Case eSata cable to where on mobo?

[troylet]

Hello,
I have a Asus P6x58D premium mobo and am wondering where to connect the eSata cable from the built in port on my computer case. Also, are there any bios settings that would need to be set up differently than a tradition sata drive?

 

[huron]

What does the connector look like? It was my understanding that they usually just plugged in to SATA ports - I have one that way on my HTPC with an eSATA port.

 

[troylet]

What does the connector look like? It was my understanding that they usually just plugged in to SATA ports - I have one that way on my HTPC with an eSATA port.

It's got a typical L shaped Sata connector, so I assumed that it would connect to one of the Sata II ports. However, I am now hearing ambiguous bits of info about power sources needed, and controllers, and that the bios needs to be set to ACHI for hot swapping etc. I would expect that the mobo I purchased would support eSata, I mean it's a comprehensive mobo, but I see no special port for eSata, nor does the manual refer to it.

 

[tecmo34]

It doesn't need an additonal power cord to connect to it. What you plug into the eSATA will require the power (well... this how my Antec 1200 case is). If you list your actual case, we might be able to confirm this is all that is needed.

You are correct on changing the controller to ACHI, which gives you the hot swap capabilities. Otherwise, you have to plug in the device and restart to get it to connect.

 

[troylet]

It doesn't need an additonal power cord to connect to it. What you plug into the eSATA will require the power (well... this how my Antec 1200 case is). If you list your actual case, we might be able to confirm this is all that is needed.

You are correct on changing the controller to ACHI, which gives you the hot swap capabilities. Otherwise, you have to plug in the device and restart to get it to connect.

My case is the Corsair 800D, which doesn't mention where or what to do with the eSata cable either in the enclosed literature, or the online (pdf) manual. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[tecmo34]

I'm not seeing an eSATA connector on the Front I/O Panel for the Corsair 800D.

I see the 4 SATA hot swap drives, which you would need to connect a SATA cables and power connectors to the the slots on the hot swap drive dock (pages 10 - 14 of the manual online) and motherboard / power supply to get it to work.

Where are you getting the eSATA connector coming from??

 

[troylet]

I'm not seeing an eSATA connector on the Front I/O Panel for the Corsair 800D.

I see the 4 SATA hot swap drives, which you would need to connect a SATA cables and power connectors to the the slots on the hot swap drive dock (pages 10 - 14 of the manual online) and motherboard / power supply to get it to work.

Where are you getting the eSATA connector coming from??

Sorry you're right. Been a long build. I think where I got confused is that Asus actually provided a rear bay adapter (2 x usb, 1 x eSata) and listed it as enclosed with the rest of the additional equipment, but then gave instructions in the manual for hooking up a 2 x usb, 1 x 1394 adapter which is what's on the front of case. In any event, that's where I'm at. No instructions that show where to plug up the eSata port cable. I'm also wondering if it was wise to set up the HD as IDE and not ACHI. BIOS made is sound optional, but I am beginning to wonder if I made a mistake there. I don't believe I can change that now that the OS is installed. (Win. 7 ULT.) Any thoughts? Sorry for picking your brain.

 

[tecmo34]

First... The eSATA cable on the expansion adapter plugs into an open SATA slot on your motherboard. This is an option so if you don't plan to use the extra slots, I wouldn't worry about installing it (I typically don't on all of my builds).

Second... It isn't required to be in ACHI mode, unless you are running a SSD for TRIM support. For standard hard drives the biggest benefit is the hot swap ability. If this isn't a feature you are concern with, don't worry about it. It is something that can be changed without a reinstall. Just follow the instructions provided in the "best answer" of this thread... http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/255232-32-next-move-fresh-install-windows-intel

 

[troylet]

First... The eSATA cable on the expansion adapter plugs into an open SATA slot on your motherboard. This is an option so if you don't plan to use the extra slots, I wouldn't worry about installing it (I typically don't on all of my builds).

Second... It isn't required to be in ACHI mode, unless you are running a SSD for TRIM support. For standard hard drives the biggest benefit is the hot swap ability. If this isn't a feature you are concern with, don't worry about it. It is something that can be changed without a reinstall. Just follow the instructions provided in the "best answer" of this thread... http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/255232-32-next-move-fresh-install-windows-intel

Fantastic! That's what I needed. Thanks for all of your help. I truely appreciate it. Have a great day.

 

[troylet]

Best answer selected by troylet.