Brain Cramp! What floppy drive to get!

Could always get one of these:
Newegg.com - Vantec 2.5"/3.5"/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter - Model CB-ISATAU2
Does SATA and IDE, it will pay for itself the first time you use it. I've used it to rescue a few hard drives.

You are right about the system board, and I was going to suggest a SATA-IDE adapter next, as they are cheaper than docking bays, which is a ridiculous thing to have to purchase IMO for an IDE hard drive, I would much rather have an IDE external enclosure than that. IDE drives do NOT automatically boot first, it's about jumpers and BIOS settings. If they always booted first, I wouldn't have a working IDE drive in my system.

Newegg.com - SYBA SD-ADA50016 SATA to IDE (IDE to SATA) Bi-Directional Adapter

Or buy something that won't become obsolete right after you use it for your IDE hard drive

Sabrent ECS-STU35K Hard Drive Enlcosure - 3.5 IDE/SATA to USB 2.0, eSATA at TigerDirect.com

LiquidSnak said:

You are right about the system board, and I was going to suggest a SATA-IDE adapter next, as they are cheaper than docking bays, which is a ridiculous thing to have to purchase IMO for an IDE hard drive, I would much rather have an IDE external enclosure than that. IDE drives do NOT automatically boot first, it's about jumpers and BIOS settings. If they always booted first, I wouldn't have a working IDE drive in my system.

Newegg.com - SYBA SD-ADA50016 SATA to IDE (IDE to SATA) Bi-Directional Adapter

Or buy something that won't become obsolete right after you use it for your IDE hard drive

Sabrent ECS-STU35K Hard Drive Enlcosure - 3.5 IDE/SATA to USB 2.0, eSATA at TigerDirect.com

Unless you tend to throw a drive in a kit bag and go around fixing people's PCs I still say the dock is better. If you don't want obsolete get a USB 3.0 dock(I Recommend SIIG with cooling fan.) They can be used with USB 2.0 cable until you get a USB 3.0 card.

Also the dock can be used with other devices like set top boxes for TV. You don't have to unscrew stuff. Just pull the internal drive out and stick another one in.

Also sticking a drive in is not always a piece of cake. See the HP video for HD R and R of HP Pavilion m9515y. The thing has a plastic cage with 4 snaps underneath. I know that tech did about 15 takes to make changing the drive look easy. And that's on a spanking new machine. Not something crappy and dusty. They really go out of their way to make it tough now!! Not everyone wants to buy a case and build their own.

edit: before I got a dock I did the USB housing to use an internal drive like an external. I must have gotten a crummy one because it was a pita with tiny screws I had to undo every time I changed the drive. If you want to leave the same drive in nearly all the time it may be OK. But for swapping out internal drives between PCs and devices it's tough to beat a dock.

One of these Newegg.com - Vantec 2.5"/3.5"/5.25" SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 Adapter - Model CB-ISATAU2 would work too, covers about anything.