Installing another hard drive...IDE cable setup?

[Guest]

I have an old 40g hard drive that I want to put in as extra space. So far, I
have One HD going as a master with a DVD-ROM drive as a slave, and I have
another IDE cable set to only my CD-RW DRIVE. If I were to install this other
HD, would I switch my DVD and CD-RW to their own cable, and set my 2 HD's as
a Master and slave on their own? If you understand me, then good job
Thanks for any help.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I have an old 40g hard drive that I want to put in as extra space. So far, I
have One HD going as a master with a DVD-ROM drive as a slave, and I have
another IDE cable set to only my CD-RW DRIVE. If I were to install this other
HD, would I switch my DVD and CD-RW to their own cable, and set my 2 HD's as
a Master and slave on their own? If you understand me, then good job
Thanks for any help.

I believe that things work a little faster if you run both disks
off the same controller. Other than this you can do it any
way you like. I suggest you give it a try!

 

[Larry(LJL269)]

I think that HDD's should both be masters with CD & DVD
as slaves since HDD's r likely to be in contiouous use
while CD & DVD r sporadic.

I am almost sure this is what HDD & CD manufacturers
say too.

Just my 2¢ worth. Larry

On Mon, 23 May 2005 20:57:01 -0700, "Chris"

|I have an old 40g hard drive that I want to put in as extra space. So far, I
|have One HD going as a master with a DVD-ROM drive as a slave, and I have
|another IDE cable set to only my CD-RW DRIVE. If I were to install this other
|HD, would I switch my DVD and CD-RW to their own cable, and set my 2 HD's as
|a Master and slave on their own? If you understand me, then good job
|Thanks for any help.

Any advise is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.

 

[Lil' Dave]

Depends how you intend to use the devices in the first place. How often,
and when, simultaneously, or separate access, and if you're doing something
to access your primary HD in the background all the while.

 

[Anna]

I have an old 40g hard drive that I want to put in as extra space. So far,
I
have One HD going as a master with a DVD-ROM drive as a slave, and I have
another IDE cable set to only my CD-RW DRIVE. If I were to install this
other
HD, would I switch my DVD and CD-RW to their own cable, and set my 2 HD's
as
a Master and slave on their own? If you understand me, then good job
Thanks for any help.

Chris:
Notwithstanding the replies you will get to your query recommending you
connect your second HD to this or that IDE connector -- it simply doesn't
matter. You'll see no "real-life" performance differences re your IDE/ATAPI
devices regardless of how your second HD is connected. Since you have a
Secondary Slave position free at this point, it's just as easy to connect
your second HD on that IDE cable. Just remember to jumper the drive
accordingly.
Anna

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Chris:
Notwithstanding the replies you will get to your query recommending you
connect your second HD to this or that IDE connector -- it simply doesn't
matter. You'll see no "real-life" performance differences re your IDE/ATAPI
devices regardless of how your second HD is connected. Since you have a
Secondary Slave position free at this point, it's just as easy to connect
your second HD on that IDE cable. Just remember to jumper the drive
accordingly.
Anna

I did some rigorous test some time ago, copying large numbers
of files from one freshly partitioned and formatted disk to another
freshly partitioned and formatted disk. The results showed a
consistenly higher data transfer rate if the two disks were
connected to the same controller. The difference was not large
and would probably fall within "no real-life performance difference",
to use your words, but it was certainly there. I also tested only
one pair of disks with one single motherboard.

 

[Anna]

I did some rigorous test some time ago, copying large numbers
of files from one freshly partitioned and formatted disk to another
freshly partitioned and formatted disk. The results showed a
consistenly higher data transfer rate if the two disks were
connected to the same controller. The difference was not large
and would probably fall within "no real-life performance difference",
to use your words, but it was certainly there. I also tested only
one pair of disks with one single motherboard.

Pegasus:
About 2 1/2 years ago, the computer facility I was associated with conducted
extensive speed performance tests involving the connection/configuration of
IDE/ATAPI devices, i.e., hard drives and optical drives. In nearly all the
tests the booting HD was connected as Primary Master while the other three
devices (second HD, CD-ROM, CD/DVD burner) were connected in every
conceivable fashion. We used a fairly wide variety of motherboards, hard
drives, and optical drives. Tests were conducted using IDE ribbon cables and
round cables, both 18" & 24" cables.

