Do you miss Molex on HDD's?

[Zak33]

I do.

SO I've just ordered a WD drive with a good old fashioned Molex on it.

I hate te new SATA power connectors. Weak as a kitten...no use.

[dave87]

I must admit it is useful to have both incase I can't get one or other to that location in my case, or have run out, and don't have a SATA power adapter available.

[Lucio]

I must admit it is useful to have both incase I can't get one or other to that location in my case, or have run out, and don't have a SATA power adapter available.

Any good brand Hard drives that have both then?

[dave87]

Samsung, Maxtor, Seagate. Those 3 I can say that they used to, but don't anymore based on purchases, and WD by the sound of Zak's post.

No idea who would though

[saltynay]

seagate barracudas have both I use the molex connections the last in the string is a fan

[shaithis]

When a SATA power connector falls off because I've been rummaging around inside the PC, I do think "bring back molex!"


But then I remember those days of spending 15 minutes trying to prise a molex out of its socket....

[jimbouk]

Molexes are hard to get out if you have the standard ones though, I do like the ones on my current psu which you just squeeze to release...

[Lee H]

pfft - you must not be eating your weetabix if you think molexes are hard to remove.

Give them a yank - they're not scared of pressure you know...

However, SATA power connections as I told Zak33 earlier I did have to hold some with blu-tack, but now I've got another PSU with SATA power connections on which are @ 90 angle and these do not slide off as easy.

Why don't they have a latch like the secure cables you can purchase?

[Zak33]

Samsungs DONT all have them. Nor to Seagates. Dont trust the photo's either, they're wrong even on some of the manufacturers web sites.

I have ordered two 320 gig WD drives. One's an Enterprise version (read business 5year warranty hard bugger) and it should have both. The other is the new Desktop SE16, which is a tad cheaper,

I anticipate keeping the Enterprise one and flogging the other to a mate, but only once I tried them both for a fresh XP install.

[Zak33]

Give them a yank - they're not scared of pressure you know...

which is why they're so great. I mean,....the new SATA power plugs last about 5 plug/unplugs and then go all wobbly.

Molex last HUNDREDS of unplugs....hundreds.

I believe MOLEX is a brand name and they HDD companies didn't want to give them anymore money so invented the new one. Failed to get it right too, imo.

[kalniel]

pfft - you must not be eating your weetabix if you think molexes are hard to remove.

Give them a yank - they're not scared of pressure you know...

Yes they are.

Not as much as the round IDE cables from scan though - mine broke the first time I tried to remove it :cries:

[this_is_gav]

I don't mind applying a little force to remove the molex ones, but you can find yourself cursing everything under the sun if it suddenly releases, and you find your hand moving swiftly from the drive straight into some frame on the case or something. That's not fun. Not fun at all.

I don't mind the ease at which the SATA connectors can come away (I've not experienced it, but I do sometimes just check to make sure if I've been fiddling), but I dislike the connectors themselves - I can't imagine it would take much to snap one, and on most drives, if you do, that's it - it's a goner.

Of all the 3 major brands I've bought in the past year or 2 (WD, Seagate and Samsung), only the WDs have had both SATA and molex power options.

[DanceswithUnix]

Molex last HUNDREDS of unplugs....hundreds.

Hundreds? I would say about a dozen. Then you have to take a pair of pliers to them to get them reliable again. The plastic is still as inconveniently stiff as ever, just not actually making copper to copper contact.

I think they should have switched to the 6 pin graphics card connectors. Easy to plug/unplug, latched connector and one connector would work for both graphics and hard drives (again).

I think 75W should be adequate too Perhaps we should start a campaign!

[Zak33]

Hundreds? I would say about a dozen. Then you have to take a pair of pliers to them to get them reliable again. The plastic is still as inconveniently stiff as ever, just not actually making copper to copper contact.

I've not had that except on a SCSI drive that was very old and I'd installed over n over and it was 3rd hand when I got it.

[satan]

I think we should go back to twisting bare wires around each other. That way, when the "plug" breaks you just strip some more wire.

[Agrippa]

For total reliability, get that soldering iron out and make the connection real secure!