What is a SATA cable?
A SATA Cable or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment cable is responsible for creating the connection between the hard drive and motherboard or CD drive and motherboard. Initially the first type of cable to be used for this purpose was the IDE ribbon which is quickly becoming the less popular choice for computer building purposes. The main reasons for its loss in popularity are because it is bulkier and transfers data between the two devices slower than the more technologically advanced SATA cable.
The original SATA cable transferred data at a rate of 1.5 GB per second however, newer models have the potential to transfer information at 3 GB per second. It is expected the rate will increase to about 6 GB per second soon enough. Every motherboard comes equipped with both a SATA and IDE connection option however, it is expected that the IDE connection will soon be phased out from most motherboard designs at some point in the not so distant future.
In addition to the standard SATA cable there is a SATA power cable. This SATA power cable connects the CD/DVD drive or hard drive to the computer’s main power supply. These power cables are included in most modern power supplies however, if you are using an older version it is possible to buy an adapter to transform your older Molex power cables into the more innovative SATA power cable.
Why choose SATA over IDE?
- A conventional SATA cable is much smaller than an IDE cable; this is the result of using only 7 pins to make a connection. An IDE cable will use 40 pins and is also much wider. However, what the SATA cable lacks in width it makes up for in length. So basically the connection capability is far better with a SATA cable. You lose the extra width of the IDE cable that makes it appear extremely stuffed in your computer casing while gaining the added benefit of more length of cable. However, the IDE is capable of connecting two hard drives while the SATA will only be able to connect one. This is not necessarily a great set back considering how streamline SATA cables are, thus one more will not make a large impact on space.
- The speed at which data is transferred is significantly greater with a SATA cable. While the IDE will transfer data at no greater than 133MB per second a SATA cable will transfer the same information at 3 GB per second making them almost incomparable where speed is concerned. In fact it is expected that SATA cables will perform more efficiently in the future with data being transferred at 6 GB per second.
- Install a SATA hard drive will be an easier process. While the IDE will allow you to connect two devices at any given time to the motherboard it also comes with the annoying set back of having to fiddle around with jumpers which can be challenging especially if you are new to building a computer.
Basically it makes sense to get SATA cables, they are more innovative, more compact and outperform IDE cables.