sata version. Serial ATA serial interface - what it is, types and uses. Data transfer rate

SSD installation into a system with SATA 3 Gb/s | Still a great way to upgrade your PC?

There are many ways to improve PC performance. But usually, the most effective thing is to replace components. Overclocking also remains popular. However, previously it gave a more noticeable increase in speed for the CPU, GPU and memory. Take a Celeron 300A, overclock to 450 MHz and get a 50% boost. To get something like this you need to overclock it to 5.25 GHz. But even in this case there is no guarantee that desktop applications will also scale.

In addition, we have already burned enough computer hardware to fully experience the risks associated with overclocking (which is why in reviews of motherboards with Intel chipsets For the seventh series, we stick to the processor voltage of 1.35 V). Manipulating reference frequencies, multipliers, voltages, and latency can harm the stability of your system.

If you are satisfied with the processor and motherboard, balance the system to optimal performance possible with more modern video card, increasing volume random access memory and installing a solid state drive. Today the focus is on SSDs, which often cost less than $1/GB and are now cheaper than ever. We've said it before and we'll say it again today: if you don't already have an SSD, buy one. It will change the way you think about system responsiveness.

Modern SSDs are already hitting the throughput ceiling of the SATA 6Gb/s interface, while the speed of mechanical hard drives has hardly increased over the past five years. Many SSDs easily reach 550 MB/s sequential transfer rates, but more importantly, they handle real-time random I/O with agility. An SSD can process orders of magnitude more requests per second than conventional storage media (tens of thousands versus several hundred).

You can spend all day, but the fact is that an SSD is a worthwhile upgrade for those who only use HDD in their system, and the numbers back it up. With SSD Windows startup and applications are faster, as is moving files.

But is the old SATA 3Gb/s interface enough for a modern SSD with SATA 6Gb/s?

We ask ourselves this question every time we run out of mid-range motherboards. SATA connectors 6 Gbit/s (ed.: in this moment, we produce video capture on an array of four Crucial m4, connected to 3 Gbps connectors). What if your old system Does it only support the previous generation standard? Was it worth the upgrade? Considering that the fastest SSDs are often constrained by the width of the SATA 6 Gb/s interface, it is logical to assume that 3 Gb/s will "cut" performance. But how much? Will the difference be noticeable in practice, or only in test results? Do I need to update the drive controller?

In search of answers to these questions, we took Samsung 840 Pro, connected it to the 6 Gbps connector, and then to the previous generation connector. Since these Samsung drives are considered to be some of the fastest drives out there right now, these results apply to most high-end SSDs on the market. Please note that we are not testing the SATA 1.5 Gbps port. It would be interesting to add this interface for comparison, but it takes us back to about 2005. If your PC is already eight years old, it's time to think about buying a new one.

Installing an SSD in a system with SATA 3 Gb/s | Test stand and benchmarks

For today's testing we are using Samsung 840 Pro MZ-7PD256 based own controller company S4LN021X01-8030 NZWD1 with support for SATA 6 Gb/s (also known as MDX), using a triple-core Cortex-R4 processor. The chip is complemented by a 512 MB DDR3 data cache. There are also non-Pro models with three-level memory cells, but their speed and endurance are lower than older models with 21-nanometer NAND memory with multi-level cells. For the 840 Pro line Samsung company gives a five year warranty.

According to Samsung speed sequential reading Samsung 840 Pro reaches 540 MB/s, recording - 520 MB/s. It should provide up to 100,000 random I/O operations in 4 KB blocks per second. The 256GB model is currently selling for $230 on Amazon. There are also 128 and 512 GB versions for $140 and $460 respectively.

Technical Samsung specifications SSD 840 Pro

Test bench and software

We used a test bench running Windows 7 with a motherboard Gigabyte board Z68X-UD3H-B3, processor Intel Core i5-2500K and 4 GB Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D memory. The SSD was connected to the first 6 Gbps slot, and we were able to switch it to 3 Gbps mode in the Gigabyte firmware.

We chose a hard drive as a basis for comparison. VelociRaptor is a 2.5" drive in 3.5" format, its capacity is 1 TB. With a spindle speed of 10,000 rpm and 2.5" inserts, it showed the most high speed among competing hard drives. Details in our article "Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ: test and review of the updated version of the fastest HDD" .

