Build is 99% complete. I need some help with the last 1%

[wsucoug]

Hello all. Long time reader, first time poster. I have the system together, but I have some questions. Any help is appreciated.

My System:

* ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
* COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
* Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
* COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
* SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
* CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W
* G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
* LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R
* Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
* Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Full


My Questions:

1) Should I install the Win 7 on the 1 TB drive (64 MB Cache, SATA 6.0GB/s) or the 640GB drive (32MB Cache, SATA 3.0Gb/s)?

2) The HAF 932 has cables (Front Connectors) coming down into the case. One cable has a HD Audio connector with an extension connector coming off it labeled "AN'97" - I assume I connect one of them (HD Audio or AN'97) to the "Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP)" on the ASUS P7P55D-E Pro. My question is which to I connect to the mobo?

3) The ASUS P7P55D-E Pro came with 2 SATA 6.0 Gb/s cables. I am going to use one of those with the 1TB SATA 6.0 GB/s drive. Does the cable actually work better than a SATA 3.0 GB/s cable? (Perhaps a dumb question)


Thank you.

 

[Lmeow]

1) Install Windows on the faster drive - the 1TB 64MB SATA III drive in this case.

2) I suggest you try HD audio, if it doesn't work then simply switch it round.

3. SATA II devices using SATA III cables won't really see a benefit, although IIRC using SATA III cables with SATA III devices would help.

 

[tecmo34]

First... Welcome to the Forum!!!

Now to your questions...

1) I would install Windows 7 on the WD Black 640GB hard drive myself and keep the 1TB Black for storage.

2) You want to connect HD Audio since your board supports HighDef audio.

3) You connect the SATA III cable to the 1TB and the SATA II cable to the 640GB drive. The other SATA III cable won't work on the 640 drive. The new SATA III cables have a higher transfer rate to match the newer SATA III drives.

 

[wsucoug]

Thank you to Lmeow and tecmo34 for your replies.

When I purchased the 640GB drive I had it in mind to install the OS on it. However, then I wondered if it was on the faster drive (1TB), would it greatly increase my system's performance, hence my question.


New Question:

I have installed it on the 1TB, but now I want to move everything to the 640GB drive (I installed other programs too). Is there a way that I can just move everything without having to reinstall? Make a copy?

Thank you again.

 

[Lmeow]

Well, not that I know of. But why would you want to? I really thought that a SATA III drive with double the cache would run faster... unless you're intending it for storage?

 

[HansVonOhain]

For some reason I have never heard of Sata III harddrive. The above harddrives will work on same speed as Sata I because the harddrives are not fast enough to saturate the Sata I speed. Sata II or Sata III are used when you have some Raid 0 of very fast SSD's or using the Sandforce SSD's.

 

[wsucoug]

Well, not that I know of. But why would you want to? I really thought that a SATA III drive with double the cache would run faster... unless you're intending it for storage?

That is what I am trying to find out. So does anyone know if having the OS on the 6.0 GB/s (1TB) drive would be beneficial? If not, then I am going to put it on the 3.0 GB/s (640GB) drive.

If I do move it, because I have already installed the OS on the 1TB, as well as several other programs, I would like to copy/clone the disc so I do not have to reinstall everything. Can someone direct me what program to do it with? I have been looking online this morning, but I still am not able to figure out how to do that.

 

[obsidian86]

http://www.majorgeeks.com/HDClone_Free_Edition_d3809.html

free edition allows one clone to be made

 

[wsucoug]

Its not SATA3 that makes the drive faster, it is because the 1TB drive is a newer generation from WD that uses 2 500GB platters, which boosts transfer speeds and acess time.

Stick with the 1TB and use the 640GB as storage, boot time and application loading time would see an subtle but noticeable increase.

Thank you Timop. I really appreciate it.

 

[wsucoug]

Best answer selected by wsucoug.