Re: PATA HDD and only 2 IDE connectors

On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 11:09:21 -0400, keith <krw@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 14:44:17 +0200, Grumble wrote:
>
>> George Macdonald wrote:
>>
>>> On Sat, 08 Oct 2005 12:07:34 +0200, Grumble <devnull@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Hello everyone,
>>>>
>>>>I've recently purchased an ASUS A8N-E MB (nForce4 Ultra).
>>>>It has 2 IDE connectors and 4 SATA connectors.
>>>>
>>>>I have a spare 120GB PATA HDD that I planned to use. However, I did not
>>>>expect to have only 2 IDE connectors: I also wanted a DVD-ROM drive and
>>>>a DVD burner. But I can't fit 3 IDE devices with only 2 connectors at my
>>>>disposal... :-(
>>>
>>>
>>> Huh? Each IDE connector takes a master and a slave... maybe not an optimal
>>> arrangement to have a DVD-ROM or DVD burner sharing with something else but
>>> not uncommon... a choice which many have had to make. Usually the DVD
>>> burner mfrs recommend having it as a master.
>>
>> Doh! I feel so silly :-)
>>
>> I actually *knew* there could be 2 devices per IDE channel, but somehow
>> my brain ignored that fact as I wrote the original message.
>>
>> So you suggest:
>>
>> HDD = IDE0 master
>> DVD writer = IDE1 master
>> DVD reader = IDE1 slave
>
>That's what I would do, if only because the cables will fit that way. ;-)
>I usually have trouble reaching from the HDD to CD drvice with the 6"
>cable between the master and slave connectors. If they fit, I'd likely
>put the DVD reader as a slave on IDE0.
>
>> I've heard the HDD should not share the channel for best performance. Is
>> that important?
>
>In reality, I don't think it matters much these days. The IDE interfaces
>are much faster than they once were, DMA really works, and under-runs on
>burners are (almost?) a thing of the past.
>
....snip...

My MSI master2-far board would take my DVD burner (also MSI
branded!!!) as a single drive or as a slave to NEC DVD reader (that's
how they ended up), but not as master (just wouldn't see any drive on
that IDE bus, and yes, I set the jumpers as per schematics). Yet
being a slave doesn't seem to hurt burning a bit, and I burn quite
often for more than a year with that setup, including direct DVD to
DVD copy (no HD image created).

I would not though slave optical drive to the system drive. Also
would not slave to C:\ any drive that may be slower (does not support
the same UDMA mode). With 2 drives on the same IDE bus, the bus
adjusts its speed to the slowest of the 2, and that is usually the
optical drive, especially an older one.

As usual, your mileage may vary... The board, drives, cables, and
case on hand may dictate you the particular solution that is best in
your particular case (pun not intended).

Good luck

NNN




.

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