SATA Hard Drive Buying Guide
The Differences between ATA, PATA, and SCSI Storage Devices
Buying a new hard drive is confusing if you don't understand the differences between the various SATA, SCSI, or ATA specifications. So which hard drive should you buy?
SATA Hard Drives (Serial ATA) are the most popular drives being sold today. Alongside them in the store however you will also find boxes labeled Parallel ATA or SCSI. So what are the differences between these hard drives and which one should you purchase? Your decision is dictated by what your computer can accept. Check with your computer's manufacturer to see which drive style you can use. Most newer computers purchased within the last two years accept SATA connections. If your computer cannot accept one of the newer SATA hard drives you can purchase SATA adaptor cards that plug into an empty expansion slot on your computer's motherboard. You can purchase SCSI adaptors as well, so follow these tips to guide your decision.
SATA vs PATA: Serial ATA vs. Parallel ATA Drives
SATA hard drives have many benefits over their older cousin, the Parallel ATA drive. Chief among these differences are:
- SATA is faster than traditional ATA drives which is better for high bandwidth applications such as video editing and multiplayer gaming.
- SATA drives use a smaller, cheaper cable to connect to the computer's motherboard. These cables can also be up to three feet in length compared to eighteen inches with Parallel ATA cables.
- SATA drives can be hot swappable, meaning that they can be disconnected and reconnected without powering down the computer. There are limits to this of course. You should never disconnect your boot drive while the computer is operating.
- SATA cables are easier to plug in without damaging the delicate connecting pins on the drive.
- SATA drives are significantly faster than external USB hard drives.
SCSI Hard Drives
SCSI hard drives are the elders of the storage world. SCSI is one of the oldest specifications but it is also the fastest and thus has been widely used in network servers and other high speed, high bandwidth applications. Unfortunately this high speed storage has also meant much higher costs. SCSI drives were once standard in all Macintosh computers but have since been replaced by the cheaper SATA based hard drives.
- SCSI drives are also hot swappable, similar to the SATA drives.
- Some varieties of SCSI can be used with SATA
- SCSI drives are often set up in a mirroring arrangment to allow for instant, continuous backups of the hard drives.
- SCSI drives are still the most expensive drives on the consumer market.
Your basic rule of thumb should be to purchase a drive that is designed to work with your computer's motherboard. Try to avoid using SCSI adaptors or SATA adaptors unless absolutely necessary as the whole point of using a specific kind of hard drive is to get the most speed and storage for the money.