Installing an SSD in a system with SATA 3 Gb/s | Test bench and benchmarks for real tasks

In addition to the usual synthetic benchmarks, we have added more realistic tests. To create a variety of tasks specific to everyday use, we switched to Professional 64-bit.

Real tests:

1. Loading . The countdown begins when the POST screen shows zeros and ends when the Windows desktop appears.
2. Shutdown. After three minutes of work, we turn off the system and begin the countdown. The timer stops when the system is turned off.
3. Loading and Adobe Photoshop. After downloading, batch file launches the Adobe Photoshop CS6 image editor and loads a photo with a resolution of 15,000 x 7,266 pixels and a size of 15.7 MB. After Adobe Photoshop closes. The countdown begins after the POST screen and ends when Adobe Photoshop is turned off. We repeat the test five times.
4. Five applications. Once loaded, the batch file runs five various applications. The countdown begins when the first application is launched and ends when the last one is closed. We repeat the test five times.

Script sequence for testing five applications:

• Uploading a presentation Microsoft PowerPoint and then closing Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Launch the Autodesk 3ds Max 2013 command line renderer and render the image at 100x50 pixels. The picture is so small because we are testing SSD, not CPU.
• Running built-in ABBYY FineReader 11 benchmarks and test page conversion.
• Launching the benchmark built into MathWorks MATLAB and executing it (once).
• Launching Adobe Photoshop CS6 and loading an image that was used in the third realistic benchmark, but in the original TIF format with a resolution of 29,566 x 14,321 pixels and a size of 501 MB.

Test bench for real problems

Installing an SSD in a system with SATA 3 Gb/s | Test results

Sequential I/O speed

As expected, the SATA 3 Gb/s interface turned out to be a bottleneck for Samsung 840 Pro during sequential read and write operations. The SSD opens up more widely at the 6 Gbps channel. U Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ also a high result for a mechanical disk. Through a 6 Gbps bus, its speed exceeds the 200 MB/s bar.

The CrystalDiskMark 3.0 benchmark confirms the AS-SSD results. Please note that sequential reading and writing in these tests occurs with large amounts of data. Under Windows, most I/O operations are random. Sequential operations are the exception rather than the rule here.

Access time

On average, the VelociRaptor 3.5" finds requested AS-SSD data in seven milliseconds. This is fast for an HDD and is associated with a spindle speed of 10,000 rpm. However, the drive Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ doesn't even come close SSD speeds, which is two orders of magnitude faster. Its performance is already measured in microseconds. At the same time, when measuring access time, we do not see any practical difference between SATA 3 and 6 Gbit/s.

Speed ​​of random operations in 4 KB blocks

AS-SSD: random read/write in 4 KB blocks

This benchmark is the most important for understanding real-world performance. When randomly reading and writing in 4 KB blocks, the fastest HDD is simply not able to compete with an SSD. When connected to a 6 Gbps port Samsung 840 Pro showed a slightly higher result than with the 3 Gbps connector. Writing is 20 MB/s faster, and reading is only 2 MB/s.

Increasing queue depth gives the SSD more commands to process at once, and this is where the wider interface really provides an advantage. However, for the most part, this is theory. In desktop environments, the queue depth rarely reaches 32 or more teams.

However, random write and read speeds over the 6 Gbps bus are at least 1.5 times faster.

CrystalDiskMark: random read/write in 4 KB blocks

The CrystalDiskMark numbers say the same as the previous test. The advantage of the SATA 6 Gbit/s standard over 3 Gbit/s with a low queue depth, typical of most desktop systems, is small and is only clearly visible with the high queue depth inherent in server environments. In a typical PC or laptop, the storage subsystem mainly works with one to four commands.

Iometer: random read/write in 4 KB blocks

The Iometer results are slightly different from the previous two tests, although the general trend remains the same. Samsung 840 Pro works a little faster when connected to the 6 Gbps connector, especially when reading.

Speed ​​of random operations in 512 KB blocks

Through the SATA 6 Gbit/s interface, writing and reading data in 512 KB blocks is slightly faster than through 3 Gbit/s. Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ It performed well in the write test, but in reading it was far behind even an SSD connected via a slower interface.

Tests of various I/O profiles

We used database, web server and workstation in Iometer. They simulate certain access patterns characteristic of each environment.

Samsung 840 Pro performed the same in database and workstation tests, regardless of the SATA 3 or 6 Gb/s connector. However, the web server test noticeably benefits from the wider interface, almost doubling the result obtained over the 3 Gbps bus.

