Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC?

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craigb
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2011/04/17 03:19:42 (permalink)

Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC?

Until I get any new PC's, can I buy one of the larger new hard drives and start using it?  In other words, will it be usable on my 5+ year-old PC?
 
In Device Manager under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I see two NVIDEA MCP51 Serial ATA Controller entries.  Is a "Serial ATA" the same as an SATA?
 
Thanks!
 
 

 
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    n0rd
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/04/17 06:56:32 (permalink)
    Yes and yes.
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    Old55
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/04/17 07:16:03 (permalink)
    Yes, Serial ATA and SATA are the same. 

    You may have to go to your motherboard's vendor site for an FAQ or Features to see if it will support a larger drive.  I suppose there may be a chance that an updated BIOS may allow it. 

    I found these sites:

    http://www.tomshardware.c...rboard-hard-drive-size

    http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/482

    They may help. 

    Another option is to buy a SATA card (PCI or PCI-e).   And install the drive on it. 

    A lot depends on what you're going to use the drive for--audio?  If you're just using it for back-ups, a USB drive will do the trick and you wouldn't even have to open the case. 

    How long before you upgrade?  Those questions may affect how much effort you want to put into this. 

    Good Luck.

    Should auld acquaintance be forgot--hey, who the hell are you guys?  
     
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    craigb
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/04/17 18:29:00 (permalink)
    Thanks for the replies.  Basically, I want to replace one of the 250's that currently is in my PC because it's full.  I have other hard drives (most almost full as well), but this one has all my iTunes music on it and iTunes becomes a bear to maintain if you put music on multiple hard drives.  I was thinking of copying all of my current hard drive to a new one and simply swapping out the old for the new.  Needless to say, this will also give me enough room to put the files from at least two other hard drives onto that one making it easier to move to a new PC in a couple of months.

    I just wasn't sure about the terminology!

     
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    Old55
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/04/18 00:30:37 (permalink)
    You probably wouldn't want an external USB then.  I have one and it sometimes will stop momentarily during audio playback.  I use it mostly for back up.  I'd still check the mobo specs to see what it says. 

    Should auld acquaintance be forgot--hey, who the hell are you guys?  
     
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    craigb
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/05/02 05:27:30 (permalink)
    A bit of research didn't help me narrow down any hard drive choices, but I KNOW the people around here will have an opinion so...

    I'm looking to get at least a 1 TB new hard drive to put all of my iTunes music on as well as all of my photos, pictures and training videos on.  I currently have about 580 GB comprising around 320,000 files and I expect this to grow once I have more hard drive space.  "My Documents" will probably also end up on this drive - basically all "personal" files as I separate work files from my stuff and, eventually, both of those from the OS files.

    Note that this hard drive has nothing to do with my studio PC!  I want to get this done before I consider ordering a new work/personal PC.

    To play back the music and video correctly, I would think I need (at least) 7,200 rpm - true?

    How much cache should I go for?

    Are there any hard drives to AVOID right now?  (There's usually some to stay away from, but I know this changes and I haven't bought any hard drives for over five years now.)

    If I get a second hard drive to use externally as a backup to the drive discussed above, should I match the size or is it ok to get one bigger?

    Thanks for all opinions!
     
    [Edit:  I didn't say it above, but feel free to suggest what you believe is the best choice - i.e., Seagate, Samsung, WD, etc.  Hard drive prices are going up a bit, but there doesn't seem to be too big of a difference between brands so I'd rather get one (or two) I can count on!]
    post edited by craigb - 2011/05/02 05:30:52

     
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    Old55
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/05/02 09:57:46 (permalink)
    I haven't built or upgraded a PC in a while, so I can't speak to what's recommended--or avoided--right now.  My best results have been with WD and Seagate.  i also haven't set up a streaming system, so I can't off any suggestions on offer much in the way of speed and cache regarding streaming.  I can only say that--in general--faster is usually better; but you should also consider that faster usually means nosier, hotter and draws more power.  A noisy can be distracting while listening or watching your material.  No matter what drive you get, take steps to mount it in a way that minimizes noise while keeping the HD cool. 

    I don't think it's absolutely necessary that the backup drive is exactly the same as the source, but I think it makes set up easier. 

    Good luck.

    Should auld acquaintance be forgot--hey, who the hell are you guys?  
     
    X2(X3 pending hardware upgrade), Emulator X2, E-mu 1212M, Virtual String Machine
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    AVTechman
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    Re:Can I add a new TB (or larger) drive to my old PC? 2011/05/02 12:23:52 (permalink)
    craigb


    A bit of research didn't help me narrow down any hard drive choices, but I KNOW the people around here will have an opinion so...

    I'm looking to get at least a 1 TB new hard drive to put all of my iTunes music on as well as all of my photos, pictures and training videos on.  I currently have about 580 GB comprising around 320,000 files and I expect this to grow once I have more hard drive space.  "My Documents" will probably also end up on this drive - basically all "personal" files as I separate work files from my stuff and, eventually, both of those from the OS files.

    Note that this hard drive has nothing to do with my studio PC!  I want to get this done before I consider ordering a new work/personal PC.

    To play back the music and video correctly, I would think I need (at least) 7,200 rpm - true?

    How much cache should I go for?

    Are there any hard drives to AVOID right now?  (There's usually some to stay away from, but I know this changes and I haven't bought any hard drives for over five years now.)

    If I get a second hard drive to use externally as a backup to the drive discussed above, should I match the size or is it ok to get one bigger?

    Thanks for all opinions!
     
    [Edit:  I didn't say it above, but feel free to suggest what you believe is the best choice - i.e., Seagate, Samsung, WD, etc.  Hard drive prices are going up a bit, but there doesn't seem to be too big of a difference between brands so I'd rather get one (or two) I can count on!]

    To play back music and video correctly, you will do fine with a 5400 RPM drive, since not alot is required to read from them. But since 7200 is not much more than the 5400 pricewise, neither would hurt in your case. 


    WD has the Green series drives that is power saving and runs pretty cool. And the 1TB size usually are around $50-60. I have had Segate and Samsung drives and I never had any problems with them. My personal preference is Segate but have done well with WD as well.
    #8
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