Do older SATA drives need 3.3V?

[philb2]

I just got an 18 TB WD drive, and when I plugged it in to my PSU, of course it didn't spin up. So I know I can cut one of the SATA power connector wires, and that will fix the problem for this drive. https://forums.serverbuilds.net/t/guide-3-3v-sata-power-cable-mod-3-3v-wire-removal/9806

But what about my older SATA drives, the oldest of which is 4 TB and manufactured in 2014?

 

[[Ion]]

I have run SATA drives of a similar vintage on a Molex -> SATA adapter. Seeing as that only provides +5 and +12V, that seems like it's pretty conclusive evidence that (at least the ones I have used) don't require 3.3V. You could try with a similar adapter if you have one to double-check for your drives.

 

[cdabc123]

I have yet to run into a drive that I couldn't run off a molex to sata adapter with no 3.3v. Perhaps instead of cutting the wire to the other drives, put the one that doesn't like 3.3v on a molex adapter?

 

[Luke M]

3.3V was never used by hard drives. A few, very few, SSDs used it.