Inspect Your Computer's Cables; Confirm That You Have An 80-Conductor Ide Cable - Plextor PX-716AL Installation And User Manual

Section 2. Installing the PX-716AL Internal ATAPI Drive

Inspect Your Computer's Cables

To ensure that it can write at maximum rated speed (16X), you should
make sure the PX-716AL is connected to an 80-conductor IDE/ATA flat
ribbon cable. If you have an older computer, it may still be equipped
with a 40-conductor cable.
NOTE: Although the newer IDE/ATA cable has 80 conductors (wires), its
connectors have only 40 pins, so it's physically interchangeable with the
older cable. And in fact, your PX-716AL drive may work fine with a 40-
conductor cable. But to ensure writing at maximum speed, it's best to use
the newer 80-conductor cable. The 80-conductor cable cancels
interference much better than the older model, allowing faster data
transfers.
CAUTION: The length of any IDE cable cannot exceed 18 inches.

Confirm That You Have an 80-Conductor IDE Cable

How can you tell? The 80-conductor cable is slightly wider than the
older 40-conductor version. The wires in the 80-conductor version are
narrower, too.
Figure 4: Comparing the older 40-conductor cable (top) to the new 80-
conductor type (bottom). Be sure to use the 80-conductor cable.
16
PX-716AL Installation and Users Manual