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It is difficult to overlook SATA ports on a motherboard because they are the main interface for attaching hard drives. A SATA port is a tiny port with dimensions of around 1.5 cm by 0.4 cm, perfect notches, and an instantly recognizable L-shaped seven-pin connection. The SATA port’s edges, notches, and overall form are intended to better hold the SATA cable that plugs in and prevent easy removal.
On a motherboard, the SATA ports are often all arranged in a row next to one another and are all the same color. When attaching your drive, it’s important to keep in mind that various motherboards include SATA ports with different colors denoting different SATA versions.
What SATA Ports Should You Use Matter?
Whether It Matters the longer responses are:
- If you’re not utilizing any M.2 SSDs and are using a current motherboard, then no.
- Maybe if you’re using an M.2 drive and a motherboard from the present era.
- Perhaps again if your motherboard is between 6 and 9 years old.
How Many SATA Ports Do You Have?
If you won’t be utilizing any M.2 drives, you don’t need to be concerned about which SATA port you connect in because certain motherboards deactivate specific SATA ports when an M.2 drive is present. The most recent SATA interface is SATA 3, and there are several variants of it. The transfer speed increases by a factor of two with each successive iteration.
- The maximum throughput speed for SATA 1 is 1.5 Gbps or 187.5 MB/s.
- 3.0 Gbps, or 375 MB/s, is the maximum supported transmission rate for SATA 2.
- The maximum throughput speed for SATA 3 is 6.0 Gbps or 750 MB/s.
The mechanical top speed of the majority of hard disc drives is just 200 MB/s. SATA 2 and SATA 3 can thus provide such speeds in the case of an ordinary hard drive.
Also Read: How much does a motherboard cost?
Drive SATA Port Requirement
A SATA data cable and a SATA power cable are necessary for every SATA disc. One end of the SATA Data cable is linked to the motherboard, while the other end is attached to the drive. The Power Supply Unit provides the SATA Power cable. Properties SATA Here are a few SATA attributes to assist you in correctly configuring and using SATA devices on your computer.
Controller Mode
Using the SATA ports, SATA devices may connect with the computer primarily in three ways. The IDE, AHCI, and RAID SATA controller modes are included in this list. The BIOS settings are where you set the mode.
- The SATA drive is treated and used by the computer in Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) Mode as a PATA drive.
- Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) Mode: The computer uses advanced SATA capabilities like NCQ and hot-plugging while operating the disc as a real SATA drive.
- Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID) Mode: It enables setting up a RAID configuration by dividing the partition areas across several discs to boost speed and ensure data security. The AHCI features are also enabled.
Hot-Plugging and Hot-Swapping
Hot-plugging and hot-swapping are supported by the SATA interface. But in order to make use of this functionality, SATA devices require matching controllers as well as software components. Every SATA revision has backward compatibility. It means that a SATA-III device may be connected to a SATA-II or SATA-I port and still function. However, it does restrict the data transfer rate to the maximum speed permitted by the more aged SATA port.
SATA versions and port color coding
On any motherboard, the majority of SATA ports have the same color. The SATA ports could be color-coded if they adhere to a different version. For example, with the motherboard shown above, the white ports adhere to the more recent SATA 3 interface, whilst the blue ports adhere to the more traditional SATA 2 interface. The SATA 3 ports should ideally house your main drive or, if you have one, a SATA SSD.
There might not be a color code to worry about if a motherboard has a single SATA version on it all.
PATA connector
The Parallel ATA (PATA) interface has been mostly supplanted by the SATA interface and the port. If you have an older computer, such as a laptop produced before 2003, you might have seen large and lengthy IDE cables connected to the motherboard’s 40-pin PATA connections. Despite being wider and more substantial, the PATA interface’s maximum throughput was just 133 MB/s.
How Many SATA Ports Do Pcs Have Typically?
Usually, 4-6 SATA ports may be found on a motherboard. The size and kind of the motherboard’s chipset often determine this. For instance, compared to bigger ATX motherboards, micro ITX motherboards often have fewer SATA ports.
Esata is not to be confused with SATA
The eSATA connection dates back to the days before USB 2.0 was the go-to external device interface. Despite having SATA interface rates that were substantially better than USB 2.0’s 60 MB/s transfer speed, USB 2.0 was surpassed in popularity by USB 3.0. Consequently, while the eSATA connector designed for EXTERNAL peripherals is still seldom utilized today, the SATA interface is still widely used for INTERNAL hard drives.
FAQ’s
A single motherboard has 32 SATA ports on Onda’s storage monster. With up to 32 SATA ports apiece, the B250 D32-D3 and B250 D32-D3 IPFS motherboards are available.
Mechanical, thermal, or electrical issues can cause SATA cables to fail. Because it is continuously plugged in and out, the cable itself might deteriorate. Sometimes the connector’s pins sustain damage, rendering the cable useless.
SATA ports are not present on older motherboards, however, if your motherboard was created within the last 15 years, it almost certainly features two or more SATA ports. There are typically at least four SATA ports on modern motherboards.
There is often no such thing as the “fastest SATA port” on current motherboards. Any SATA device will function properly on any SATA port.
No. When it comes to plugging in SATA devices, the order is not a concern. All drives will be scanned by your BIOS, which will then select the proper drive to boot from. If you have more than one boot drive, you may simply alter the BIOS boot order to load into the desired disc.
More than I can discuss, there are several minor variations between the SATA revisions. Therefore, I advise you to look.
Any SATA port on a current motherboard would function for an SSD. If your motherboard allows you to share bandwidth between some SATA ports and the M.2 slot.
To connect 2.5- and 3.5-inch consumer electronics, you need SATA connections, which are essentially all interchangeable. That said, not all SATA connections are created equal.
Conclusion
When installing PC hardware for the first time, a SATA port is difficult to overlook. Then, it is very reasonable to inquire as to what a SATA port looks like. It is among the most important ports and interfaces in a computer. You must comprehend how it differs from the PCIe interface in terms of appearance, functionality, and design. The SATA interface’s main use today is for adding hard drives to your computer.
