Question : Problem: SATA II - Support with ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe

Yo,
Just checking to see. Im interested in purchasing a new SATA II drive but is SATA 150 & SATA II backwards compatible or can a SATA 150 controller be updated to a SATA II controller. Does the ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe mobo support SATAII and if not can something be downloaded to support SATA II.

Thanks =)
-Nick

Answer : Problem: SATA II - Support with ASUS P4P800-E Deluxe

The SATA II capability is tied to the controller, so you can't upgrade an existing SATA I board to it.  SATA I drives can be used on SATA II controllers, but will not benefit from the increased capability.  There are SATA II capable drives like Hitachi that can be enabled using a configuration program to work at SATA II speeds, but these drives are technically SATA II to begin with.  You can use an SATA II drive on an SATA I board, but it will behave like an SATA I drive.