Resolved ASRock X99 Extreme3 SATA connections

I have a question about connecting SATA components to this mobo. The SATA connections are on the right side of the picture. For clarification, the inputs are stacked one on top of the other and face the right (not facing out as in the diagram). I have a SSD, a HDD and a DVD-ROM (IDE with SATA adapter). I know the SSD (OS) should be in SATA3_0, and I suppose the HDD (storage only) would go into SATA3_1. Would the DVD-ROM go into the SSATA3_2 input or SSATA3_0? Do I remove all master/slave/CS jumpers from all 3 of these components? Also, I believe there would be no drop in performance of the DVD-ROM if I use a SATA1.5 or SATA2 cable.

 

1. You can plug anything in SATA ports in any sequence. It's not going to matter.
2. Modern SATA hard disks have no Master/Slave jumper because now there is no such concept ! A SATA port can have one and only one storage unit attached to it.

 

See page 28 of the manual (pdf).

 

Permission is denied to access your link, but page 28 of the Extreme3 manual is about setting up the SLI bridge.

 

Hmmm, that's weird. Work fine here in IE, Fiorefox and Chrome.

Here, try this link instead:

Asrock_X99_Extreme3_Manual.pdf​

And here's a link to a screenshot of the page:

​

 

I see... you're going on page 28 of the pdf, not the manual. That is page 22 of the manual. It still doesn't answer my questions. I understand the bottom 6 are for RAID, but it doesn't say if it is better to put them in any particular order. I figured the OS would be in SATA3_0 and the storage HDD would be in SATA3_1, while the DVD-ROM wouldn't be part of any RAID setup, so could go in one of the SSATA inputs. Let me know if there is a particular order that is recommended.

Also, since the DVD-ROM was from an IDE computer, it has the M/S/CS jumper on it. Should I just ignore it or remove it?

Would there be a difference between running a SATA1.5 or SATA2 cable to the DVD-ROM? I understand all SATA cables are the same, other than SATA2 and above have clips.

 

I used "28" because that is what it said at the top of the screen . . . and what would need to be typed in to get back down to the correct page on your end.

If you'll start at the top of the PDF, press [Ctrl][F], type in sata and press [Enter], it will take you to the first found instance of "sata ". Then continue pressing [F3] to continue on down through the manual reading all about SATA as it pertains to your particular motherboard.

And AFAICS, as as rsinfo stated above, you should be able to connect any SATA drive to any SATA port. (They're all the same).

 

Sorry, I was looking at the hard copy of the manual.

 

Ummm, no, not necessarily. According to the manual on Page 28 (pdf), it says,

While Barry may not have any device currently using the Ultra M.2 port, he might in the future. And if the shared SSATA3_2 port is occupied, the U M.2 port will not work. So if me, to ensure easier future upgrades, I would not connect anything to SSATA3_2.

Actually, ancient SATA devices don't either. That is, no SATA device uses Master/Slave or Cable Select and it is because you can only connect one device per cable/interface port with SATA. Old technology EIDE (IDE, ATA, PATA) interfaces could support two devices per cable. So one had to be designated by the system (using the jumper settings and device location on the cable) as the primary (Master) while the other (if there were two) as the secondary (Slave).

Don't ignore it. With one device on the cable, you need to set the jumper to either Master or CS (cable select), and connect to the Master connector. If you have two devices on an IDE cable, you must use Master and Slave jumper settings OR both devices must use Cable Select and the system will sort out which is Master and Slave by their cable connection. The Master connector is always on the opposite end from the System/Motherboard connector, and the Slave connector is always offset from the center and closer to its Master.

You cannot use both CS and MA/SL on the same cable.

 

Bill, thank you.

I was aware of SSATA3_2 not working if the M.2 is in use, but the M.2 sits under his large GPUs, and I don't see him ever using that. He could always change the SATA input, if he does (just going for ideal cable placement right now).

The DVD-ROM was from an IDE computer, but has a SATA adapter attached to it, allowing it to be connected through a SATA cable. Since a SATA cable is being used, is the jumper irrelevant, or should I just check to make sure it is set to master or CS or remove the jumper completely?

Do you have any comments to share about using a SATA1.5 or SATA2 cable for this DVD-ROM? I have extra 1.5s and 2s laying around, while a SATA3 cable would need to be ordered. Everything I've read says it would make no difference, but I thought I'd throw that out here, also.

 

Do not remove the jumper. Where would you put it for safe keeping should it be needed in the future? In its default location, it may still be establishing a setting and not be irrelevant. If doing nothing, the back of the drive is still a good place to store the jumper for safe keeping.

If me, if the motherboard has an EIDE connector, I would use that instead of adapters. Adapters should only be used when necessary as they introduce at least two more potential points of problems unnecessarily.

As far as cables for the DVD, I would not worry. DVDs don't transfer data fast enough to be affected, regardless the cables or interface you use.

So if me, I would use EIDE for the DVD, with the DVD jumper set to MA or CS. And I would use a round EIDE cable and not one of the old flat ribbon cables too - for better cable management and minimal impact on case air flow. If no motherboard EIDE connector, then you have no choice but to use an adapter - except to get a modern optical drive - perhaps a Blu-ray - that uses SATA.

 

Eventually, he plans on getting a SATA Blu-ray, but this is just to tie him over till then. His MOBO only has SATA connections, so the IDE-SATA adapter is necessary. We'll just set the jumper to CS. Thanks.

 

Sounds like a plan.