The tests involved copying/moving massive amounts of data between the hard
drives and data/disk copying functions from the CD-ROM to the burner. We
found virtually no discernable differences in performance regardless of how
the devices were connected. I say "virtually" because in some *very rare*
instances there was a slight performance hit involving a very few optical
drives depending upon their configuration/connection. Strangely enough,
there was no consistency involving the latter situation. In some instances
better performance was achieved when the optical drives were connected on
the same IDE channel; other times performance was enhanced when the optical
drives were connected on different IDE channels. There didn't seem to any
consistent performance issues involving the optical drives involving their
Master/Slave connections. I emphasize that the preceding anomaly involving
the optical drives was a rare event.

The OP's query is a common one. When it's raised with me I usually recount
the above, adding that it's a relatively simple matter for the user to
conduct his or her own tests on their computer to discern if there are any
substantive differences involving the user's devices depending upon their
connections, and if so, connect/configure them accordingly.
Anna

 

[Butch]

I believe that things work a little faster if you run both disks
off the same controller. Other than this you can do it any
way you like. I suggest you give it a try!

Yes...I have done that...Chris......If you can use a 80 conductor ribbon
cable, That would be better....Both hard drives
together....and both dvd-cd drives........It worked for me.......I had to
buy anther ribbon cable though.... The one I had was to short..........Hope
this helps................................butch

 

[M]

If you are going to put two hard drive in your PC try not to put them in
bays next to each other. If you leave a spare bay between them it stops
them heating each other up.

 

[Lil' Dave]

Pegasus:
About 2 1/2 years ago, the computer facility I was associated with conducted
extensive speed performance tests involving the connection/configuration of
IDE/ATAPI devices, i.e., hard drives and optical drives. In nearly all the
tests the booting HD was connected as Primary Master while the other three
devices (second HD, CD-ROM, CD/DVD burner) were connected in every
conceivable fashion. We used a fairly wide variety of motherboards, hard
drives, and optical drives. Tests were conducted using IDE ribbon cables and
round cables, both 18" & 24" cables.

The tests involved copying/moving massive amounts of data between the hard
drives and data/disk copying functions from the CD-ROM to the burner. We
found virtually no discernable differences in performance regardless of how
the devices were connected. I say "virtually" because in some *very rare*
instances there was a slight performance hit involving a very few optical
drives depending upon their configuration/connection. Strangely enough,
there was no consistency involving the latter situation. In some instances
better performance was achieved when the optical drives were connected on
the same IDE channel; other times performance was enhanced when the optical
drives were connected on different IDE channels. There didn't seem to any
consistent performance issues involving the optical drives involving their
Master/Slave connections. I emphasize that the preceding anomaly involving
the optical drives was a rare event.

The OP's query is a common one. When it's raised with me I usually recount
the above, adding that it's a relatively simple matter for the user to
conduct his or her own tests on their computer to discern if there are any
substantive differences involving the user's devices depending upon their
connections, and if so, connect/configure them accordingly.
Anna

A very dramatic difference in performance, I noted while encoding raw video
to mpeg2 format for later incorporation to DVD movie encoding purpose. If
the 2nd hard drive, where the encoding results were placed, was on the same
ide ribbon cable as the boot drive, were slower. Compared to pointing the
encoding software to the same hard drive, while placed as master on the
secondary controller resulted in as much as 20% less time. This type of
software also creates its own caching file during the process. If relocated
this caching file to the latter alternate location, I also saw a visible
decrease in encoding time. My conclusion is that it was not competing with
the windows swapfile during the encoding process in accessing the windows
boot partition.

Ongoing processes and available physical memory is also a key issue in
making a judgment on this question. This affects the I/O process time.

On day to day common usage, no difference would be noted by most. If
multiple processes are occurring for a final product, like raw video
encoding, I must disagree.

 

[Larry(LJL269)]

On Tue, 24 May 2005 21:53:20 +0100, "M"

|If you are going to put two hard drive in your PC try not to put them in
|bays next to each other. If you leave a spare bay between them it stops
|them heating each other up.

Unless u have children who might be tempted to explore,
leave the cover OFF 4 max air flow.

Just my 2¢ worth. Larry
Any advise is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.