Upgrading HDD

[jarulezz]

Hey guys, simple question:
I'd like to upgrade the storage in my desktop from my current 160gb to at least 250gb if not more. It has to be SATA and 3.5" internal hdd. My budget is around £40 to £45

Here comes my problem; my motherboard is from like 2008 or so and it has SATA 3 Gb/s ports (its an Asus P5Q SE/R mobo). Would a SATA 6Gb/s HDD work on it? Will the HDD be used to its' full potential?

Im thinking about buying the Seagate Barracuda 500GB, 7200 RPM.
Link: http://mocustoms.co.uk/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1558

But I dont think I'll be buying from that website as it has poor ratings/reviews.

 

[tipstir]

You max out at 3gb/s then you need to stick with 3gb/s unless you ditch your MOBO to run 6gb/s HDD. Look on ebay.uk or amazon.uk for HDDs that support your MOBO.

 

[jarulezz]

Ok, thanks.

So say, if I bought a 3gb/s HDD right now and then in the future upgraded my mobo to 6gb/s SATA ports. Would the 3gb/s HDD still work on the new mobo?

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

You max out at 3gb/s then you need to stick with 3gb/s unless you ditch your MOBO to run 6gb/s HDD. Look on ebay.uk or amazon.uk for HDDs that support your MOBO.

But you don't need to worry about that because you won't max it out.
There is no problem at all.
In fact, don't worry about 3gb/s or 6gb/s hdds at all, they're the same for mechanical harddrives.

 

[wheelieInCali]

Don't forget to set the jumpers on the back of the drive though. With hardware that is capable of running multiple speeds in a system, the slowest tech trumps all other speeds. ie. your mobo might be able to transfer data at 6Gb/s but if your HDD can only transfer at 3Gb/s the mobo can't make it go faster.

 

[jarulezz]

Thanks guys, you've solved my doubts.

Don't forget to set the jumpers on the back of the drive though.

Doesn't IDE connection have jumpers?
Im looking for SATA, they dont have jumpers, right?

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

You don't need to worry about jumpers with SATA.

ie. your mobo might be able to transfer data at 6Gb/s but if your HDD can only transfer at 3Gb/s the mobo can't make it go faster.

And no, your hdd will not only be able to transfer at 3Gb/s, it'll hardly get close to the limit.