compatibilitydesktop-computerhard drivelaptop
I recently built my own computer, and I wanted to put my laptop hard drive in my desktop, possibly to do a RAID 0 or 1 (haven't decided yet). Is this even possible, or is it possible with an adapter cable?
I know the drive is only 2.5", but I can find a way of putting in to the 3.5" slot in my case if it will actually work.
The laptop hard drive is the default one that comes with the Toshiba Satellite A660 (500 GB, 7200 RPM).
From what I understand, a hard drive cache is used for stashing frequently accessed information in a fast solid state buffer (cache) on the drive so when that particular data is requested again the drive can pull it out of cache- a much faster process than getting it from the mechanical part of the drive. If you are streaming movies (or video) there probably won't be any performance advantage with a larger cache, since the same data won't be accessed repeatedly. Having said that, all things being equal, there is no downside purchasing a drive with a larger cache, and it might help with some of the smaller 'normal' files you refer to.
This is simple. Buy 3.5" to 5.25" adapter brackets like this
Or, if you do not have a bay blank, buy a 3.5" HDD bay that fits in a 5.25" slot like this
Ebay is a great place to look for little things like these.
Then connect the HDD with the same cables that plugged into the CD-ROM.
In linux, you probably will want to modify your FSTAB configuration to eliminate the OS looking for the CD-ROM on boot, but even if you did not do this, it should not create any problems. Add your mount point for your new HDD while you are in there.
Best Answer
It is possible. Older PATA drives requite an adapter from '40 pins IDE = Power lines' to '44 pins combined power and PATA'. Newer SATA drives use the same interface and no converter is needed.
However: Most RAID configuration require more of less identical hardware. A 500GB laptop drive and a 700GB desktop drive could be used as a 1GB drive (500GB +500GB with 200).
Also, if one drive is slower and you use mirroring you will slow the RAID down when writing.