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Topic: Optimal IDE configuration (Read 3907 times) previous topic - next topic
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Optimal IDE configuration

What is the optimal IDE configuration if you have 2 HDDs and 2 optical units and 2 IDE channels? I read somewhere that for best performance you plug the two HDDs on the primary channel and the 2 opticals on the secondary channel, but wouldn't it be wiser to use something like HDD+optical per channel, where HDD is set as master and optical as slave? In that way, when you copy from HDD to HDD it runs faster than on a HDD+HDD configuration and you can also do on-the-fly copying from CD/DVD to CD/DVD. The only downside I see is that when you want to burn from a HDD using the optical that is on the same IDE channel as the source HDD, it might be a bit slower.

What do you guys think?

Optimal IDE configuration

Reply #1 –
Quote
wouldn't it be wiser to use something like HDD+optical per channel, where HDD is set as master and optical as slave? In that way, when you copy from HDD to HDD it runs faster than on a HDD+HDD configuration and you can also do on-the-fly copying from CD/DVD to CD/DVD.

Probably... I had similar thoughts before my last (re)build. The problem is that unless you have a small case or very long (i.e. out of spec) IDE cables, this can be pretty hard to implement (with neat cabling or even at all). I wanted my disks mounted one above the other with an inch of air in between, to be able to cool them with a single 92mm fan, which pretty much ruled out your config in my case.

Next box could be all SATA... problem solved?

Optimal IDE configuration

Reply #2 –
Quote from: Sebastian Mares on
but wouldn't it be wiser to use something like HDD+optical per channel, where HDD is set as master and optical as slave? In that way, when you copy from HDD to HDD it runs faster than on a HDD+HDD configuration and you can also do on-the-fly copying from CD/DVD to CD/DVD.


It's debatable if that has any advantages. All transfers go through the southbridge/MCP anyways, the drives don't communicate directly with each other when they're on the same cable. Seeing how Ultra-ATA 100/133 has way more bandwidth than a HD can deliver, there should be no big benefits with your proposal.


I always have it like this:

Primary Master - Boot HD
Primary Slave - 2nd HD

Secondary Master - CD/DVD drive
Secondary Slave - CD/DVD burner

Of course, nowadays i have SATA HDs. But still i use only one channel for the two optical drives (master & slave).

Optimal IDE configuration

Reply #3 –
Well, if you put your page file / swap partition on a different physical drive than your system drive, then separate them on different cables.

In any case, determine which drives are most probable to run at the same time, and put them on different cables.
 

Optimal IDE configuration

Reply #4 –
Quote
The only downside I see is that when you want to burn from a HDD using the optical that is on the same IDE channel as the source HDD, it might be a bit slower

Id be surprised if you can notice the difference.

Also remember that for example if your seedy-ROM is only capable of PIO then the other device on that same channel will also fall back to PIO even if it supports UDMA. The channel will always fall back to the speed of the slowest device. Another thing to think about when your thinking about organising your devices.

I always put the burner master. I don't really care about doing CD-to-CD since a cache makes up for whatever performance loss. I also didn't bother looking at my devices UDMA capabilities and they are all operating at UDMA33 (which I should fix).

SATA first generation.
SATA1: HDD 120GB
SATA2: HDD 160GB

IDE1 - DVD-RAM
IDE2 - DVD-ROM
IDE3 - CD-RW
IDE4 - DVD-RW (Only reads CDs. Laser cant focus on a DVD)

Optimal IDE configuration

Reply #5 –
Quote from: TREX6662k6 on
Also remember that for example if your seedy-ROM is only capable of PIO then the other device on that same channel will also fall back to PIO even if it supports UDMA. The channel will always fall back to the speed of the slowest device. Another thing to think about when your thinking about organising your devices.


This is incorrect. I think since the Pentium II or III era the devices have independent timing.