Western Digital OEM Products

[sjm1027]

I have a few questions about the 3 drives I purchased yesterday.

(1) Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive.
(2) Western Digital Raptor 36.7GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive.

I have been hearing that when you purchase OEM that you can't get them to work because you can't get the software. These items are non-refundable and I am worried I will not get them to work with my system. If any of you have had experience using OEM products and know where I may get instructions please let me know.
I also want to connect the (2) Western Digital Raptor 36.7GB 10,000RPM drives RAID 0...mirroring. Will I need instructions to do that or will the motherboard cover that?

Thanks

Western Digital 120GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD1200JD, OEM Drive Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 120GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: Not specified
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144151 $97.00


Western Digital Raptor 36.7GB 10,000RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model WD360GD, OEM Drive Only
Specifications:
Capacity: 36.7GB
Average Seek Time: 5.2 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 10000 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: Not specified
Manufacturer Warranty: 5 years
Packaging: OEM Drive Only more info-> N82E16822144200 $115.00

[Spartan]

Go to WD's site and download Data Lifeguard and any other software you might need. They will have it so don't worry. The mobo will cover all of the Raid instructions and software you might need. What mobo are you using?


-Spartan

[Panama Red]

I use nothing but WD oem drives. 3 year warranty vs 1 year on retail. The only extras the Retail package offers is an 80 wire flat ide cable and the Digital Lifequard software. You only need the software if you need to test or zero fill the drive. It's downloadable from the WD web site if you find later that you need it. Raptors are 5 year warranty. The drivers for SATA/RAID installation should be on your motherboard installation CD.

[flanzig1]

Having the software that comes with retail packaging is NOT a must to install HDDs. OEM drives is what most people here buy.

[sjm1027]

Phew... Man I was worried I blew it. So if I go down to Comp USA and pick up 80 wire flat ide cable? I guess that is standard cable?

I just found this in round cable. Will these cables work the same as your flat 80 wire flat ide cable?


Antec Cobra A26 Round 133 ATA Cable, Model "77226" -RETAIL
Model# 77226
Item # N82E16812105001
Specifications:
40-pin 80-conductor cable, ATA133/100/66/33 compliant for high speed data transfer
Highly flexible 26" round cable (16" + 10") with two device connections, one motherboard connector.
Wrapped with nylon mesh plastic tubing for maximum air flow improvement.
Shielded with aluminum foil and braided silver mesh with ground, for maximum shielding.

ANTEC Cobra A36 Round 133 ATA Cable, Model "77236" -RETAIL


- Specifications -

40-pin 80-conductor cable, ATA133/100/66/33 compliant for high speed data transfer
Highly flexible 36" round cable with two device connections, one motherboard connector.
Wrapped with nylon mesh plastic tubing for maximum air flow improvement.
Shielded with aluminum foil and braided silver mesh with ground, for maximum shielding.

Model#: 77236
Item#: N82E16812105005


Thanks

[glc]

I see you bought 3 SATA drives - how many SATA connectors are on your motherboard? SATA drives don't use IDE cables, they use SATA cables.

Motherboards generally come with all the cables you need - what board do you have?

[sjm1027]

Originally Posted by glc I see you bought 3 SATA drives - how many SATA connectors are on your motherboard? SATA drives don't use IDE cables, they use SATA cables. Motherboards generally come with all the cables you need - what board do you have?

I plan on Mirroring the 2 36 gig 10,000 rpm drives RAID 0 Stripe and 120 gig will be the other drive. Am I wrong with the way it works? I thought I would be needing only the 2 SATA ??? Should I have gotten the 120 ATA?


ASUS "A8V Deluxe Wi-Fi" K8T800 Pro Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL

Model# A8V Deluxe Wi- Fi
Item # N82E16813131499

Specifications:
Supported CPU: AMD Athlon64 and Athlon64 FX Series Processors
Chipset: VIA K8T800Pro + VT8237
RAM: 4x DIMM for Dual-Channel DDR400/333/266 Max 4GB
IDE: 3x ATA 133 up to 6 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xCOM,1xLPT,SPDIF Out,1xLAN,8xUSB2.0(Rear 4),2xIEEE1394(Rear 1),Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC850 8-Channel Codec
Onboard LAN: Marvell 88E8001 GbE
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2xSATA by VT8237, RAID 0/1/JBOD; 2x SATA & 1x ATA 133 by Promise 20378, RAID 0/1/0+1/Multiple RAID
Onboard 1394: VIA VT6307
Features: ASUS WiFi-g PCI card
Form Factor: ATX

[glc]

Mirroring 2 drives is still 2 drives, and there can only be one SATA drive per cable and connector. That board has 4 connectors. You need 3 cables and it appears that this mobo ships with 4. You do not need to buy any drive cables.

[sjm1027]

Originally Posted by glc Mirroring 2 drives is still 2 drives, and there can only be one SATA drive per cable and connector. That board has 4 connectors. You need 3 cables and it appears that this mobo ships with 4. You do not need to buy any drive cables.

glc,
Are you saying I can have up to 4 SATA drives on thes mobo or 2 SATA drives?
I have purchased 3 SATA Drives.
Steve

[TheJackal]

You can have up to 4 SATA drives on your board.