Posted: 1/23/2007 9:14:39 PM EDT
ok geeks Ive got a small problem maybe yall can help me out with  This would be real easy if I could use SATA HDD connections, but it doesnt. Im currently running 2 HDDs and 1 DVD rw and 1 cd rw drives. utilizing all 4 of my current EIDE connections. I just picked up a new DVDDL drive and as I attempt to install it I reaslise all my connections are currently being used. heres where the problem comes in- I'd like to have both DVD dirves installed simply to make copying/backing up discs quicker/easier without having to swap out discs, and Id also like to keep the CDRW for other reasons. so is there a EIDE splitter cable of some sort, or an eide to pci card or anything i can do to support more drives, or am I stuck using just 2 drives until I get around to upgrading my system? heh sorry Im a bit tired so my apologies if this doesnt make a whole lot of sense. if theres any questions or clarification needed, just lemme know.. |
|
Yes, there are add-on cards which will give you more EIDE Channels. The nice thing is, they are easy to install and work pretty well, most of the time. Highpoint and Promise both make add-in cards which will do the job. If you have a VIA chipset motherboard, avoid using Highpoint's controllers. IME, Highpoint's controllers generally work better (I have, and use, both Promise and Highpoint), but VIA's Southbridge on their chipsets is not a very good implementation, and make for a bad combination. Other considerations: disk to disk transfers should occur on different channels: In other words, disks which share an IDE channel (as a master and slave on the same cable) will not transfer data as quickly amongst themselves as disks which do not share a channel (those which reside on separate cables.). Optical drives should stay on the on-board IDE channels: all add-in IDE cards I have ever used do not support bootable optical media. The highest performance arrangement you could setup would be putting one drive on each channel. |
 yeah... Im aware DVDrw drives will burn CDs Thing is, that CDRW supports RAW/psx formats, whereas my DVDrw for some reason does not. I havent yet had the chance to see if the new DVDDL does or not. if the new drive will support it, then this thread will just have been a waste of time. If not, I'll have to come up with a workaround solution which is either continuing to need to swap discs when copying them, or having 3 optical drives installed. |