SATA-II explained

[smids]

Hey carbon8ed - I've not used RAID0+1 on the SiI3114 controller, though I'd be very surprised if it didn't support it. It is no different to setup from any other RAID in that you'd simply select 'RAID0+1 or 'mirrored stripe' or it might even be called 'RAID10' (though this is wrong). You cannot simply set up a RAID0 and then RAID1 that - it sets it up as a RAID0+1 from the off. Your best bet is the Silicon image manual for that controller because, as I say, I have no experience.You probably can slipstream the drivers - no doubt nLite will be required for that, or you could simply do an F6 install (much easier in my opinion, especially if you have a floppy drive).

Personally, I'd use the nV controller for the RAID0+1 and use contancenation (or someting similar) and this is basically JBOD and you can use a single SATA drive for this. That's a personal thing though as I really enjoy the functions of the nVRAID.

 

[smids]

Can anyone explain eSata to me please?

Stelly

Hmm, that is something I really should get added isn't it?

eSATA is just an external SATA port BUT it uses a DIFFERENT plug to normal SATA. Also, eSATA cables are usually more electrically/magnetically shielded.

They run at 150 or 300Mb/s speeds as a normal SATA cable.

Basically, they are normal SATA cables but for the different connector and extra shielding. One end will be normal SATA, the other eSATA (normal SATA will connect to the HDU).

 

[smids]

Thanks Dave, but if you ready my sticky, you'll notice I use quotation marks for 'SATA-II' as, whilst you might be well aversed with Serial-ATA Generation 2 specifications, to give it its proper name, the average consumer is not. I created this sticky to help people understand the fallacy that exists amongst many consumers, most notably when we started to see 300MB/s drives appear. You'll also notice that I provide a table which is from the SATA-IO website clearly showing what constitutes what a Generation 2 drive is, which is not very much at all - the SATA-IO specifications are indeed the Serial-ATA Generation 2 specifications.

Rather than simply picking apart a fellow users post, albeit not particularly well, why not spend your time trying to improve it and making suggestions to me on how I can do this. I am not affiliated with OcUK, I'm simply trying to help out fellow community people. I have taken much time to ensure all data is accurate and intelligible for all. If you find this difficult/contradictory etc in any way, please make suggestions on how I can best improve it. You'll not know, not being around the forums for very long, that most of the questions I list are exactly the types of posts I was answering on a daily basis. Rather than repeat myself, I made this thread to answer most of these questions which were are very frequently at the time.

Rather then spend my time firstly rubbishing the misnomer to which the average consumer is accustomed, I simply used it 'quoted' though, I now see that I did not use it uniformly, however this was my intention. I used the 'SATA-II' moniker to ensure that the consumer could easily understand all the relevant information. I thought it to be the best method of dealing with the issue. People would come into the thread thinking SATA-II = 300Mb/s, so I used the symbolism of what SATA-II encompassed to define generation 2 without the necessity for this guide to be overtly complicated. As I have said though, if you are unhappy, please feel free to write your own guide, and make a thread out of it. I have linked to sata-io website, in the first question, so all the relevant information is there.

 

[smids]

No problem Dave, that sounds like fair comment. Admittedly, the sticky is now 1.5 years old, and quite possibly could do with updating. I have noticed most resellers dropping the 'SATA-II' moniker for 300MBp/s drives. I only left the sticky as it was as OcUK have kept the naming scheme. Invariably, this led to lots of questions akin to the above being asked, which meant that I 'had' to answer them. I must have answered about 5-10 posts a day on this very issue and it was diluting the real questions being asked in this forum.

I shall think up an new way of describing the new specs, perhaps 'SATA specification generation 2' would be appropriate terminology as this is exactly what has happened. The problem with this also is that we will no doubt end up with 'SATA-II' or 'SATA2' again. It will be very hard to dispel the naming scheme, largely due to retailers from the outset.

The big problem here is that the new specifications are indeed like a new generation, however there is backwards compatibility. To list out all the offending chipsets would be very difficult given that there are so many still used on all types of boards dating back to the Athlon XP and P4 Northwood days.

It might be possible to name them 'Serial-ATA IO specifications', stating that IO is the acronym for International Organisation, and I can add a note to this effect at the very beginning.

 

[smids]

Duly noted.

Looks perfectly fine - do you think you can email me a copy of the actual text? i.e. click edit, cut and paste into notepad and email this to my trust email. It saves me having to fiddle about with a lot of code.

I'll add any amendments or addendums afterwards...

EDIT: I am an idiot - I can just use quote...

 

[smids]

Trippynet picked up on that very point from about post 105 onwards and smids edited his first post to note that it should only be called SATA, there is no such thing as SATA II.

Unfortunately it is the reticence of retailers which is causing the problem. I wasn't clear enough in my very first guide revision, using the moniker it had already been given to try and reduce the confusion, however trippy was right and it was best to edit the thing.

If you want me to make more edits helmutcheese, submit what you would like it to read and I'll edit it...

I thought I was pretty clear in the second paragraph though...

 

[smids]

I am going to need a hard drive, the Mobo ( P5N32 SLI 680i ) is Sata 1, would it be OK to purchase the drive below and jump it down to Sata 1.
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-039-SA&groupid=701&catid=14&subcat=768

I realise that the only benefit would be future proofing and a small amount of Burst.
I have done a small amount of pricing and the 320 gig sata or sata2 are in the same price range.
What would you folks recommend?

Buy any drive which fits your bill, be it 300MB/s or 150MB/s interfaced. I would prefer to buy a 300MB/s drive, because the only 150MB/s which can be bought new are the Raptors at the moment, so the drive would have to be old to be only 150MB/s.