DOES THE VGX-XL301 MBD SUPPORT SATA 3.0 Gbps MODE?

[Goatman]

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post - hello everybody!
I have a question:
I'm about to upgrade the Hard Drive in my VGX-XL301 to a Samsung 500Gb HD501LJ. This drive supports SATA 3.0 Gbps mode, but I can't find out whether the motherboard in the VGX-XL301 will work in this mode, or whether I need to jumper the HDD down to 1.5 mode.
I hope somebody out there can help . . .
Thanks
- Mike

[lyapple]

I hope somebody out there can help . . .
Thanks

Hi Mike, I'm sure someone will be able to help you but in the meantime I'm the welcome wagon! Glad to have you with us.

[MattWilson]

First thing to do is to see what SATA controller you have.

Vista:

1a (Vista Only)Start -> Type "Device Manager" and hit enter.

1b (XP) Start -> Right-Click on "My Computer" and click Properties. On one of the tabs is a device manager button. Press it!

2 In device manager expand the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" tab.

3 On the list that drops down find one with "serial ATA" in the name and copy it down onto your post and then we can research its capibilities.

[Goatman]

Hi Matt,
Thanks for your offer of help.
I can't see a "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" tab.
But I can see "Storage Controllers" which shows:
"INTEL(R) 82801HR/HH/HO SATA RAID Controller".
Does this tell you anything?
Thanks
- Mike

[MattWilson]

From what i can find about it, it only supports the original sata configuration ie. the 1.5GB/s. Here is a list of some of the capabilities of the controller but this doesn't actually tell you the information you want to know!

Here is a website that basically says you can use a SATA II hard drive even if it is SATA I. I would say that if you want to buy a SATA II hard disk do it and if it doesn't work then you can change it back to a SATA drive (Don't really know if this works on all drive so would be worth shopping around).

Good Luck

[Goatman]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for your help. The drive I'm fitting (Samsung HD501LJ) ships as SATA II (3Gb), and to step it down to SATA (1.5GB) is just a matter of fitting a jumper.
The only thing I'm not sure about is what symptom I'll get if I fit the drive unjumpered as SATAII 3Gb and the controller only Supports SATA 1.5Gb.
I'll let you know what happens!
Thanks again
- Mike

[MattWilson]

Please do, it will be nice to know what it can really do.

Good Luck

[Goatman]

Hi Matt (and anybody else who may be interested):
I've now replaced the original 250Gb Seagate Barracuda in my VGX-XL301 with a 500Gb Samsung HD501LJ. Booted from the VAIO Recovery DVD's which I created when I first installed the system. No need to jumper the drive, it recognised it straight away and works fine in SATA II "out of the box" mode.
Result: More than doubled the useable storage space whilst still usng just one drive. A bonus is that the Samsung is virtually silent. For a Living Room PC, that's a major plus - the original Seagate was noticeably "clicky" when seeking. I'm delighted with the result, and recommend this upgrade to anybody. The HD501LJ is currently selling for under £70 (www.aria.co.uk). Bargain upgrade!
Next job is to pick up a 2Gb USB Memory Stick (currently selling for about £12 - can you believe how cheap these things are now?) and use it to Ready Boost Vista.
I've finally found the perfect Living Room PC!
- Mike

[MattWilson]

Glad to here it all worked out well.

Not all USB sticks are quick enough for readyboost so be careful. You really need the ones with 13Mb/s or more write rate not the standard 900Kb but these are more expensive. Check these out: Is supposedly Readyboost compatible