2 ATA133 IDE connectors supporting 4 devices??

[hankster08]

Just bought ab AsRock 4core dual SATA2 mobo (will pair a E6700 cpu) trying to install now, BUT I have 2 HD, CD, DVD, a Zip and FDD. This mobo has 1 FDD IDE connection and only two other IDE connections + 2 SATA connection. The ASrock specs seem to indicate it will support 4 IDE devices - but I can't figure out how/where?? Do I buy IDE/SATA adaptors? or some IDE card installed in one of PCI slots? I directed an inquiry to ASrock but their auto reply said see my dealer (HA! geeks.com) (I can ditch the zip) and I know these wont be the last of my dumb questions, this is my first mobo installation. help please - thanks

 

[smorizio]

Just bought ab AsRock 4core dual SATA2 mobo (will pair a E6700 cpu) trying to install now, BUT I have 2 HD, CD, DVD, a Zip and FDD. This mobo has 1 FDD IDE connection and only two other IDE connections + 2 SATA connection. The ASrock specs seem to indicate it will support 4 IDE devices - but I can't figure out how/where?? Do I buy IDE/SATA adaptors? or some IDE card installed in one of PCI slots? I directed an inquiry to ASrock but their auto reply said see my dealer (HA! geeks.com) (I can ditch the zip) and I know these wont be the last of my dumb questions, this is my first mobo installation. help please - thanks

on the mb the ide connector should be a 40 pin connector the same size as the ide in your hand and is keyied.
on the mb should be ide0 and ide1. most times on newer mb there on the outside of the mb.

 

[smorizio]

for the zip drive you could buy a ide to usb cable and use one of the usb headers on the mb. it wont be lighting fast but you wont have to toss the drive.

 

[4745454b]

You'll need two cables that support two devices each. You'll then need to jumper the IDE devices so that there are two sets of master/slave each. (or cable select if you'd rather.) FDD isn't an IDE connection btw. Just make sure pin one is correctly used on all devices. Match it with the red stripe on the cable.

 

[dalauder]

So you have 6 IDE devices: 2 HDD, 1 CD, 1 DVD, 1 Zip, and 1 FDD?

Two IDE ports will use two 40-pin dual connector cables that you'll want to attach like this:
1) HDD 0 and DVD
2) HDD 1 and CD

You'll want to set the jumpers (according to pictures on the drives) so that the HDDs are Master and the optical drives are Slave.


How does the Zip drive connect? The floppy (FDD) will use one FDD connector. As far as the Zip--do you have any use for that or the floppy drive on a regular basis? I kind of assume you can connect one, get any old floppy/zip backups you need off of it and backup them to an HDD, then you remove the drive and put it in a closet never to be used again.

 

[4745454b]

I personally would just ditch the CD, more so if you have a DVD. Honestly however considering how cheap SATA drives are I'd probably dump half that gear. New SATA DVD burner should be ~$30 from newegg.

 

[dalauder]

I personally would just ditch the CD, more so if you have a DVD. Honestly however considering how cheap SATA drives are I'd probably dump half that gear. New SATA DVD burner should be ~$30 from newegg.

No sense in buying a $17.99 SATA DVD burner from Newegg.com if he's already got an IDE one. I'd be inclined to reserve the SATA ports for future HDDs since the IDE performance actually limits that interface. I completely agree with ditching the CD drive though.

 

[4745454b]

Considering the parts involved I'm assuming he isn't worried about performance. The best performance thing to do would be to buy a single new SATA hdd and use everything else. He'd also be better off buying a new board, CPU, and ram as well. But seeing as we are dealing with a low end C2D I doubt he's that worried about performance. Buying a cheap DVD burner to free up two of the IDE ports would be cheapest.

 

[dalauder]

I guess it's just that I question the need to spend money to free up an IDE port since it seems the 4 he has are enough.

And a DVD drive is kinda like wasted money since you don't need one to install software or Windows. Honestly, I don't even have my DVD drive connected in my PC at home (it makes an annoying hum sometimes). A lot of new computers people build in two years probably won't have them.

Also OP, I'm afk for the weekend.

 

[4745454b]

But only enough if he doesn't use all of his devices. Like you I have no idea why he wants to use the CD device if he has a DVD device.

A new DVD isn't really wasted money either. A SATA DVD should carry over to any new system he gets in the future. And it will perform better then what he has now. Same with the new hdd, though that will cost a bit more.

