Which
internal drive is the right choice: SATA or EIDE?
First, look at the connections on your computer.
SATA
Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives are quickly becoming the new standard in hard drive technology.
Motherboard manufacturers now include SATA inputs on their boards. Because of their considerably
narrower cables, SATA hard drives provide increased airflow and less clutter and in the computer
system compared to EIDE drives. Some older computer system motherboards don’t have SATA ports,
but a PCI SATA controller card can be installed to add support for SATA drives. If you don’t know
whether your computer has SATA ports on the motherboard, refer to your computer or motherboard
documentation or contact the motherboard manufacturer.
EIDE
Enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE), also called Parallel ATA (PATA), hard drives have been
the standard in the computer industry for more than 10 years. Some newer computer system
motherboards don’t have EIDE ports, but a PCI EIDE controller card can be installed to add support
for EIDE drives. If you don’t know whether your computer has EIDE ports on the motherboard, refer to
your computer or motherboard documentation or contact the motherboard manufacturer.
Feature
WD
SATA Hard Drives
WD
EIDE Hard Drives
Maximum data transfer
rate
150 MB/s or 300 MB/s
100 MB/s
Devices per cable
One
Two
Jumper block
8-pin (no Master/Slave settings)
10-pin (single, Master, Slave, and cable select
(CSEL) settings)
Which
internal drive is compatible with my operating system: SATA or EIDE?
Your operating system, as well as your hardware, must support the hard
drive you choose:
Operating
System
WD SATA
Hard Drive Compatibility
WD EIDE Hard
Drive Compatibility
Windows® Vista
Yes
Yes
Windows® 2000 or XP
Yes
Yes
Windows 98SE or ME
No
Yes
Mac® OS X
No
Yes
Mac OS 9.x
No
Yes
Note: Compatibility may vary depending on user's hardware
configuration and operating system.
Other helpful information is available in the WD
Knowledge Base at support.wdc.com
Which
external drive interface is the right choice:
USB, FireWire, eSATA, or Gigabit Ethernet?
Which external drive interface is the right choice: USB, FireWire, eSATA,
or Gigabit Ethernet? Each interface has its strengths, which are explained
in detail below. The right choice depends on compatibility with your computer
and how you want to use your device. First, look at the connections on
your computer.
USB
USB 2.0 is the industry standard peripheral connection for most
Windows-based computers. This connection transfers data at a maximum
rate of 480 Mb/s. Sustained data transfer rates, usually from 10 to
30 MB/s, vary depending on many factors including the type of device,
data being transferred, and computer system speed. If your USB port
is an earlier version, USB 1.0 or 1.1, you can use a USB 2.0 hard
drive, but transfer rates default to the slowest version. If you don’t
know the version of your computer’s USB ports, refer to your computer
documentation or contact the manufacturer.
FireWire
FireWire, also called IEEE 1394, is a high-performance connection standard
for personal computers and consumer electronics. This interface uses a
peer-to-peer architecture in which peripherals negotiate bus conflicts
to determine which device can best control a data transfer. FireWire has
two configurations:
FireWire 400, also called IEEE 1394a, transfers large amounts
of data between computers and peripheral devices at rates up to
400 Mb/s. With higher bandwidth, longer distances, and a higher-powered
bus, this interface is suitable for hard drives, digital video,
professional audio, high-end digital still cameras, and home entertainment
devices.
FireWire 800, also called IEEE 1394b, provides the highspeed
connection and bandwidth required for multiple-stream, uncompressed
digital video and noise-free, high-resolution digital audio. It
offers maximum flexibility with long-distance cabling and configuration
options not available with USB.
eSATA
SATA is very effective for external storage applications, and the
external SATA (eSATA) cable and connector application provides a physically
secure and fast connection for external hard drives. With up to 3
Gb/s data transfers, this interface is suitable for hard drives, home
networking, digital video, and home entertainment devices such as
set-top boxes and personal video recorders. eSATA and internal SATA
cables and connectors cannot be used interchangeably. This is an important
feature since eSATA cables and connectors are designed for 5000 insertion
and removal cycles while internal SATA cables and connectors are designed
for only 50 insertion and removal cycles. To achieve eSATA connectivity
with an external SATA drive, a SATA PCI card must be installed on
the host computer.
Note:
SATA cables with an L-shaped connector are incompatible with WD eSATA
devices.
Gigabit Ethernet
Ethernet is a standard method of connecting computers to a local
area network (LAN) using coaxial cable. As an external hard drive
interface, it is most often used for network attached storage (NAS)
applications in which files can be shared across a network.
Gigabit Ethernet, with its data transfer rate of 1000 Mb/s, is
the latest and fastest Ethernet standard that evolved from the earlier
Fast Ethernet (100 Mb/s) and Ethernet (10 Mb/s) standards. Benefits
of Gigabit Ethernet include increased bandwidth, quality of service
(QoS) features that promote smooth transmission of audio and video,
and compatibility with existing Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks.
USB
2.0
FireWire
400
FireWire
800
eSATA
Gigabit
Ethernet
Hot-swappable (attach a device without
rebooting the system)
Hot-swappable (attach a device without
rebooting the system)
Hot-swappable (attach a device without
rebooting the system)
Hot-swappable (attach a device without
rebooting the system)
Can attach a device to a system’s network
adapter, router, switch, or hub port
480 Mb/s maximum burst transfer
rate
400 Mb/s maximum sustained transter
rate
800 Mb/s maximum sustained transfer rate;
twice as fast as FireWire 400
Up to 3000 Mb/s maximum sustained transfer
rate
1000 Mb/s maximum sustained transfer
rate; ten times as fast as Fast Ethernet
Best for connecting to different
systems quickly and easily
Best for transferring large amounts
of data frequently or for audio/video programs
Best for multiple-stream digital video
and high-resolution digital audio
Best for transferring large amounts of
data frequently or for audio/ video programs
Best for sharing large amounts of data
and/or large audio/video files across a network
More popular for PCs
More popular for Macintosh® computers
More popular for Macintosh computers
More popular for PCs
More popular for PCs
Note: For convenience and flexibility, choose a WD hard drive
with both USB and FireWire interfaces
(available in dual and triple interface configurations) or with both USB
and eSATA interfaces.
Information furnished by WD is believed to be accurate
and reliable; however, no responsibility is assumed by WD for its use
nor for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties which
may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise
under any patent or patent rights of WD. WD reserves the right to change
specifications at any time without notice.