Definition of SATA Hard Drive
Transfer multimedia files 12 times faster than USB. Increased speed is only one of the benefits provided by the SATA drive interface. SATA's high performance interface is ideal for servers, multimedia and gaming enthusiasts.
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What is SATA?
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Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) is the new bus technology for hard disk drive to computer interface authored by The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO). SATA supports all ATA and ATAPI devices, such as CDs, DVDs, tape devices, high capacity drives and Blu-Ray drives.
Benefits
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SATA technology provides higher speeds and lower power consumption. The small diameter cables provide improved air flow, keeping the computer cooler. Hard drives no longer need to be configured as master or slave devices, making upgrades much easier for end users.
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Speed Comparisons
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The data transfer rate for SATA revision 3.0 is 6Gbps, compared to its predecessor, PATA (parallel ATA), at 133Mbps, FireWire 800 at 800Mbps, USB 2.0 at 480Mbps, and USB 3.0 at 5Gbps. Data transfer rates for SATA revisions 1.0 and 2.0 were 1.5Gbps and 3Gbps, respectively.
eSATA
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eSATA (external SATA) allows for a hot-swappable connection of external drives. The technology supports "port multipliers," allowing up to 15 drives to be connected to the motherboard with one eSATA cable, similar to a USB hub. Connectors for eSATA cables are designed to withstand more abuse and look slightly different than SATA cables. The eSATA cable can be up to two meters (78 inches) long.
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References
Resources
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