Hard Drives: Ata versus Sata
The execution of computer systems has been steadily increasing as faster processors, memory, and video cards are continuously being developed. The one key component that is often neglected when looking at improving the execution of a computer ideas is the hard drive. Hard drive manufacturers have been permanently evolving the basic hard drive used in modern computer systems for the last 25 years, and the last few years have seen some piquant developments from faster spindle speeds, larger caches, best reliability, and increased data transmission speeds.
The drive type used most in consumer grade computers is the hearty Ata type drive (commonly called an Ide drive). The Ata acceptable dates back to 1986 and is based on a 16-bit parallel interface has undergone many evolutions since its introduction to growth the speed and size of the drives that it can support. The newest acceptable is Ata-7 (first introduced in 2001 by the T13 Technical Committee (the group responsible for the Ata standard)) which supports data change rates up to 133Mb/sec. This is thinkable, to be the last update for the parallel Ata standard.
As long ago as 2000 it was seen that the parallel Ata acceptable was maxing out its limitations as to what it could handle. With data rates hitting the 133Mb/sec mark on a parallel cable, you are piquant all sorts of problems because of signal timing, Emi (electromagnetic interference) and other data integrity issues; thus commerce leaders got together and came up with a new acceptable known as Serial Ata (Sata). Sata has only been colse to a few years, but is destined to come to be "the standard" due to any benefits to be addressed in this Tech Tip.
The two technologies that we will be looking at are:
Ata (Advanced Technology Attachment) - a 16-bit parallel interface used for controlling computer drives. Introduced in 1986, it has undergone many evolutions in the last 18+ years, with the newest version being called Ata-7. Wherever an item is referred to as being an Ata device, it is ordinarily a Parallel Ata device. Ata devices are also ordinarily called Ide, Eide, Ultra-Ata, Ultra-Dma, Atapi, Pata, etc. (each of these acronyms genuinely do refer to very definite items, but are ordinarily interchanged)
Sata (Serial developed Technology Attachment) - a 1-bit serial evolution of the Parallel Ata corporal storehouse interface.
Basic Features & Connections
Sata drives are easy to distinguish from their Ata cousins by the dissimilar data and power connections found on the back of the drives. A side-by-side comparison of the two interfaces can be seen in this Pdf from Maxtor, and the following covers many of the differences...
Standard Ata drives, such as this 200Gb Western Digital model, have somewhat bulky, two inch wide ribbon cable with 40-pin data connections and receive the 5V primary to power them from the well-known 4-pin connection. The basic data cables for these drives have looked the same for years. A convert was made with the introduction of the Ata-5 acceptable to best improve the signal ability by manufacture an 80 wire cable used on the 40-pin connector (these are ordinarily called 40-pin/80-wire cables). To improve airflow within the computer ideas some manufacturers resorted to genuinely folding over the ribbon cable and taping it into that position. Someone else recent corporal convert also came with the advent of rounded cables. The execution of the rounded cables is equal to that of the flat ribbon, but many prefer the improved ideas air flow afforded, ease of wire management, and cooler appearance that come with them.
Sata drives, such as this 120Gb Western Digital model, have a half inch wide, 7 "blade and beam" data connection, which results in a much thinner and easier to carry on data cable. These cables take the convenience of the Ata rounded cables to the next level by being even narrower, more flexible and capable of being longer without fear of data loss. Sata cables have a maximum distance of 1 meter (39.37 inches), which is much greater than the recommended 18 inch cable for Ata drives. The reduced footprint of Sata data connections frees up space on motherboards, potentially allowing for more suitable layouts and room for more onboard features!
A 15-pin power association delivers the 250mV of primary power to Sata drives. 15-pins for a Sata expedient sounds like it would wish a much larger power cable than a 4-pin Ata device, but in reality the two power connectors are just about the same height. For the time being, many Sata drives are also advent with a inheritance 4-pin power connector for convenience.
Many modern motherboards, such as this Chaintech motherboard, come with Sata drive connections onboard (many also together with the Ata connectors as well for inheritance drive compatibility), and new power supplies, such as this Ultra X-Connect, ordinarily feature a few of the primary 15-pin power connections, manufacture it easy to use these drives on new systems. Older systems can genuinely be upgraded to hold Sata drives by use of adapters, such as this Pci slot Sata controller and this 4-pin to 15-pin Sata power adapter.
Optical drives are also becoming more effortlessly available with Sata connections. Drives such as the Plextor Px-712Sa take benefit of the new interface, although the execution will not be any greater than a comparable visual drive with an Ata connection.
Performance
In increasing to being more suitable to setup and drawing less power, Sata drives have execution benefits that genuinely set them apart from Ata drives.
The most piquant execution feature of Sata is the maximum bandwidth possible. As we have noted, the evolution of Ata drives has seen the data change rate reach its maximum at 133 Mb/second, where the current Sata acceptable provides data transfers of up to 150 Mb/second. The ample execution growth of Sata over Ata can currently be thinkable, to be up to 5% (according to Seagate), but improvements in Sata technology will genuinely improve on that.
The future of Sata holds great things for those wanting even more speed, as drives with 300 Mb/second change rates (Sata Ii) will be effortlessly available in 2005, and by 2008 speeds of up to 600 Mb/second can be expected. Those speeds are incredible, and are hard to imagine at this point.
Another execution benefit found on Sata drives is their built-in hot-swap capabilities. Sata drives can be brought on and offline without shutting down the computer system, providing a serious benefit to those who can't afford downtime, or who want to move drives in and out of execution quickly. The higher estimate of wires in the power association is partially explained by this, as six of the fifteen wires are dedicated to allowing the hot-swap feature.
Price
Comparing Ata drives to Sata drives can be tricky given all of the variables, but in normal it is the case that Sata drives will still cost just a bit more than a comparable Ata drive. The gap is windup rapidly though, and as Sata drives gain in popularity and availability a inevitable shift in prices can be expected. inspecting the benefits of Sata over Ata, the possible disagreement of a few dollars can genuinely be justified when inspecting an upgrade. Computer Geeks currently has a minute option of Sata drives, but any technical sites, such as The Tech Zone and The Tech Lounge, offer real time price guides to see how comparable drives stack up.
Final Words
The current Sata acceptable provides primary benefits over Ata in terms of convenience, power consumption and, most importantly, performance. The main thing Ata has going for it right now is history, as it has been the acceptable for so long that it will not likely disappear any time soon. The future of Sata will be even more piquant as speed increases will help hard drive development keep pace with other key ideas components.
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