# If hard drive is SATA why is DVD drive IDE?



## tbfoto

I replaced my hard drive last year and I remember it being a "SATA" drive. I know it is because I still have the box. So now I needed a new DVD drive so I ordered a "SATA" DVD drive. WRONG!!!!!!! My DVD drive is IDE. Now I have to send it back. ARRRGGG. 
Is it normal to have two different connetors like that? I assummed that they would be the same. 

Lesson learned....look before you buy.


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## Cleric7x9

huh?


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## konzerte

if you have 2 sata ports (and I believe that any mother which supports sata has at least 2 ports) you can plug your hard drive and dvd.


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## voyagerfan99

You can use a SATA DVD drive. I don't know where your coming from.


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## scooter

yeh, you should have at least 2 sata ports..and if not..do 1 ide, and one sata...doesnt matter.


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## Geoff

Are you saying you ordered a SATA DVD Drive buy received an IDE one?  You can use an IDE optical drive as long as you have a connector for it on your motherboard.


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## tbfoto

I'm sorry I didn't make myself clearer.
  I thought I needed a SATA DVD drive because the hard drive that I bought earlier in the year was a SATA hard drive. So I ordered and got a SATA DVD burner, but when I opened my computer case..... my old DVD burner is connected with an IDE ribbon connector. So now I will have to send back this SATA DVD burner that I just bought and order a DVD burner that is IDE. 

I hope this makes more sense.

Thanks


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## johnny

Well if you can't connect it then thats not that bad you just made a mistake.  


My cousin bought a new computer, got all the parts, and they said for $10 they will connect all the components and install windows.  Insted of me wasting my time, I said "f it" and pay the $10 bucks and get them to connect everything and install windows.  Well we paid for a SATA HDD and what did we get? An IDE drive, found out about 2 months ago, when I had to reformat.


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## Intel_man

tbfoto said:


> I'm sorry I didn't make myself clearer.
> I thought I needed a SATA DVD drive because the hard drive that I bought earlier in the year was a SATA hard drive. So I ordered and got a SATA DVD burner, but when I opened my computer case..... my old DVD burner is connected with an IDE ribbon connector. So now I will have to send back this SATA DVD burner that I just bought and order a DVD burner that is IDE.
> 
> I hope this makes more sense.
> 
> Thanks



your motherboard should have more than 1 SATA port. Just because your DVD ROM that you have uses IDE does not mean that you have to buy one that uses IDE if you have space for another SATA.


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## m3incorp

Look where your SATA hard drive is plugged in, now there should be another SATA plug right beside it.....so now remove your old DVD and IDE cable and plug in the new SATA DVD into that SATA port, add power and your'e all set......you don't have to replace with an IDE drive just because the old one is one....as long as motherboard has SATA ports.


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