PCMark 7 and tracing

In PCMark 7 when connected to a 6 Gb/s connector, performance Samsung 840 Pro higher, although the difference is insignificant.

Analysis shows that downloading applications and importing images into Windows Photo Gallery over SATA 6Gb/s is faster than over SATA 3 Gb/s. But even over the old connection, the SSD is twice as fast as the hard drive.

In games, the performance of the drive through the 6 Gb/s connector is slightly higher.

PCMark Vantage

PCMark Vantage is older than PCMark 7. However, it shows significant advantage SATA 3 interface

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ managed to take second place in the media center test. But the conclusion remains the same: SSDs, regardless of connection type, significantly outperform the best HDDs.

AS-SSD Copy Benchmark

In the AS-SSD test, Samsung 840 Pro when connected to SATA 6 Gbit/s, it exceeds the result obtained on the 3 Gbit/s bus by almost two thirds.

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ connects to a SATA III connector, but its mechanical design clearly limits performance.

Meanwhile, when comparing the results Samsung 840 Pro, it becomes clear that the SSD is limited by the capabilities of the old interface. But anyway, SSD performance via SATA II is significantly higher than the best hard drive operating at full capacity.

This test is especially relevant for users who constantly copy large amounts of data to or from an SSD. Obviously, in such a situation, a more modern and wider interface makes a practical difference.

Overall Performance

Total average performance results test package show that there is a noticeable difference between an SSD connected via SATA III and SATA II. Naturally, read and write speeds are higher when the drive has access to a wider channel and can use it to its fullest.

However, most tests are synthetic. It is possible that realistic tests will paint a completely different picture.

If we combine all the results, weighing each individual indicator, we get the overall chart shown above. It clearly shows the advantage of the SATA 6 GB/s interface in synthetic tests.

AS-SSD also shows overall result. Performance Samsung 840 Pro via SATA II is noticeably lower than via SATA III. But again, even the worst result of an SSD is many times higher than the results of a hard drive.

The tasks tested here are typical for everyday use desktop computer. We immediately see that the difference between SATA II and SATA III at boot is only half a second. The speed increase is much more noticeable when moving from HDD to SSD.

The timer turns off 0.6 seconds faster when Samsung 840 Pro connected via a 6 Gbps connector. In practice you won't notice this. Even the HDD doesn't seem to be that bad compared to Samsung's SSD.

The second diagrams display the speed of drives as a percentage relative to Samsung SSD on the SATA 3 Gb/s bus.

In this test, Adobe Photoshop CS6 is launched immediately after loading, the image is loaded, and then the program closes. Samsung 840 Pro, connected via SATA II, completes the sequence a second longer than the same SSD via the SATA III port. This difference will not affect work in any way. But here are the additional 23 seconds that the same powerful system, but only with a HDD (even as fast as VelociRaptor) you will definitely feel it.

Real tests: five applications

This is another test in which the results of the solid state drive Samsung 840 Pro connected to the connectors different generations, are almost equal. The difference in execution speed is only 1.6 seconds. If you sit in front of the monitors of two systems, it is almost impossible to distinguish them.

Installing an SSD in a system with SATA 3 Gb/s | Excellent upgrade opportunity even from SATA 3Gb/s

Judging only by synthetic tests popular among reviewers (AS-SSD, CrystalDiskMark, PCMark 7, Iometer, etc.), then the SATA 6 Gb/s interface is simply necessary to get maximum performance from modern SSDs. If you are moving large amounts of data, this is true. However, synthetic tests don't do a very good job of conveying the feel of a system recently upgraded from a conventional hard drive to an SSD. Moreover, they create the illusion of necessity modern platform to unlock the capabilities of advanced SSDs. However, our realistic tests show that theoretical differences do not always correspond to practical ones. In most cases, Samsung 840 Pro, connected via SATA 3 Gb/s, did not lag behind the same SSD connected via SATA 6 Gb/s.

SATA 6 Gb/s provides virtually no benefits for the average desktop PC

When connected Samsung 840 Pro through SATA III in synthetic tests its speed increased sharply. The differences were especially striking when we intentionally assigned random and sequential I/O to large queue depths. But when we ran realistic tests of booting and shutting down, as well as running multiple applications, the difference was almost zero. This is exactly how it will be in everyday use.

