SATA-like IDE cables?

is it possible to get IDE cables that arn't the typical default design?

something along the lines of SATA cable?

 

The closest you can get are pre-rounded cables, but that's something you can do yourself with some split-loom tubing and zip ties.

 

SATA is superior to traditional IDE in many ways besides just the cables, but you can get a (somewhat) similar cable look with a little modding. Here's a quick walkthrough for making modded IDE cables, courtesy of Big B. I do mine a little different, but not much. Instead of bundling the cable into a split-loom cable conduit, I seperate every 16 conductors and group them using cable ties. It's a little bit more time-consuming, but you don't have to buy the conduit that way (I'm cheap ). Besides, I prefer the flat look you can achive using this process, as it's less bulky (better airflow, easier to identify possible problems, etc). But either way is much better than typical flat ribbon cables.

 

You can actually get an adapter that you plug on your harddrive that makes allows you to hook up a SATA cable.. i got one with my mobo.

 

They can have some pretty serious issues though... ask Sniper.

 

I've also heard they can be pretty flaky. Abit has bundled SATA->PATA adapters that seem to be decent, but I'm not sure where, or if you can get them separately.