 

[hankster08]

So you have 6 IDE devices: 2 HDD, 1 CD, 1 DVD, 1 Zip, and 1 FDD?

Two IDE ports will use two 40-pin dual connector cables that you'll want to attach like this:
1) HDD 0 and DVD
2) HDD 1 and CD

You'll want to set the jumpers (according to pictures on the drives) so that the HDDs are Master and the optical drives are Slave.


How does the Zip drive connect? The floppy (FDD) will use one FDD connector. As far as the Zip--do you have any use for that or the floppy drive on a regular basis? I kind of assume you can connect one, get any old floppy/zip backups you need off of it and backup them to an HDD, then you remove the drive and put it in a closet never to be used again.

OK. Thanks to everyone who replied to help. The key to me is that I need different connector cables (two dual) that makes sense and clarifies what I wanted to know. BTW I just bought this mobo/CPU E6700 (with new sink&fan) for $110 to upgrade my old rig that 2 techs said the old mobo (GA-8PE667Ultra) died. hope thats the case. This mobo will allow me to use my current 2Gbtilitze DDR and the xFx Radeon 4650 HD AGP8x that I still have: but I can upgrade sometime in the future. Yeah the easy answer is spend more $$ but I cant afford to right now. Of course now I have to buy new cables and who knows what else. Would an IDE adpator set in a PCI slot help utilize the Zip & CD/DVR??

 

[hankster08]

But only enough if he doesn't use all of his devices. Like you I have no idea why he wants to use the CD device if he has a DVD device.

A new DVD isn't really wasted money either. A SATA DVD should carry over to any new system he gets in the future. And it will perform better then what he has now. Same with the new hdd, though that will cost a bit more.

Thanks; I know I'll have more questions soon.

 

[4745454b]

I'd buy a new DVD before buying a PCI(e) IDE controller. It'd be much easier to install and use.

 

[hankster08]

I'd buy a new DVD before buying a PCI(e) IDE controller. It'd be much easier to install and use.

Thanks, if I can get one real cheap I will. Do the newer DVD players take the place of CD player too, or do you still need both?

Also ASrock replied to my inquiry (suprise, suprise) and included a picture of the connection cables - DUH, I don't need need new cables, mine have the "3" connections, one at ea end and 1 in the middle. I now see that I am to "piggyback" the two hard drives on one cable and the same for two other devices on the other. I had the techs remove my HDs so I didnt see how they were originally connected, but my old mobo did have 4 separate IDE ports on the board + FDD. So if I can find a cheap DVD w/SATA connection I'm easily good. Until then I just have to choose which other devices to power up (guess I'll skip the zip for now).

And this was supposed to be the easy part. Next get it all in the case and power it up, my only hope is it doesnt all fry.

I also have an Audigy Sound card and a wireless Bellam router card I guess I just plug those into the PCI slots, yes? All at the same time, or one at a time?

newbie installer

 

[hankster08]

I see I said that wrong: Master link ea of the HD and slave the other two devices

 

[4745454b]

Again, I'd dump the CD as your DVD should be able to do anything the CD does. If it doesn't its a seriously old DVD and should be replaced.

They go in separate slots. Starting to think someone's trolling if you want to put two devices in one slot.

 

[hankster08]

Again, I'd dump the CD as your DVD should be able to do anything the CD does. If it doesn't its a seriously old DVD and should be replaced.

They go in separate slots. Starting to think someone's trolling if you want to put two devices in one slot.

??trolling?? sorry I don't understand the reference, guess I'll haveto look that up, anyway

This was a custom gaming unit a friend of mine had built probably back in 2003-4, I don't know whether the DVD was original or added later. I bought it from him in 2008 for $400 since he had another bigger, better rig- he's a big gamer. I usually use the CD to load stuff, I thought the DVD was just for movies so I hardly use that, so I guess I really don't need to hook one of them up. Guess I can try to load a CD on the DVD and see.

Henry;



Please check the image below about connecting hdds and odds with the ASRock IDE ports

IDE 1 support 2 drives when you connect one as master and the other as slave

IDE 2 support 2 drives when you connect one drive as master and the other as slave

http://www.asrock.com/support/faq.asp?id=185


If you have sata HDD or ODD you need to connect with a single cable each device


ASRock America Support

 

[hankster08]

Again, I'd dump the CD as your DVD should be able to do anything the CD does. If it doesn't its a seriously old DVD and should be replaced.

