Building a PC is an art in itself. Having sorted out the components and giving them life all together brings excitement and peace to the body and mind. Several accessories go into connecting the heart and body of a pc and the SATA port is one of them.
Unless you are an expert pc technician, chances are you know very little about SATA ports, their form, and function. So let’s dive deep into the world of SATA ports.
What Are Sata Ports?
The mechanism of SATA ports is similar to most conventional ports found in your PC. Its difference lies in the speed and the components the ports are used to connect. In simple terms, SATA ports are ports used to connect the motherboard with the hard drives via SATA cable.
So what do SATA ports look like? The structure of SATA ports makes them easily recognizable at first glance. The inside of the ports has an L-shaped construction with a seven-pin formation. While the no of SATA ports may vary depending on the model of the motherboard, their basic construction remains the same.
Genarations of SATA Ports
Like every other industry, the tech used in SATA ports has improved over time. The production of SATA ports can be classified into three generations which are SATA 1, SATA 2, and SATA 3 respectively. What sets each of them apart is the data transfer rate they offer.
While SATA 1 and SATA 2 are capable of transmitting data at a rate of 1.5 and 3 gigabits per second, the latest addition ensures faster speeds up to 6 Gb/s. Most of the modern motherboards come equipped with SATA 3 ports which means you get to enjoy the fastest data transmission right out of the box.
How to Identify SATA Ports?
Now that you have gained quite an insight regarding SATA ports, it’s time to find out how to recognize them. Usually, you will find the ports racked up together on one side of the motherboard. What distinguishes them from other ports is the recognizable L-shaped construction at the center.
To make things easier for users, motherboard manufacturers also tend to use different colors for various categories of ports. For instance, the latest and fastest SATA 3 ports come in white color whereas the older SATA 2 port comes in blue. That being said, you won’t witness any color variation in case all the ports are of the same generation.
The Future of SATA Ports
It’s been a great run for SATA ports up until now being a regular in most PC builds. But the question here is will the demand remain the same. Well, to be honest, the future doesn’t look all too well for SATA ports.
As the industry is moving on from hard drives towards SSDs, it’s clear that SATA ports won’t be there for long unless they make a substantial upgrade. For instance, the latest tech that the industry offers is M.2 drives that are compatible with the NVMe protocol. This deadly combo allows performance far better than your conventional SATA cables.
Besides the addition of the PCL Express 4.0 interface, the speed game has reached a new height. Boasting around 50 Gbps of speed, this tech leaves the mere 6 Gbps capability of SATA ports to the dust. Thus it’s only a matter of time you will be finding less or even no SATA ports in your latest PC motherboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there different types of SATA ports?
Answer: There are three main types of SATA ports in the market which are two and three connection SATA cables along with eSATA cables.
How many SATA ports do I need for gaming?
Answer: You can carry out gaming using 2 to 3 SATA ports.
What is Esata port?
Answer: ESATA port stands for External SATA port.
Is eSATA dead?
Answer: eSATA is not used nowadays due to its low price to performance ratio.
Conclusion
This wraps up today’s discussion for SATA ports. According to many, SATA ports are lagging compared to similar offerings from the industry. It’s such a shame as these were once considered a game-changer. Nevertheless, the shift from SATA ports to superior alternatives won’t be a sudden one. Thus you will be able to find a pack of SATA ports on one side of your motherboard for some years to come.