SATA host adapter or PATA-to-SATA converter?

Recently, I bought a DVD drive that was SATA oriented. However, my system's motherboard is PATA oriented, and the PATA connectors can't connect to the SATA slots on the back of my new DVD drive. I need help deciding if I should buy a SATA host adapter for one of my empty PCI slots, or instead if I should buy PATA-to-SATA cable converters (which would connect to my empty PATA power connectors and IDE slots and run SATA cables from them). If I buy the host adapter, would it be able to work in coexistence with the rest of my motherboard, which is completely PATA oriented? And would my DVD drive even work if it was hooked up to a host adapter? Or, could I just buy the PATA-to-SATA cable converters? This seems to be the most sensible option, but I'm unsure if the converters would even work without a host adapter present. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Try to buy a SATA DVD drive. I think that would be one of the cheapest solution. You will face issue with connectivity in future also and at that point you will have to anyhow buy the dvd drive. The pci card option is better one as it offers you a easy connectivity with less configuration. Also there are less chances to get updates on the same. I am using a pci slot for a usb connection. It increases the chances of having more ports with better speed.

Bill: Although buying a PATA oriented DVD drive would work, I like the capabilities of the SATA DVD drive that I have.

DL: Alright. I had a suspicion that the PATA/SATA converters aren't as reliable as they're cracked up to be. SATA adapter it is, then.

You need a proper adapter for that. Check the bios settings one more time. There can be some option available in that which will offer a option to enable the same. Going for a pci adapter is a good choice and it is reasonable also.