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Western Digital Interface Guide |
Not sure which drive is right for your computer? This guide helps
you determine the right type of drive and interface using these
three questions:
- Which internal drive is the right choice: SATA or PATA?
- Which internal drive is compatible with my operating system: SATA or PATA?
- Which external drive interface is the right choice: USB, FireWire, eSATA, or Gigabit Ethernet?
- Additional Support Resources
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Which internal drive is the right choice: SATA or PATA? |
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First, look at the connections on your computer.
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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 PATA 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.
PATA
Parallel ATA (PATA), also called Enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE), hard drives have been the standard in the computer industry for more than 10 years. Some newer computer system motherboards don’t have PATA ports, but a PCI EIDE controller card can be installed to add support for PATA drives. If you don’t know whether your computer has PATA ports on the motherboard, refer to your computer or motherboard documentation or contact the motherboard manufacturer.
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Which internal drive is compatible with my operating system: SATA or PATA? |
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Your operating system, as well as your hardware, must support the hard drive you choose:
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Operating System |
WD SATA Hard Drive Compatibility |
WD PATA Hard Drive Compatibility |
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Windows® Vista™ |
Yes |
Yes |
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Windows® 2000 or XP |
Yes |
Yes |
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Windows 98SE or ME |
No |
Yes |
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Mac® OS X |
Yes |
Yes |
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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
- What issues should I be concerned with when using a drive over 137 GB?
- Are PATA hard drives larger than 137 GB supported in Mac Systems?
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Which external drive interface is the right choice: |
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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.
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USB
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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. |
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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:
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eSATA
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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. |
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Note:
SATA cables with an L-shaped connector are incompatible with
WD eSATA devices. Gigabit Ethernet
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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. |
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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.