floppy drive and DVD-ROM drive questions

[Stephen]

I'm collecting parts for my first build. I am looking to get a floppy drive, and New Egg has a Sony MPF920 OEM for $7.99. For that price it's hard to beat, but I still want to check and see if anyone has had any problems with it.

 

I am also looking for a DVD ROM. Two models I am looking at are the Sony DVD-ROM DDU1615 OEM and the ASUS dvd-rom e616a2 retail. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Any compatibility issues with any particular motherboards or PSUs?

 

If I get an OEM floppy and retail DVD-ROM, will I need to get any cables or will the retail DVD-ROM have a cable I can use for both. If not, or if I get two OEM products, what power cable will I need to get to hook both up?

 

Finally, if I also get a SATA burner, then am I right in assuming the floppy and DVD-ROM are on a cable by themselves - with the DVD-ROM as master and the floppy as slave (or is it vice versa).

[lokoike]

I'm collecting parts for my first build. I am looking to get a floppy drive, and New Egg has a Sony MPF920 OEM for $7.99. For that price it's hard to beat, but I still want to check and see if anyone has had any problems with it.

 

I am also looking for a DVD ROM. Two models I am looking at are the Sony DVD-ROM DDU1615 OEM and the ASUS dvd-rom e616a2 retail. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Any compatibility issues with any particular motherboards or PSUs?

Hey Stephen,

 

I haven't tested out either of the parts you are mentioning, but as long as your motherboard has parallel ATA ports and your power supply has molex connectors (four holes in a horizontal line), those drives will both work fine (and almost all mobos / PSUs have these connections). Out of those two drives, I personally like the ASUS one better (larger cache and faster access times).

 

If I get an OEM floppy and retail DVD-ROM, will I need to get any cables or will the retail DVD-ROM have a cable I can use for both. If not, or if I get two OEM products, what power cable will I need to get to hook both up?

The retail drive should include everything you need, but it would be best to check the description and the pictures to see what all it includes. The OEM drive will most likely only include the drive, and nothing else. Either way, you don't need to worry about buying power cables, as those are built into your PSU, although with the OEM drive, you may need to invest in a PATA data cable.

 

Finally, if I also get a SATA burner, then am I right in assuming the floppy and DVD-ROM are on a cable by themselves - with the DVD-ROM as master and the floppy as slave (or is it vice versa).

With SATA, there is no primary/secondary/master/slave. Every drive is independent of the other. And your floppy drive does not use the same cable as your optical/hard drive. A floppy cable is slightly less wide, has less pins, and has a section in it that is twisted. See pictures:

 

Parallel floppy drive cable

Parallel hard drive / optical drive cable

Serial hard drive / optical drive cable

 

So, if you bought one floppy drive, one parallel optical drive, and one serial optical drive, they would all use separate cables. However, if you had two parallel optical drives, and no serial drives, you could put both parallel drives on the same cable (although your floppy would still need a different cable).

 

Let me know if this helps .

[Stephen]

Hey Stephen,

 

I haven't tested out either of the parts you are mentioning, but as long as your motherboard has parallel ATA ports and your power supply has molex connectors (four holes in a horizontal line), those drives will both work fine (and almost all mobos / PSUs have these connections). Out of those two drives, I personally like the ASUS one better (larger cache and faster access times).

The retail drive should include everything you need, but it would be best to check the description and the pictures to see what all it includes. The OEM drive will most likely only include the drive, and nothing else. Either way, you don't need to worry about buying power cables, as those are built into your PSU, although with the OEM drive, you may need to invest in a PATA data cable.

With SATA, there is no primary/secondary/master/slave. Every drive is independent of the other. And your floppy drive does not use the same cable as your optical/hard drive. A floppy cable is slightly less wide, has less pins, and has a section in it that is twisted. See pictures:

 

Parallel floppy drive cable

Parallel hard drive / optical drive cable

Serial hard drive / optical drive cable

 

So, if you bought one floppy drive, one parallel optical drive, and one serial optical drive, they would all use separate cables. However, if you had two parallel optical drives, and no serial drives, you could put both parallel drives on the same cable (although your floppy would still need a different cable).

 

Let me know if this helps .

 

 

This helps alot. Thanks!

[lokoike]

This helps alot. Thanks!

No problem. I'm sure your first build will turn out awesome!