Because synthetic tests purposefully provide loads designed to detect differences between very fast devices, but rarely found in desktop environments, they do not correspond to more common PC tasks. Random I/O speed is important aspect, but chances are you'll never see a queue depth of 32 teams. And while we liked measuring peak sequential transfer speeds, moving large media files between two identical drives is a relative challenge. a rare event. For example, if you copy ISO file from one SSD to another, you will get a significant increase via SATA 6 Gb/s. But if you move the same file from SSD to HDD, then even the most fast interface in the world will not help overcome the speed limitations of magnetic media.

The three most important aspects:

From a practical point of view, the speed of random I/O operations is very important. Under Windows, most I/O occurs at a low queue depth. In this situation, synthetic benchmarks show that the difference between SATA 6 Gbit/s and 3 Gbit/s is very small. The theoretical gap is minimal, but the practical gap is non-existent.

Now we can answer the question of whether SATA III 6 Gb/s connectors are needed when upgrading to an SSD. Obviously, you will get a noticeable increase in system responsiveness, even using SATA connector 3 Gbps. In practice, the 3 Gbps interface does not hinder the performance of core applications. The SATA III interface comes into play in synthetic tests that reach technological limits, in workstation/server tasks or during large volumes of data transfer from SSD to SSD.

The most important thing is to install an SSD in the system. Just look how Samsung 840 Pro stands up to the fastest desktop hard drive entitled Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ. The SSD doesn't even give it a chance, either in synthetic or natural tests.

Hello dear friends! Artem Yushchenko is with you.

SATA1 standard – has a transfer speed of up to 150Mb/s
SATA2 standard – has a transfer speed of up to 300Mb/s
SATA3 standard – has a transfer speed of up to 600Mb/s
I am often asked why, when I test the speed of my drive (and the drive, for example, has a SATA2 interface and the motherboard has a port of the same standard), the speed is far from 300MB/s and not more.

In fact, the disk speed even of the SATA1 standard does not exceed 75MB/s. Its speed is usually limited by mechanical parts. Such as the spindle speed (7200 per minute for home computers), and also the number of platters in the disk. The more there are, the longer the delays in writing and reading data will be.

Therefore, in essence, no matter what interface of a traditional hard drive you use, the speed will not exceed 85 MB/s.

However, I do not recommend using modern computers IDE standard drives because they are already quite slower than SATA2. This will affect the performance of writing and reading data, which means there will be discomfort when working with large amounts of data.
Recently, a new SATA3 standard has appeared, which will be relevant for disks based on solid-state memory. We will talk about them later.
However, one thing is clear: modern traditional SATA drives, due to their mechanical limitations, have not even developed the SATA1 standard yet, but SATA3 has already appeared. That is, the port provides speed but not disk.
However, each new SATA standard still brings some improvements, and with large volumes of information they will make themselves felt in good quality.

For example, the function is constantly being improved - Native Command Queuing (NCQ), a special command that allows you to parallelize read-write commands, for greater performance than the SATA1 and IDE interfaces cannot boast of.
The most remarkable thing is that the SATA standard, or rather its versions, are compatible with each other, which gives us monetary savings. That is, for example, a SATA1 drive can be connected to a motherboard with a SATA2 and SATA3 connector and vice versa.
Not long ago, the market for new storage devices, the so-called SSDs, began to develop (let me remind you that traditional hard drives are designated as HDD).

SSD is nothing more than flash memory (not to be confused with flash drives, SSD is tens of times faster than regular flash drives). These drives are quiet, heat up little and consume little energy. They support read speeds up to 270MB/s and write speeds up to 250-260MB/s. However they are very expensive. A 256 GB disk can cost up to 30,000 rubles. However, prices will gradually fall as the flash memory market develops.
However, the prospect of buying an SSD, for example 64GB, is very pleasant, because it works much faster than regular disk on magnetic plates, which means you can install the system on it and get an increase in performance when loading the operating system and when working with the computer. Such a disc costs about 5–6 thousand rubles. I'm thinking about buying this myself.

These drives fully reveal the SATA2 and new interface They need SATA 3 like air than traditional drives. In the next six months SSD drives will move to the SATA3 standard and will be able to demonstrate speeds of up to 560 MB/s in read operations.
Not long ago, I came across an IDE disk with a size of 40GB and was released more than 7 years ago (not mine, they gave it to me for repairs). I tested its speed characteristics and compared them with the SATA1 and SATA2 standards, since I myself have both SATA disks standards.

