PCI to sata converter card .

[sasha007]

Hi,

My Pc Specs Are :

Core2Duo E4600 @ 2.4 Ghz
3GB DDR2 Ram
Seagate baracuda 1 TB 7200 HDD
Asus P5G-MX motherboard with PCI Express x16 slot .
400 W Power supply

I only have 2 sata ports on my mobo , 1 connected to my old HDD ( 160 GB ) n one to optical DVD drive ....

Here is a pic of the inside of cabinet :

I've purchased a new 1 TB HDD and temporarily attached it by disconnecting the optical drive .

I searched and found that there is a PCI Express x1 to Sata converter Card , that fits in PCIe x1 slot and gives 2 or 3 sata ports .

Please answer the queries :

1 . So can i attach my optical drive via that converter card ?

2. Does the PCI Express to Sata Card provide the same speed as direct sata ports ?

3. Should i use a power splitter for providing power for the additional drive .?

4. Will Intex 400 W suffice in providing power to 2 HDD (1TB & 160 GB) and a dvd writer .?

Plz reply asap ....:-?

 

[sewalk]

Most hard drives use less than 10 watts, optical drives rarely use much more.

There are plenty of PCI and PCIe adapters out there that provide 1-4 SATA ports. PCI can deliver up to 133 MB/s of data and PCIe up to 150MB/s/lane. Few hard drives can sustain transfer rates of more than half that.

*** Missed a couple of your other questions:
Power splitters are fine for use with hard drives.
Most add-in controller cards are not compatible with optical drives. Your DVD will need to stay on a motherboard port.

 

[sasha007]

So I'll have to put the dvd drive on mobo .?

Is it then okay to have one of the HDD on the controller card then .? :O

BTW here is the PCI to sata controller card I'm thinking of getting :

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Tech-Com-PCI-1-E-Sata-2-Sata-and-1-IDE-ATA-Card-Techcom-/140702162654?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_203&hash=item20c2809ede

 

[sewalk]

Your DVD will need to stay on a motherboard port.

For ease of configuration, it's usually best to leave the hard drive you wish to boot from attached to the motherboard. Other than that, you can connect the rest of your hard drives to any ports you like.

The card you point to on eBay should work as well as any other inexpensive SATA/IDE expansion card.

Some people will make a fuss over whether the SATA ports are 1.5, 3, or 6Gigabit/second but in practice, it doesn't make much of a difference for one or two hard drives. Solid-State drives can more effectively use faster SATA ports but its not something to worry about when you're spending about $10 on a card.

 

[sasha007]

For ease of configuration, it's usually best to leave the hard drive you wish to boot from attached to the motherboard. Other than that, you can connect hard drives to any port you like.

Can you please see if that PCI to sata controller card link i gave is good .?

Is it okay to get it .?