Hard drive size ide - Gateway M460 Notebook

It depends upon where the hard disk is to be installed, ie. in a desktop computer, in a laptop or in an USB hard drive case.

A 3 1/2 inch hard drives can be a IDE/PATA or a SATA type. Older computers use IDE/PATA hard drives and the maximum size you can install in a desktop depends upon the computer's BIOS.
SATA hard drives are generally used in later model computers and the size of the hard drive is not limited by the BIOS.

A 2 1/2 inch hard drives are used in laptops and are available in IDE/PATA and SATA types. The size and limitations of IDE/PATA hard drives also apply to laptops. The same applies to SATA hard drives.
The choice and size of hard drive depends upon your requirements and how much you want pay.
Don't forget to check BIOS for the maximum IDE/PATA hard drive size you can install in your computer.

The specifications for this model Gigabyte moterboard is available from this WEB site.
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=1931#ov

This motherboard supports IDE and SATA hard drives.
There is no size linitations on SATA hard drives and they are a lot faster than IDE hard drives.
I recommend to install a SATA hard drive with a capacity to suit your needs.

this site will give you the build list for the computer. you can put any size hard drive in it you want as long as you stick with IDE type
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim5150/en/sm/specs1.htm

this means you can not use the newer SATA drives. has to be IDE

This model laptop is installed with an IDE 40Gb hard drive.
You can use a faster hard drive but the BIOS limits the maximum size hard drive you can install.
Check the specification of this laptop for the maximum size hard drive you can install.

It doesn't matter what size the drive is (in GB, not physical size) and anything over 20 gigs or so is acceptable for just checking email and using office. You will need an IDE drive and just in case you were asking for physical dimensions they are standard for PCs... 3.5 x 5.79 x 1.03 inch

Hi
Normally a laptop computer using the hard disk type 2.5 "

Here I attach the hard drive example for your reference.

Pic 1> 2.5" IDE HDD





Pic 2> 2.5" SATA HDD



Tq and regards

This is almost definatly an E-IDE (PATA) desktop hard drive.
These drives are refered to as 3.5 inch drives, and laptop drives as 2.5 inch.
Just google ide caddy or enclosure

Hello,

Please keep in mind this unit uses IDE hard drive instead of SATA. The default 2300 uses a 30 GB high-capacity Enhanced-IDE hard disk. With latest BIOS upgrade, this unit will be able to have anything installed. 80GB, 160GB, 250GB, 320GB, 500GB.

However, I believe that IDE hard drives are slowly but surely becoming obsolete and legacy and they seem to be more expensive as well.

You can upgrade to practically the maximum available amount of harddrive space as long as the new drive is IDE. The following picture shows the drive you require:




A guide to replace a hard disk for this PC is available here.

As a rule of thumb, you should buy the maximum size hard disk you can afford as it improves the performance.

You can choose from any brand but choose the one with maximum warranty.

PS. There is no need to go into any kind of numbers; just ask the vendor to give you a certain size IDE hard drive eg a 250GB Western Digital IDE hard drive.

Hi, the problem is one hard drive ie the 1/3 one is a SATA hard drive, the other is IDE.
to set them both up you need to do this,
Connect the IDE Hard Drive using the IDE cable like before.
With the Acer Hard Drive you need a Sata cable cost about a £1 from any shop.
You connect the sata cable from the hard drive to the motherboard, but on the motherboard you are looking for a small red connection same size as the cable, SATA is on most motherboards for machines that are just over a year old.

Hope it helps.
Have a nice christmas

John