Psycho Logical
01-23-2002, 08:06 AM
It seems like more people are getting bigger (40 to 100+ GB) and/or
faster (7200 RPM) hard drives, now that prices are coming down.
It seems like some of these people are also having problems installing
those drives -- because they aren't first considering whether that new
drive is now or can be even remotely compatible with their systems.
Because of this, they then get a BIG surprise.
Consider this situation for example. You have an older system with:
• a BIOS from 1999
• an i440BX chipset (supporting up to ATA-33 only)
• a 20GB, ATA-33, 5400 RPM hard drive
Anticipating more space and better performance, you buy that new screaming honker:
• 100 GB
• ATA-100
• 7200 RPM
You (sooner or later) discover that:
• Even with the latest BIOS upgrade, the largest capacity drive is limited to 64 GB
• There is no chipset upgrade, and the maximum speed is limited to ATA-33
• More or bigger fans are needed because of the additional heat
• A bigger power supply is needed due to the faster drive and the new fans
As a kludgy or more expensive solution, you can:
• Install a drive overlay and live with its problems, so you can use the entire 100 GB
• Forget the overlay and lose 36GB of the storage capacity
• Run the utility that sets the speed to ATA-33, reducing performance by over 50%
• Buy a $90 PCI controller card that supports the ATA speed and full size of the drive
You should investigate and evaluate these things before you buy:
THE MOTHERBOARD, CHIPSET & BIOS SPECS
What is the largest size (in GB) drive that your BIOS will support now?
Is a BIOS upgrade available that will the support a bigger drive?
Even after an upgrade, is there still a limit for the maximum size of the drive?
What is the maximum ATA speed that your chipset will support now?
Is a chipset driver upgrade available that will the support a faster drive?
Even after an upgrade, is there still a limit for the maximum ATA speed of the drive?
THE DRIVE:
Is the size larger than the BIOS can recognize, even if upgraded?
If so, do you want to use overlay software to get around this limitation?
Is the ATA speed still higher than the chipset can handle, even if upgraded?
Can a software utility set the ATA speed to agree with the chipset's maximum speed?
SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Does the power supply have enough extra capacity for an additional drive?
If the new drive runs hotter (7200 RPM), will the case cooling be adequate?
faster (7200 RPM) hard drives, now that prices are coming down.
It seems like some of these people are also having problems installing
those drives -- because they aren't first considering whether that new
drive is now or can be even remotely compatible with their systems.
Because of this, they then get a BIG surprise.
Consider this situation for example. You have an older system with:
• a BIOS from 1999
• an i440BX chipset (supporting up to ATA-33 only)
• a 20GB, ATA-33, 5400 RPM hard drive
Anticipating more space and better performance, you buy that new screaming honker:
• 100 GB
• ATA-100
• 7200 RPM
You (sooner or later) discover that:
• Even with the latest BIOS upgrade, the largest capacity drive is limited to 64 GB
• There is no chipset upgrade, and the maximum speed is limited to ATA-33
• More or bigger fans are needed because of the additional heat
• A bigger power supply is needed due to the faster drive and the new fans
As a kludgy or more expensive solution, you can:
• Install a drive overlay and live with its problems, so you can use the entire 100 GB
• Forget the overlay and lose 36GB of the storage capacity
• Run the utility that sets the speed to ATA-33, reducing performance by over 50%
• Buy a $90 PCI controller card that supports the ATA speed and full size of the drive
You should investigate and evaluate these things before you buy:
THE MOTHERBOARD, CHIPSET & BIOS SPECS
What is the largest size (in GB) drive that your BIOS will support now?
Is a BIOS upgrade available that will the support a bigger drive?
Even after an upgrade, is there still a limit for the maximum size of the drive?
What is the maximum ATA speed that your chipset will support now?
Is a chipset driver upgrade available that will the support a faster drive?
Even after an upgrade, is there still a limit for the maximum ATA speed of the drive?
THE DRIVE:
Is the size larger than the BIOS can recognize, even if upgraded?
If so, do you want to use overlay software to get around this limitation?
Is the ATA speed still higher than the chipset can handle, even if upgraded?
Can a software utility set the ATA speed to agree with the chipset's maximum speed?
SOME OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Does the power supply have enough extra capacity for an additional drive?
If the new drive runs hotter (7200 RPM), will the case cooling be adequate?