SATA/ESATA 3.1

What does SATA stand for and what is it also known as?

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment; also known as Serial ATA or just SATA.

What kind of connection does SATA use between the controller and storage device?

A single cable creating a point-to-point serial connection.

What types of devices can use the SATA interface?

Hard disk drives, SSDs, and optical disks.

How is a SATA bus structured?

It has two channels, each with a transmit and receive wire, plus grounding wires.

What is the max length of a SATA cable?

One meter.

What physical advantage do SATA cables offer?

Thin design improves airflow and allows smaller cases.

How wide is a SATA connector and how many pins does it have?

About 7/8ths of an inch wide with 7 pins in a single row.

What shape is the SATA connector and why?

L-shaped to prevent incorrect installation.

How does SATA connect to the motherboard?

Through a SATA connector on the device and matching port on the motherboard.

How does SATA's serial connection affect bandwidth?

Each device has a dedicated channel, so bandwidth isn't shared.

What did SATA-II introduce and what was its speed?

Speed up to 3 Gbps and added native command queuing (NCQ), hot plugging, and port multiplier support.

What is the max transfer speed of SATA-III and what devices commonly use it?

Up to 6 Gbps; used for high-performance HDDs and SSDs.

What is eSATA used for?

Connecting external SATA storage devices.

What is a key physical difference of eSATA connectors?

Uses a rectangular connector with a locking clip instead of L-shape.

Does eSATA provide power to devices?

No, external power is required.

What does eSATAp stand for and what does it combine?

Power over eSATA; combines eSATA and USB into one connector.

What pins does eSATAp include?

4 USB 2.0 pins, 7 eSATA pins, and 2 power pins (5V and 12V).

Why is eSATAp convenient?

It allows both data and power on a single cable for eSATA or USB devices.

What must you check before implementing a SATA device?

The standard of the storage device and the system interface to ensure compatibility.

What happens if SATA standards are mismatched?

It still works, but performance is limited to the slowest standard.

What happens when a SATA-I device is connected to a SATA-III port?

It works, but only transfers data at 1.5 Gbps.

Port multiplier support

Allows multiple SATA devices to connect through a single SATA port.

SATA 3.5

The latest revision of SATA, includes new connectors for SSDs and thin optical drives.

Device transmit emphasis

Gen 3 PHY feature in SATA3, aligning with other I/O measurement solutions.

Xbox One S and SATA

Xbox One S uses SATA III connections for storage.

eSATA cable feature

eSATA cables use a locking clip to help prevent accidental disconnection.

eSATA connector shape

eSATA connectors are rectangular, unlike the L-shaped internal SATA connectors.

eSATAp function

Combines eSATA and USB port functions, providing both data and power through a single cable.

eSATAp connector shape

Unique shape that is neither L-shaped nor rectangular.

What is SATA-I also known as and its speed?

SATA 1.5 Gbps; transfers data at 1.5 Gbps.