1
I've got a custom built PC sitting at home with the following specs:
- AMD Phenom II X4 955 Processor (3.2 GHz Quad)
- 8.00 GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 465 (4GB Graphics Mem)
- 64-bit Windows 7 SP1
- 466 GB HDD (7200 RPM)
I was going to pick up an 512 GB SSD to replace the latter, and was asked if it was equipped with a SATA III controller. I couldn't remember so I tried to figure it out by remote connecting to my PC and looking at the Device Manager, but all I could see about it was:
- AMD SATA Controller
- Hardware ID:
PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4391&SUBSYS_43911002&REV_40
There doesn't seem to be anything else useful in there and Googling the Hardware ID doesn't glean anything. How can I figure out whether my controller is SATA III, or is the information provided enough to figure it out?
1Check which motherboard you have and download its manual. That will tell you which ports (if any) are SATA3. – Hennes – 2012-07-31T15:56:50.630
1SATA controllers have backwards compatability. – Ramhound – 2012-07-31T15:59:18.463
1Yes, so it does not matter which SSD is bought. It will just work. But it might be worth spending more for a SATA 3 capable SSD if the motherboard already supports it. – Hennes – 2012-07-31T16:00:43.790
@Hennes how do I check what motherboard I have? Keep in mind I only have remote access to the PC. – Alain – 2012-07-31T16:08:06.270
@Hennes - Most new SSD being sold are already SATA 3 devices. – Ramhound – 2012-07-31T16:49:24.080
@Alain - Its not possible to check what motherboard you have without looking at the physical board. – Ramhound – 2012-07-31T16:50:04.330
The BIOS might have this information. I am not sure how to access that in Windows, but since other OS'es can read it there must be a way. (E.g. FreeBSD's
kenv
usually shows model, serial number etc). - Alternatively, are their bills documenting what was bought? (Kept for warranty if for nothing else). – Hennes – 2012-07-31T16:57:22.967Another way is to determine what interface the current HDD uses. – Ramhound – 2012-07-31T18:02:08.310