The measurements were carried out using the Crystal Disk Mark program, several versions. I found out that the accuracy of measurements from one version of the program to another is practically independent. The computer has 32 bit installed operating system Windows 7 Ultimate and Pentium processor 4 – 3 GHz. Tests were also carried out on a processor with two cores 2 Duo E7500 overclocked to clock frequency 3.53 GHz. ( nominal frequency 2.93 GHz). According to my observations, the speed of reading and writing data is not affected by the processor speed.

This is what a good old IDE disk looks like; disks of this standard are still sold.

This is how it connects IDE disk. Wide cable for data transmission. Narrow white – nutrition.

And this is what connecting SATA drives looks like – red data wires. And also in the photo you can see the IDE cable that connects to its connector.

Speed ​​results:

IDE standard speed. It is equal to 41 MB for writing and the same amount for reading data. Next are the lines on reading sectors various sizes in diverse

Read and write speed SATA1. 50 and 49 MB for read and write speeds, respectively.

Read and write speed for SATA2. 75 and 74 MB for reading and writing, respectively.

And lastly, I’ll show you the results of testing one of the 4 GB flash drives from the excellent company Transcend. For flash memory the result is not bad:

Conclusion: The SATA1 and SATA2 interfaces (which took first place in the test results) are most preferable for use in a desktop home computer.

Sincerely, Artyom Yushchenko.

Probably, each of us, when choosing a computer component, has encountered incomprehensible names that could affect the compatibility of devices. So, without understanding the necessary connectors, the user was experiencing system crash or other similar problems.

Typically, those who bought a ready-made PC do not face the need to study interfaces. This is necessary for those who independently assemble the system, from the motherboard to thermal paste, or who have problems with one of the devices and require replacement.

What is this?

The SATA interface is an interface with sequential circuit, which allows you to exchange information with drives. The motherboard has a SATA connector, and the same connector is included.

Start

This type of connector appeared thanks to the previous one, with a similar name ATA. He had parallel circuit, but noticeably outdated, especially by 2017. In general, plans for its replacement began in 2000. Then Intel gathered around itself specialists who became part of a special development group. So this included the now well-known partners Seagate, Dell, Quantum, Maxtor, etc.

After just a couple of years hard interface SATA drive has become a reality for device manufacturers. In 2002, the first motherboards with this connector entered the market. It began to be used as a data transmitter through network devices. The very next year it was introduced into modern variations of the motherboard.

New

It must be said that the new product is compatible with program level with all hardware devices and is a high-speed data transmitter. If PATA has 40 contacts, then for SATA there are only 7. The cable occupies a small area, so air resistance is significantly reduced, and therefore the system components do not overheat. It's much easier now with the wires inside the system unit.

The cable was also made of higher quality so that you don’t have to worry about its condition after multiple connections. The power cable has also been redesigned. By the way, it supplies three voltages at once along several lines: +12, +5 and +3.3 V. Considering that modern devices They have switched to +3.3 V lines to a greater extent, so they often use a passive adapter, which is often included with the motherboard: IDE to SATA. There are components that, in addition to SATA power supply, can also acquire the Molex format.

Interestingly, what the SATA interface brought and new technology connection that was previously used by PATA. Nowadays it’s rare to have two devices on one cable. Each device received its own wire, so they now work independently, independently of each other. This eliminated many problems associated with simultaneous operation, system installation, unterminated loops, etc.

Diversity

As mentioned earlier, the interface has two types: one 7-pin, the second 15-pin. The first option is used to connect the data bus, the second option is designed specifically for power. The standard allows users to change the configuration, so it is possible to change a 15-pin type to a Molex type, which has 4 contacts. But you should understand that if you use both types of power connectors, the device will malfunction and you will have to purchase a new one.

Interface SATA drives operates through two channels of information transmission: from the device to the controller and back. Provided standard technologies different types. For example, there is an LVDS function that is responsible for signal transmission.

The types of connectors don't end there. There is also a 13-pin version, which is more often found on servers, gadgets and other thin devices. This connector is combined and consists of 7- and 6-pin. There is also an adapter for this case.

Mini version

Before we find out the types of SATA interfaces, it’s worth talking about one more connector that appeared in revision 2.6. The slimline version was developed for small-sized devices. This refers to optical drives in laptops. Compared to their older version, both connectors are incompatible, since there is a difference in the width of the power connector, and the pin spacing is reduced. In addition, such a connector operates only on one +5 V voltage line. But in general, there are inexpensive adapters for each such connector.

