What's the best way to add an internal SATA port?

[p_l]

What's the best way to add an internal SATA port?

A Dell I acquired only has one SATA port on the motherboard, and therefore only one HDD. I'd like to add a second internal SATA HDD.

[budz]

Get a PCI SATA Controller card or just buy a external hard drive.

[p_l]

Thanks. I have plenty of external HDDs, but in this case I want to add an internal drive. I was looking at something like this (not worth spending a lot on this secondary computer), but how much does a PCI card slow down the SATA connection?

[themaster1]

This card use pci-e (x16) connector it seems, not a simple pci one.If you have a graphic card you will probably have to choose between the two unless you have 2 pci-e (x16) ports on your motherboard ?

[p_l]

Are you sure? This one seems to be the PCI Express version, doesn't it?




Isn't the one I refer to above the simple PCI version?

The computer is about 4 years old and only has simple PCI slots (and one AGP).

[kimco52]

The PCI version should work. I put in a Promise Card and it gives me 4 SATA ports. I think I paid around $75 for it last year. My mobo does not have SATA ports (old ASUS board) but I use it's 4 PATA and the 4 SATA ports.

[ocgw]

That 1st pic is PCI interface = 33Hz = 133Mb's

That 2nd pic is PCI-e x1 interface = 250mb/s

PCI-e is 250Mb/s per lane V.1, 500Mb/s V.2

Either on is sufficient for a single 7200rpm sata drive

ocgw

peace