They go in separate slots. Starting to think someone's trolling if you want to put two devices in one slot.

Nope, not trolling, just a newbie, first time installing a mobo.

I'll probably have plenty more dumb questions. Like I didn't catch on that the ribbons had that center connection in order to piggyback another device. Even though, now that I looked that's how the CD/DVD semed to be linked. I believe my two HDs were plugged in separately because my old mobo (GA-8PE667U) had four IDEs on the board - no SATA as it's too old.

ASrock's link clarifies in picture what you guys were saying, so I will master the main HD and slave the CD on one ribbon connection and master the 2nd HD and slave a 2nd device (either the DVD or zip I guess). If the "slaves" are not running my guess is that it won't slow the HDs down any further just by being connected?
PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG.

Anyway THANKS AGAIN 4745454b for your timely help.

 

[4745454b]

That way is fine. You could also jumper the hdds to be on one chain, and the other drives on the second chain.

Years ago (eons really) IDE worked at the speed of the slowest device. Back in the days of the Pentium 1 (P1) you would never attach an optical drive to a hdd because they ran slower. Starting around the time of the P2 however they developed independent drive timing which solved this problem. Now attaching an optical drive doesn't slow down a hdd. The only time you'd have issues now is if you are trying to get both devices on an IDE cable to work at the same time. IDE only supports one device at a time. This means if you put two hdds on the same cable, copying data from one to the other will take longer. It also means if you hook it up the way you were thinking and were going to install a game, use the optical drive not on the cable as the hdd you are installing to. It should be slightly faster that way.

 

[dalauder]

OK. Thanks to everyone who replied to help. The key to me is that I need different connector cables (two dual) that makes sense and clarifies what I wanted to know. BTW I just bought this mobo/CPU E6700 (with new sink&fan) for $110 to upgrade my old rig that 2 techs said the old mobo (GA-8PE667Ultra) died. hope thats the case. This mobo will allow me to use my current 2Gbtilitze DDR and the xFx Radeon 4650 HD AGP8x that I still have: but I can upgrade sometime in the future. Yeah the easy answer is spend more $$ but I cant afford to right now. Of course now I have to buy new cables and who knows what else. Would an IDE adpator set in a PCI slot help utilize the Zip & CD/DVR??

It would be better to throw out the 4650 and DDR than to buy a new mobo that supports them. I guess what's done is done though. Feel free to post here before making purchases and we'll give you some advice though. You won't be able to upgrade your 4650 HD AGP because there just aren't many AGP cards out there anymore and nothing really any newer or faster than that.

If possible, you REALLY want to move towards a DDR3 and PCI-e system. PCI-e has been the standard since 2005 and DDR3 since 2010.

If you need an extra two device IDE cable, send me a PM. I have more than I'll ever use again and I'll mail one or two to you.

 

[dalauder]

It sounds like to me you only need 4 devices:

IDE Cable 1: HDD0 & DVD
IDE Cable 2: HDD1 & Zip

The only risk you're really taking in terms of "frying" parts is if your PSU is TERRIBLE. If you're worried about that, you can pick up a Corsair CX430 on Newegg for $25 or less (after Corsair's VERY reliable rebate).

As far as "cheap DVD"--SATA DVD burners are all about the same price $16-$20. Just pick on with free or cheap shipping.

 

[hankster08]

It sounds like to me you only need 4 devices:

IDE Cable 1: HDD0 & DVD
IDE Cable 2: HDD1 & Zip

The only risk you're really taking in terms of "frying" parts is if your PSU is TERRIBLE. If you're worried about that, you can pick up a Corsair CX430 on Newegg for $25 or less (after Corsair's VERY reliable rebate).

As far as "cheap DVD"--SATA DVD burners are all about the same price $16-$20. Just pick on with free or cheap shipping.

Yes, you're right, only four devices. But I think I might have to put the DVD and zip on one and the 2 HDDs on the other. The DVD & CD are located in a wide cage at the top of the tower, FDD & zip in the center of the tower but in a narrower cage along with the two HDDs below them. The connecting cables I have only have four inches between master and slave position and all these device are not that close, the two HDDs are next to ea other. I have to buy some thermal paste for the new D60188001 heatsink/fan so I'll see if the local computer shop I use may have a different cable that would allow your confirguration.
My PSU was a HPE4009F5WR, seems to be rated at 400w, which I think will still power this new mobo etc; as long as it is still good.