First type

Interfaces SATA drives presented in a wide variety. Over the course of 15 years, they were improved, improved, finalized and redesigned. As a result, the first revision was released at speeds of up to 1.5 Gbit/s. The standard was introduced in 2003. It was designed to operate at a frequency of 1.5 Hz, which provided a throughput of 150 MB/s. Considering that these were the first attempts to develop an interface, this result was almost identical to the Ultra ATA performance. Despite the same numbers, the main advantage of the new product was considered to be a serial bus instead of a parallel one.

One might assume that this technology is still inferior in speed, but all shortcomings were compensated by working at high frequencies. This option was available because channel synchronization was no longer necessary and the cord's noise immunity had increased.

Second type

The second revision became known the very next year. Its speed increased noticeably, as did its frequency. The specification now operated at 3 GHz, with a throughput of 3 Gbit/s. Among the new products, we also noted the appearance of a proprietary nForce 4 chipset controller. It so happened that no one immediately noticed that both revisions were no longer compatible. Although theoretically this was implied, if we take into account the speed matching. But in reality it turned out that some devices and controllers required manual mode work, all parameters had to be independently adjusted.

Third type

This revision became known only 5 years later, in 2008. The speed of the SATA interface is already 6 Gbit/s. The developers tried to maintain synchronization not only of cables and connectors, but also of protocol exchange.

The novelty later received two more versions. This is how types 3.1 and 3.2 appeared. The first option got mSATA, the so-called option for mobile devices. A technology has also become known in which, in standby mode, optical drive stopped consuming energy. The performance of SSD drives has improved, which has led to their popularity. Also, revision 3.1 acquired host identification of the device’s capabilities and reduced power consumption.

Revision 3.2 received another name Express. The design has changed slightly, in which the port looks like two assembled connectors in length. Thus, it became possible to use two types of drives: SATA and SATA Express. The speed has increased to 8 Gbit/s if you connect only through one port, but if you use two at once - then 16 Gbit/s. Among other things, new products included in this revision include the new µSSD interface.

Variety

In addition to the main types, the SATA interface (HDD) has acquired modifications. So in 2004, eSATA became known, which made it possible to connect external devices, while it was possible to use “hot swap”.

This standard has whole line features. For example, the connectors are not as fragile as the original type. They are created specifically for multiple connections. They are not SATA compatible and also have shielded connectors.

To use this type, you need to get two wires, including a data bus and a power cable. It was also decided to lengthen the wire to 2 meters so that there would be no more losses, and the signal levels were changed.

Decreased

In 2009, another SATA interface appeared, but with reduced parameters. Mini-SATA is considered a form factor solid state drives. Typically such devices have small dimensions of 61x30x3 mm. Such hard disks placed in netbooks and other devices that accept smaller copies of SSD drives. The connector for them is called mSATA and copies PCI Express Mini Card. Both types are electrically compatible, but require switching.

Flaw

Also known to the world is eSATAp, which was developed from eSATA. His main task was to combine the interface with the familiar USB2.0. Its advantage was considered to be the transmission of information via +5 and +12 V channels. There was also a similar option for laptops.

Perspective

Despite the fact that the SATA interface is still active in different devices, it is being developed and developed; many analogues appear on the market, which in the future may become a replacement for this standard. SAS, for example, is somewhat faster and more reliable, although more expensive. Compatible with SATA, but consumes more power.

Thunderbolt also showed itself with positive side. Designed for connection peripheral devices to PC. Appeared for the first time in 2010. Intel Company developed this type to replace all popular interfaces. The transmission speed reaches 10 Gbit/s, the length is up to 3 meters, supports many useful protocols, as well as the possibility of “hot plugging”.

Users often ask what SATA is and how it differs from ATA (IDE). In this article we will look at the SATA interface and all its key features.

SATA is an interface that is used to connect a variety of storage devices. For example, using SATA cables, drives and other devices for storing information are connected. The SATA cable is a red cable approximately 1 cm wide. Thanks to these features, it cannot be confused with other interfaces, such as ATA (IDE).

ATA (IDE) is the interface that was used to connect hard drives, before the advent of the SATA interface. Unlike SATA interface ATA is a parallel interface. The ATA (IDE) cable consists of 40 conductors, which is why it had a large width. Several such loops in system unit significantly worsened cooling efficiency, which was one of the problems of the ATA interface.

