When assembling PC parts, have you ever had doubts about connecting power cables to internal devices? Whether an 8-pin or a SATA cable, inserting these cables from the PSU (Power Supply Unit) to the wrong header or ports can have serious consequences.
One specific component users have issues connecting with is the SATA power cable. If inserted incorrectly, you may even damage the devices.
So, to avert any disaster, we have brought you this article to help you connect the SATA power cable correctly.
Types of Power Connector
Depending on the PSU you use, you will either have a Molex or SATA power connector. Newer and fully modular PSU are generally equipped with SATA, whereas the Molex is an older technology and hence not manufactured in modern PSU.
Molex Power Connector
The Molex power cable has four cables and 4-pins on its end. It supplies 12V and 5V through yellow and red cable, respectively. The other two black cables are ground.
If your power supply uses a Molex power connector, you will need a Molex to SATA converter to connect it with SATA power port device.
SATA Power Connector
SATA power connector 15-pins which can supply 3.3V, 5V or 12V power source. It also provides reduced impedance compared to Molex which in turn provides better ground for the system.
How to Connect a SATA Power Cable
Connecting PC parts can be just as simple as assembling lego pieces. So, you need to locate each cable for that specific port. On the other hand, some ports can look similar, and amateur PC builders can accidentally insert them somewhere they are not supposed to. This can sometimes cause your device to short circuit.
Therefore, please read the instructions mentioned below very carefully before performing them to avoid this crisis.
Locate SATA Power Cable
To locate the SATA power cable, first, we need to see what the SATA port looks like. Analyzing the SATA port, we can easily determine what the SATA cable looks like.
SATA port is an L-shaped port located on most of your storage devices. However, you can see two SATA ports on the device. One is the SATA data port (to data transfer), and the other is the SATA Power port (for power supply).
To differentiate these two ports, simply check their length. SATA power has a longer port length compared to the SATA data port.
Another way you can differentiate the SATA power and SATA data cable is through the number of pins. SATA data port has 7-pins whereas the SATA power supply ports are equipped with 15-pins.
You can also check the number of wires on the cable. SATA power cable generally has 5 wires either colored or plain black, whereas SATA data cable has one flat and thick cable.
Now that you know where we need to insert the SATA power cable, you need to locate the cable from the power supply that can fit in this L-shaped port.
Check cables from the PSU (Power Supply Unit) that can fit into the SATA power port in your storage device.
If you cannot find this L-shaped cable from the power supply, your PSU most likely has a Molex cable. In this case, you will need a Molex-SATA connector to supply power to the storage device.
However, if the device does not have a SATA power port, you can assume it uses a Molex cable.
Insert the Cable
Once you locate the SATA power cable, inserting them into the SATA power port is fairly simple. Aligning the L-shape from the port and the cable, then insert them carefully.
You can only insert these SATA power cables a certain way. So, if you have issues connecting them, invert the cable and try again.
Related Questions
Where Do We Use a SATA Power Cable?
The SATA power cable supplies power to the storage device such as the Hard Disk Drive (HDD), the Solid State Drive (SSD), or CD/DVD drive. Besides this, we can also use a SATA power cable to connect to a controller which manages the RGB.
How to Insert SATA Data Cable?
SATA data cable connects the storage device to the motherboard. To locate the SATA port on the motherboard, search for writings such as SATA_1, SATA_2, or look for an L-shaped port.
Insert one end of the SATA data cable on the motherboard and another one to the SATA data port on your device. The SATA data port on the device is relatively shorter than the SATA power port.
If you have issues connecting these two ports, invert the cables and try again.
What’s the difference Between SATA Power and Molex Power?
Molex is an old technology that powers most of your internal components. Molex power has four pins on the connector and four wires.
Talking about SATA power cables, these are L-shaped cables with 15-pins on the connector. However, we can only see five cables in the SATA wire.
