Compare SATA 1.0 and SATA 2.0 | Important difference | What's better

SATA 1.0 and 2.0 are different transfer rates. On the first generation, the maximum bandwidth is 150 megabytes per second, on the second - 300 megabytes per second. This difference is due to the different clock frequency of the interface.

However, there are a few subtleties. The above speeds are “spherical and in vacuum”. But in practice, they may be slightly lower. We will understand the difference between SATA 1.0 and SATA 2.0, and how to choose compatible hardware.

Features of the SATA and other computer equipment

Any digital interface - be it SATA, USB or even Wi-Fi - works at a certain clock frequency. This parameter describes the speed at which data is transmitted through it.

That is, for example, SATA 1.0 operates at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. This means that 1.5 billion times a second, data is transmitted via this interface - “one” and “zero”. The speed of information exchange depends on the clock frequency. The higher the clock frequency, the more data per second can be transmitted over the "cable".

The chipset is responsible for the clock frequency of the peripheral interfaces - and, in particular, SATA. This device on the motherboard determines the relationship between the various elements of the computer - the processor, RAM, permanent memory, video card, and so on. And it controls the flow of data, as well as the frequency of their transmission.

And if the motherboard and the chipset installed on it rigidly fixed the frequency of the data interface to the drives with permanent memory at a value of 1.5 GHz (which corresponds to the standard 1.0), it will not work to increase it. Well, in any case, if you do not redo the entire circuitry of the device. And it is so difficult and expensive that it is easier to buy a new “motherboard”.

Does it make sense to install fast drives on a slow computer

All generations of SATA - I, II, III, Express - have the same connectors and cross-compatible. That is, you can connect a “slow” drive to the “fast” motherboard - and vice versa. However, the data transfer rate is always cut by the lower of the two.

I.e:

1. If the motherboard has 1.0 interface, and drive 2.0 is connected to it, the data transfer rate will correspond to the standard 1.0;

2. If the computer has 2.0, and a disk with 1.0 is installed in it, the transfer rate will be 1.0.

The only "but" - some second-generation HDDs have a special chip that does not adequately work with SATA-I. But do not worry! To ensure cross-compatibility, these same disks are equipped with a special jumper that switches the operation mode from SATA-II to the previous standard, so support for both iterations is still achieved.

It is also worth noting that the speed of reading and writing in modern hard drives - for example, Western Digital Blue or Green - exceeds those same 150 megabytes per second. And often even in random access mode. Therefore, it makes no sense to install high-speed drives (both modern hard drives and SSD) in obsolete computers. Anyway, the actual speed is determined by other components on the motherboard.

Perfect upgrade option

Interface 1.0 was introduced back in 2003, and the first computers with its support came out at the same time. So at the time of this writing, he is already 16 years old - and it can be called too obsolete.

The second generation of technology was introduced in a year. It was developed by NVIDIA and implemented in the nForce 4 chipset. The first computers with Serial ATA 2.0 support were introduced at the end of 2004. So even now it is considered obsolete.

Audit 3.0 was introduced in 2008. It delivers 600 megabytes of bandwidth per second, so it's perfect for SSDs and high-speed hard drives.

And the latest generation at the moment - Express - means “moving” to the PCI Express bus at all. Because of this, the maximum throughput is 1.2 gigabytes per second, but there is very little compatible hardware.

Thus, if an upgrade is planned, now it is better to purchase a motherboard with SATA III support. Only in this case, the use of SSD-drives will be the most justified. Yes, and other external data storage will work faster.

Interesting feature of generation 1.0

The first generation of this interface has one very interesting feature - the connected hard drives can be powered from the power supply via the Molex connector (standard four-pin, which was used during the IDE times). This is necessary to ensure compatibility with legacy hardware.

However, you cannot connect four-pin Molex power supply and 15-pin Serial ATA power to the HDD simultaneously. This can lead to heterogeneous damage, including more extensive damage than just burning out the hard drive.

In subsequent revisions, Molex support was removed. Now you can meet it except in some optical drives without Blu-Ray support, since they still have the performance “so-so” and the developer will hardly bother with connecting the latest interface iterations.

Connect a hard drive with SATA to the power supply, which has no corresponding connector, will help a special adapter with two Molex. Such adapters are sold in almost all stores of digital equipment and electronics.