In addition to a thinner cable, the new SATA interface has other advantages over its predecessor. One of these advantages is the speed of information transfer.

The maximum information transfer speed on the ATA bus is 133 MByte/s, and this is a purely theoretical value. The introduction of the SATA interface did not bring high magnification speed. The first version of the SATA 1.0 interface could transfer data at a speed of 150 MB/s. But subsequent versions of the interface were already significantly faster than the fastest version of the ATA interface (Ultra ATA (UDMA/133)). Thus, SATA 2.0 can transfer data at a speed of 300 MB/s, and SATA 3.0 as much as 600 MB/s.

Another advantage of SATA is its greater versatility compared to the old one. ATA interface(IDE). For example, using the SATA interface you can connect external devices. To simplify the connection of external devices, a special version of the interface was developed - eSATA (External SATA).

The eSATA interface received the " hot swap", more reliable connectors and increased cable length. Thanks to these improvements, the eSATA interface can be conveniently used to connect various external devices. To power connected eSATA devices, you must use a separate cable. In future versions of the interface it is planned to implement power directly into the eSATA cable.

We are increasingly receiving questions from blog readers regarding the emergence of SATA III (6 Gb/s) and the need for its use. For specialists working in IT, this topic is very familiar, and this article will not be of particular interest to them. And for those who are just starting or continuing to get acquainted with computers, I will tell you what is special about the new standard and how it differs from previous versions.

From the point of view of the design of the connector itself, there are no significant changes. You can connect either a SATA-3 device to a SATA-2 port, or vice versa, connect a SATA-2 device to a SATA-3 port. In the first case, the faster device will understand that it is connected to slow port, and will work in compatibility mode at lower speeds. In the second case, the port will provide significantly more bandwidth than is required by the drive, which will still operate at full capacity.

In addition, when buying a motherboard or computer with SATA-3, having only SATA-2 devices, you are making a big foundation for the future. Over time, manufacturers will completely switch to the third version, and then the purchase will be justified. The transition has already begun, modern hard drives are produced with SATA-3, and if we're talking about about SSDs, they are produced only with SATA-3 (we don’t take exotic ones into account), since previous versions are not capable of maintaining such high speeds.

Now I will briefly go through all three versions of SATA.

SATA

The very first version of SATA, which provided data transfer speeds in 150 MB/s. A previously widely used IDE in the latest, most high-speed version provided only 133 MB/s. In addition, the use of a serial interface made it possible to avoid fussing with jumpers, which are still sometimes nightmares for experienced computer scientists. Now all you have to do is connect HDD to the motherboard, and it will be recognized, after which it will work normally.

SATA-2 (SATA II)

Assuming that over time the speed of one and a half hundred megabytes per second may not be enough, experts developed and implemented the second version of the standard. This time a speed of 300 MB/s. It must be said that the experts were right in their reasoning. Very soon it turned out that the resources of the first revision were exhausted. Modern advanced hard drives read at speeds of about 150-160 MB/s. And the recent 4 TB giant from Seagate was able to squeeze out more than 180 MB/s, sending the first version of SATA into retirement.

SATA-3

If for hard drives the capabilities of the second version turned out to be more than enough, then with the entry into the arena of fast-moving SSDs, it became clear that something faster was required to transfer data from media. It is the use of SATA-3 that allows you to fully unleash the potential of SSDs. Modern solid state drives show read speeds of 540-560 MB/s. SATA-3 Bandwidth – Approx. 600 MB/s. If you try such a drive on the second version of SATA, then the speed will be the same the disk will fall up to approximately 270-280 MB/s. That is, more than twice. On classic hard drives the difference between the second and third revisions is insignificant.

Manufacturers add support for the latest version solely for compatibility with future ones. motherboards.
Thus, each next version SATA is twice as fast as the previous one. This is the main difference between them. In this case, you don’t have to worry about equipment conflicts. A drive connected via any version of SATA will work on any computer.

I recommend reading the article Using a modern SSD on a computer with a SATA 2 port, which talks about the experience of using a fast OCZ Vertex 4 (SATA 6 Gb/s) drive on an old SATA II port, as well as the article Using a modern hard drive with SATA 3 on a computer with a SATA 2 port, which performs a similar experiment, but with a traditional hard drive.
You can read about how to connect a SATA drive to a computer in the article “