StarTech 3 feet Shielded External eSATA Cable M/M, Black

Product Information

SATA is the abbreviation of Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. It is a standard interface for data access in modern IBM compatible computers. It is used to transfer data at an extremely high rate of 1.5 to 6 GB per second via a thin and compact SATA cable. Now, you can continue to read this post from MiniTool to get detailed information about the SATA cable. Some SATA drives include a small power adapter that plugs in to the normal power cable inside an older PC or Mac so that it will fit the SATA drive.

eSATAp PCI and PCI-e add-on cards are available for desktop computers. They usually provide two eSATAp ports, with port multiplier functionality, and hot-swap capability. The SATA M.2 standard was a small form factor implementation of the SATA express interface using an internal USB 3.0 port. Note: eSATA uses the same technology as that used in the internal Hard Disk Drive (Hard Drive) units of your computer. This saves having to translate data between the interface and the computer. Cables are serial and can be up to 6 and a half feet to 2 meters in length. Unless you are using one of the eSATAp ports, you require an external power source for the storage device. Regular eSATA ports do not supply power. The final eSATA specification features a specific connector designed for rough handling, similar to the regular SATA connector, but with reinforcements in both the male and female sides, inspired by the USB connector. eSATA resists inadvertent unplugging, and can withstand yanking or wiggling which would break a male SATA connector (the hard-drive or host adapter, usually fitted inside the computer). With an eSATA connector, considerably more force is needed to damage the connector, and if it does break it is likely to be the female side, on the cable itself, which is relatively easy to replace.

9 Comments

Connect one end of the SATA cable to the hard drive, then connect the other end of the cable to one of the free SATA connectors on your motherboard.

There are two hard drive connection types – PATA cable or SATA cable. However, PATA is being phased out and completely replaced by SATA. Here is the information on SATA cable vs PATA cable. Data Transfer Speed There are only two versions of this port. Most laptop computers do not have 12 V power available, and have an eSATAp port which provides only 5 V. Desktop computers, with 12 V available, have a port with two additional pads, placed against the plug's "horns", which provide 12 V. [5] Some manufacturers refer to these ports as eSATApd, where d stands for "dual voltage". Some devices, such as 2.5-inch drives, can operate off the 5 V supplied by laptop eSATAp ports. Others, such as 3.5-inch drives, also require 12 V; they can be powered from a desktop eSATAp port, but require an external 12 V power supply if used with a laptop computer. This can lead to confusion if users are not aware of the distinction. Most USB cables that come with Seagate and Maxtor-brand drives look like this. Note that the connection size for the connector on the drive is smaller than, for example, a USB port on a printer, but many digital cameras use the same size connection. The USB cable has two ends - one to connect into the drive, and one to connect into the computer. See in this image the 'A' connector, which will fit into a corresponding rectangular port on your computer. Sometimes these ports are found both on the front and the rear of your computer. Usually it is OK to connect the drive either to the front or to the rear, though if trouble occurs, it is best to connect it to the port on the rear. In this guide, we’re going to take you through the different types of SATA cables that are out there, making it easier for you to understand how they operate.Close your case and power up your PC, boot into your OS to see if it has recognized the drive automatically Low Profile SATA: Ultra-thin SATA cables with low profile connectors that can be used with longer graphics cards.

Depending on your case, the device will either be snapped in automatically or has to be screwed tight Stands for "External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment." eSATA is a variation of the SATA interface that supports external storage devices. It was standardized in 2004 and uses the same pins and same protocols as internal SATA. However, it provides a slightly different, more rugged connector. The eSATA standard also supports a cable length of two meters compared to the one meter cable length supported by SATA. As the port is designed to work with both SATA and USB, both organizations have formally approved it. The USB Implementers Forum states it does not support any connector used by other standards, hence such 'combo' ports are to be used at one's own risk. [1] [ contradictory] As of 2011 [update] the organization responsible for the SATA specification, SATA-IO (Serial ATA International Organization), is working to define the eSATAp specification. [2] Implementation [ edit ] There is a newer port design eSATAp which not only supplies power, but is also able to be used as a USB port if necessary. Press the key once every three seconds while the initial Dell logo is on the screen to enter the BIOS.

Explore Our Internal SATA Cables

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( October 2023) Serial ATA is the most common connection for internal drives in modern PCs and Macs. There can be multiple SATA ports on any one motherboard or controller card. One cable connects one hard drive to one port on the motherboard (as opposed to Parallel ATA).

If the smaller side of this cable is plugged into a "powered" ESATA port, providing both 12 V and 5 V, then the wide end may be plugged into a 2.5" or 3.5" SATA hard drive, supplying the bare drive with both signal and power. The small 2.5" drive will get signal and power at 5 V, which is all that the smaller drive requires, and which the larger 3.5" drive requires only for its logic board. Additionally, the larger 3.5" drive will get the 12 V it needs to power its disk spindle motor. Thus a bare hard drive may be attached directly to the computer, powered by the unique cable, where it will run at full SATA speeds, without the necessity of placing the hard drive into an external enclosure. ATA is a very common connection for internal drives in older PCs and older desktop Macs (before G5), and for devices like CD and DVD drives in modern PCs and Macs. It is a connector about 2 inches (5 cm) wide and has 40 small gold pins that will fit into the corresponding 40 small holes on its corresponding connector. The SFF-8639 connector was renamed to a more consumer friendly U.2. This connector is used with some new NVMe SSDs. U.2 utilizes 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes to provide speeds much faster than the SATA interface. Since most motherboards do not have a U.2 connector on them, a M.2 to U.2, or PCIe to U.2 adapter can be used. An ATA hard drive that is connected to the same cable as a CD or DVD drive must be connected to the master position, with the CD or DVD drive in the slave position.

Order Approval

For example, if you are planning to upgrade your HDD with a new one (or swapping out any SATA device with a different SATA device), you can leave the SATA cable plugged in to the motherboard. There can be two or four ATA ports on any one motherboard. One cable can connect to two devices at the same time. The M.2 connector is designed for small form factor devices, so you will mostly see it inside of tablets and laptops. This connector supports both wireless cards and SSDs, as well as NVMe commands.