SATA vs IDE
SATA vs IDE? What's the difference and what's better? This page will explain the differences and the pros and cons of each cable. SATA or IDE? Find out.

Cables
The SATA cable or Serial ATA cables are only 7 pins wide compared to the IDE Ribbon Cable which is 40 pins. The SATA cables are also longer then the ribbon cables (some up to 1m) which make them more useful in large cases. The PATA or IDE cables are only 45cm long and can connect two hard drives to the motherboard while the SATA cable connects only one hard drive to the motherboard.
Speed
The next step in IDE vs SATA is to work out the data transfer speeds. IDE (PATA) transfers data from the speeds of 5MB/sec up to 133MB/Sec (ATA100/133). SATA however data transfer speeds range from 150MB/sec to SATA II which doubles it to 300MB/sec.
Jumpers
IDE vs SATA in the aspect of jumpers again goes the way of SATA. With the IDE cable you need to always mess around with the jumpers since their may be two hard drives or two CD drives or one of each on the one cable. With SATA there is only the one cable so there are no jumpers to mess around with. If you are new to computers then a SATA hard drive will be easier to install.
Summary
In summary of SATA vs IDE, the SATA cable is smaller, faster and therefore better. It can reach further then a IDE cable and will also reduce the obstruction to air cooling which IDE cables can contribute to. The cables also transfer data much faster (more crucial if you have two or more hard drives) and are easier to install since their are no jumpers. The only downfall of the SATA is that they easily fall out of their positions and that you can only have one drive per cable.
Share Your Thoughts on SATA vs IDE!
What is your experiences with either IDE or SATA? And what do you prefer! Share it!
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
SATA vs IDE
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
After reading this page about SATA vs IDE, I tried both of them and have decided that SATA is better than IDE. I tried uploading 1000 songs from my CD ...
SATA vs IDE - Reliability and Multi-tasking
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Question:
I am curious. I understand the speed, ease, price argument for SATA. I have not seen reliability compared, or what OS, CPU, and memory ...
SATA II does not mean 300MBps
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
SATA II does not require 300MBps as a standard. It refers to other protocols. It is just a coincidence that the majority are 300MBps.
SATA is better than IDE
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Thanks for this article on SATA vs IDE. I appreciated actually seeing the differences between the two.
In my opinion SATA is so much better than ...
Thanks for the information about SATA and IDE
Not rated yet
Thanks for the information about IDE and SATA. Now I know what will I use.
Thanks for the information about SATA and IDE
Not rated yet
Thanks for the information about IDE and SATA. Now I know what will I use.
Thanks for the information about SATA and IDE
Not rated yet
Thanks for the information about IDE and SATA. Now I know what will I use.
SATA the better alternative to IDE
Not rated yet
After a year it is time to open the box and change the dvd writer. I am no phd in computers but can get my way by. I notice a small black conncector on ...
SATA and IDE Hard Drives for Income Opportunity
Not rated yet
If there are any computer repair experts out there with an interest in making some good profit, I have an opportunity.
I am in charge of business development ...
Does the Motherboard Connection make a difference?
Not rated yet
Question: Does the motherboard connection make a difference?
Answer: Yes the motherboard connection does make a difference. If you have a motherboard ...
IDE vs SATA
Not rated yet
I have used IDE but now I am starting to use SATA.
Related Articles
Leave SATA vs IDE and Retun to the Homepage
