet to see a motherboard that can't boot from an add-on card as long as the card has a boot BIOS. Even a card like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124006&cm_re=pci_sata_controller-_-15-124-006-_-Product should work, but I can't find info about your motherboard which doesn't seem to exist.

 

[mullenmj]

cheers for the help mate
made a typo with the motherboard model - its epox EP-4PDA5+
the reviews for this card weren't too good - and someone wrote - "If you need RAID or need it to be bootable, save yourself the trouble of dealing with this cheap card with no support and spend a few more dollars on something better."
how do I know if a card has a boot BIOS?
Can you suggest any other cards for around $30-$40?

 

[GhislainG]

Then take a look at the Addonics ADSA2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816318002

http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/sata_controller.asp A host controller is bootable and the firmware normally is upgradeable.

 

[mullenmj]

I've taken a punt on one similar to this - hope it works
thanks for your help