SATA cables

T

theTIK

Gawd
Joined
Jul 3, 2003
Messages
757
Are all SATA cables about created equal? I have a bunch of SATA cables I have used for my SATA 1 drives would they be capable of the 3.0 Gb/s speeds as well?
 
Yes. All SATA cables are virtually the same as far as what speeds they support, there is no specific 3.0Gb/s cable.
 
Yes, in terms of speeds. However, some cables have a special clip to make them more securely attached to the drive. I haven't needed to use these in the past, but it's something to consider if you have problems with cables falling off.
 
unhappy_mage said:
However, some cables have a special clip to make them more securely attached to the drive. I haven't needed to use these in the past, but it's something to consider if you have problems with cables falling off.
Click to expand...

In the case of the WD SATA cables, it's not so much keeping them from falling off but keeping them from breaking. The standard SATA cable design sucks big time. If you wanted to design something that is easy to break, SATA cables are a good example. The WD version beefs up the connector considerably and avoids this problem.

However, WD blew it in one other area - they block the SATA power connector rather than providing a pass-through. They justify this by providing an old-style 4 pin Molex connector for power. This sucks too, since modern PSUs have SATA power connectors but fewer 4 pin connectors - so you have to use the 4 pin for the drives and can't use the SATA connectors for anything else :mad:
 
other thing you can look for is right angle SATA cables which have the end at a right angle so that they do not stick right out from the drive but rather run down from the drive.

Provides a cleaner look and does not stick out so much IMO.
 
I have 14 sata disks and have never broken a cable or a drive. I don't see what's so flimsy about the design - by contrast, I have broken IDE cables before.
 
I very easily broke a sata connector on my seagate. It seemed to me the plastic was very brittle and easily snapped off. Had to RMA it. Seagate replaced it no problem.
 
Medic1542 said:
I very easily broke a sata connector on my seagate. It seemed to me the plastic was very brittle and easily snapped off. .
Click to expand...

I bet that there are differences in the plastic used by different companies. Something like nylon or Delrin would be relatively tough, but a cheaper plastic that's brittle would snap easily. A decent engineer would note that the long unsupported length of the power connector is not a good idea. However, electrical engineers don't know structural behavior - I'm convinced that a lot of the bad designs in computer hardware is because they get the ideas from electrical engineers instead of mechanical.
 
Ive haven't broken nor dented any IDE or SATA cables. Funny thing is that the SATA cables with the locking clip has become all the rage these days. But for the life of me I haven't had any regular SATA cables come loose even on my Raptor.
 
I don't like WD's SATA connector at all. All of the ones I have seen are bent/warped and annoying to put into the drive. And it blocks the SATA power :(
I've never broken a SATA connector and I'd much rather use a normal cable.

and not all cables are equal... some are not shielded and you should avoid those. Most new ones I've seen appear to be shielded though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top