Your other post referenced a 2 device PCIe cable; what are those used for? When I looked them up they look like device power cables, not data cables.

Yard work and taxes have prevented me from working on this task as yet - hopefully this weekend.

 

[hankster08]

It would be better to throw out the 4650 and DDR than to buy a new mobo that supports them. I guess what's done is done though. Feel free to post here before making purchases and we'll give you some advice though. You won't be able to upgrade your 4650 HD AGP because there just aren't many AGP cards out there anymore and nothing really any newer or faster than that.

If possible, you REALLY want to move towards a DDR3 and PCI-e system. PCI-e has been the standard since 2005 and DDR3 since 2010.

If you need an extra two device PCI-e cable, send me a PM. I have more than I'll ever use again and I'll mail one or two to you.

I figured that I couldn't spend much more than $100-150 to "fix" this computer - otherwise I don't have the budget to spend $400-600 on a new or rebuilt computer and I would be stuck using my wife's Leveno laptop which won't run hardly any real games. I don't think I could have bought a much better mobo/CPU w/fan for less than $110, without then having to buy another graphics card and all new RAM and then maybe a new PSU. This Asrock mobo does have a PCIe slot, but for right now I can use my current AGP card; it will also run 2G of DDR(which I have) or DDR2 - I know it's weak but I'm think it's better than what I was running (which is now dead). And hopefully in a year or so I can afford to pop for a better setup.

 

[dalauder]

"2 device PCIe cable"--oops, I meant IDE. I can mail you one of those if you need extras. But I don't think any of mine get you past the issue of two of the connectors being close together. Have you tried moving the DVD drive down?

$100-$150 to "fix" this might not be worth it. I could mention alternatives, but what's done is done and you got a decent enough price for what you spent. The fact that your motherboard supports PCI-e and DDR2 makes it substantially better than I thought it was.

Considering it can run DDR2, you should. It's better. I'd mail you two 1GB sticks of DDR2 for free.

This is your motherboard, right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157115

Btw, do you have the Pentium Dual-Core E6700 or the Core 2 Duo E6700? The Pentium one is faster.

Down the line you can upgrade this motherboard to 4GB DDR2 (2x2GB) and a G0 stepping (95W) Q6600 or similar 1066MT/s fsb Core 2 Quad. And perhaps a more important upgrade...is your GPU the DDR2 version of the 4650? If so, then you could see a HUGE!!! graphics improvement if you upgrade to something like an 8800GT for $20 or so: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3085-7.html
Just make sure your PSU can handle whatever you get (I'd suggest a Corsair CX430 for the PSU when the time comes).

 

[hankster08]

"2 device PCIe cable"--oops, I meant IDE. I can mail you one of those if you need extras. But I don't think any of mine get you past the issue of two of the connectors being close together. Have you tried moving the DVD drive down?

$100-$150 to "fix" this might not be worth it. I could mention alternatives "HEY I LOVE TO BEAT MYSELF UP AFTER THE FACT educate me please,WTF", but what's done is done and you got a decent enough price for what you spent. The fact that your motherboard supports PCI-e and DDR2 makes it substantially better than I thought it was.

Considering it can run DDR2, you should. It's better. I'd mail you two 1GB sticks of DDR2 for free.

This is your motherboard, right? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157115

Btw, do you have the Pentium Dual-Core E6700 or the Core 2 Duo E6700? The Pentium one is faster.

Down the line you can upgrade this motherboard to 4GB DDR2 (2x2GB) and a G0 stepping (95W) Q6600 or similar 1066MT/s fsb Core 2 Quad. And perhaps a more important upgrade...is your GPU the DDR2 version of the 4650? If so, then you could see a HUGE!!! graphics improvement if you upgrade to something like an 8800GT for $20 or so: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3085-7.html
Just make sure your PSU can handle whatever you get (I'd suggest a Corsair CX430 for the PSU when the time comes).

CURRENT PSU: HPE4009F5WR

From geeks.com the mobo ASRock 4CoreDul-Sata2 PT880 Ultra socket775ATX=$27; not sure about the R2 that you listed
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66Ghz 1066MHz 4 MB socket 775 Dual C, part #E6700-R = $72
not sure what u mean about 4GB DDR2? seems Like it says 2GB either DDR or DDR2 not both.

Sure I would take the DDR2. Even moving the DVD, it looks like it will be real tight to connect, certain can try. Are all cables the same distance? Thanks for your help & inerest