OT: Need advice concerning SATA

MyST wrote on 4/1/2004, 12:26 PM

Hi.
I need to change my 850 Athlon T-Bird and Chaintech MoBo.
Considering that budget is a big issue, am I making a mistake by not getting a mobo that supports SATA drives?
I was looking at an AthlonXP 2600+ with ASUS mobo. SATA compatible mobos are more expensive. Also, since I'm only a hobbyist, I don't think I'd ever build up a project that would be anywhere near what's been done by some of you. Most of you have done incredible things using ATA drives.

Do you think ATA drives will be available for the next few years? Or am I going to be SOL as soon as one of my drives dies?

Thanks for your input.

M

Comments

Jsnkc wrote on 4/1/2004, 12:33 PM

"Do you think ATA drives will be available for the next few years? Or am I going to be SOL as soon as one of my drives dies?"

I think that ATA drives will be available for the next few years, even though you might see a lot of people switching over to SATA drives. The thing is that in a few years your system will be obsolete anyways and you will need to invest in new equipment. The 64 bit OS and programs to utilize them will be out, and who knows what else concidering the rate that technology has been exploding over the last few years.

riredale wrote on 4/1/2004, 7:47 PM

From what I can tell, sata gives you two things:

(1) the cables are thinner. Some people say this makes a big difference in cooling. I don't see much of a connection (oops...pun not intended).

(2) The interface is faster than the fastest ATA speed of 133MB/sec. But the fastest drives today are maybe pushing 60MB/sec streaming, so not exactly a pressing need for an even faster channel.

Given that 1.4MB floppy drives are still useful 20 years after their introduction, I wouldn't worry too much about IDE drive obsolescence. Besides, any drive you buy today will be replaced in 5 years anyway by your new 1Terabyte (1,000GB) 10,000rpm drive that you found for $69.95.