Is it a sata2 hd and can your mobo support sata2 or just sata1, if your mobo can only manage sata1 and it is a sata2 hd, then check the WD website in the FAQ section.
I upgraded a rig that had a sata1 capable mobo, but with a sata2 WD drive in it needed a jumper set on the hd to get it working at it's best. I had to rake through the WD support section on their website to find that out.
Also check the properties for your sata controller in device manager (it might be called SCSI and RAID controllers), make sure if you have the option that Native Command Queue enabled. That will help increase performance and help reduce the wear and tear on the drive.
BTW If you have a sata power plug on your psu, I'd use that, but I don't think it would cause performance problems if the drive has the option of a standard power plug.
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