Adding a second HDD on a GA-X58A-UD3R to install games on?

[daemondamian]

Hi folks,
I have a GA-X58A-UD3R board with 3 drives on it:

a 120.02 GB OCZ-VERTEX2 3.5 ATA Device Hard drive (which is main drive with my OS on it),

a 2000.40 GB WDC WD2001FASS-00W2B0 ATA Hard drive (which I use as a storage/backup drive)

and a SAMSUNG DVDWBD SH-B083L ATA drive (dvd/cdrom combo drive).

I want to know if I can add an additional SSD drive (which I would install games on) in particular a Plextor PX-256M5S 256GB SSD (http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1436&products_id=21543)?

The manual says it has 8 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors and 2 SATA 6Gb/s connectors but it doesn't say whether those can be any type of drive (ie hard disk drive or SSD drive).

So I'm unsure about whether or not I can add a second SSD.

*A side issue is that a Marvell 9128 controller provides two RAID-capable SATA 6Gbps ports but I've read multiple suggestions that the Marvell controller is not very good and doesn't really provide 6Gb/s and it is better to plug an SSD into a 3Gb/s port which uses an intel controller that works far better?

Thanks
Damian.

 

[rolli59]

You can add another drive no problem. You are correct about the Marvell so leave your SSD's on the Intel 3GB ports.

 

[daemondamian]

Thanks for your answer rolli59, my OCZ-VERTEX2 which is already on a 3GB port works way faster than when I used to have a normal hard disk drive (which I'd never go back to) so I imagine the Plextor on a 3GB port will be plenty fast for me

 

[daemondamian]

Best answer selected by daemondamian.