Hugh, thanks for the info, exactly what I was looking for. I'll be grabbing the SATA drive and leave it external.

And, of course, one last question:

Any brand suggestions for the adapter cables, or are all brands pretty much going to work fine?

A brand name may be of little use to you, 1) because it doesn't have one (made in China) and 2) it's likely to be different in your country. I would attach a pic of one but I don't think this forum permits attachments, so here's a link to view one: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Peripherals/Other/auction-191733450.htm.
That dollar figure is NZ, so if you're in the US it'll be about $16-$18.

Just make sure the adaptor is either SATA>USB2 or a combo ATA/SATA>USB2 (I have both, but don't need the SATA). Be aware too that the term IDE is still used in place of ATA. The units come with their own power supply, cables, plugs etc.