Question 1

I own a HP Pavilion 750n.  I need to install a larger hard drive.  What is compatable with this computer. Prefer WD hard drives?

Accepted Answer

This is a sata hard drive. I think that you need an ATA-100/66/33 for your 
machine. The ATA-100 can still be purchased, although it is older technology.
You can probably add one more on the slave slot with a little configuring, 
and changing jumper settings on the drives. The new drive may need to 
have something installed in order to be recognized before you format it.
Hope this helps, good luck.

Question 2

This Drive does not come with a cable it seems so I'm just trying to add a cable to my shopping cart so I can actually use the drive when it comes. I understand it's a SATA drive but I'm still worried about choosing the wrong cable for my drive.

Any and all help would be extremely appreciated.

Is there a certain brand I should be choosing for example?

Thank you ^_^

Accepted Answer

Dear R K,

You would benefit most from getting a SATA III cable.  The brand shouldn't matter.  This is a drive that only uses a SATA interface for the data port.  There are mainly 3 versions of SATA cables: I, II and III.  You want III which runs at 6 Gb/s (gigabit per second) speed.  Version I will run at 1.5 Gb/s and II at 3 Gb/s.  You might also see SATA III cables as SATA 6 Gbps (it's the same thing).  This cable has faster speeds so you'll benefit from the drive's peak speed.  The thing to remember, though, is make sure you plug the cable from the drive into a SATA III port on your motherboard.  Most motherboards have a mix of II and III ports.  You'll be able to find out which ones you have in your motherboard manual.  If you have a motherboard that's relatively new, you should at least have SATA II which would still be an adequate speed.  If that's the case and you bought a SATA III cable, it should still work but the drive will operate at SATA II speed.  These cables are super cheap and I would recommend buying 2 or 3 for later use.  Have a good Thanksgiving!

Question 3

does it come with software/cable?

Accepted Answer

No.  It is a bare drive but you can download Acronis from the WD website.

Question 4

WILL THIS REPLACE A PATA HOOK UP DRIVE, OR DOES IT COME WITH A CALBE?

Accepted Answer

This drive will NOT replace a PATA drive unless your computer has a SATA controller.  It does not come with a cable.  If you want it to work in an older computer you will need a cable and a SATA controller.  The BIOS also has to support booting from the SATA controller if you plan on using it as the primary drive.  Most new computers have SATA controllers, so your computer would have to be very old (over 8 years old) to not have a SATA controller built in.

Question 5

I have an old HP media Center PC m490n with PATA IDE cables. Is it possible to use this hard drive with IDE to SATA adapter? I’m hoping to get the best performance however, if need be, I’ll just get the PATA drive. Also, what adapter would you recommend? Thanks so much for your help! Steve

Accepted Answer

I would not recommend using an adapter.  I tried one on a different hard drive and it would not even recognize the drive.  I have read others comments and they say not to use an adaptor.

Question 6

Will this hard drive be a direct replacement for a Western Digital WD100-AAJB-00PVA0?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely not!!!!  The drive you mentioned is what is know as a IDE  or PATA Hard Drive.  This WD3200AAKx is known as a SATA Hard Drive.  The newer SATA drives have a totally different type of connector so they are not interchangeable with out adding a SATA Add - In Card to your system.  You need to find an IDE Hard Drive to do a direct replacement.

Brand	Western Digital
Series	Blue
Model	WD3200AAKX
Packaging	Bare Drive

Interface	SATA 6.0Gb/s
Capacity	320GB
RPM	7200 RPM
Cache	16MB
Average Latency	6Gb/s

Features	Solid performance - WD Caviar Blue drives are built to deliver rock-solid performance ideal for family and business computing. Ultra cool and quiet - Keeping the drive cool enhances reliability. WD continues to develop new and innovative ways to keep drives cool while they are operating which helps protect the drive and the data stored on it. NoTouch ramp load technology - The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit. IntelliSeek - Calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration. Advanced Format Technology (AF) - Technology being adopted by WD and other drive manufacturers as one of multiple ways to continue growing hard drive capacities. AF is a more efficient media format that enables increased areal densities. ShockGuard - Instantaneously protects the hard drive against damage from bumps and vibrations while it is running. This technology enables WD Caviar Blue drives to achieve industry-leading shock specifications. Compatible - WD perform tests on hundreds of systems and a multitude of platforms in our FIT Lab and Mobile Compatibility Lab to give our customers confidence that our drives will work in their systems.
Usage	For Daily Computing

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WD Blue 320GB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6 Gb/s 16MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD3200AAKX

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Item#: 9SIAAEEKJT9450