Best SATA Cables in 2022

Last update: December 13, 2022

Are all SATA ports the same?

No, all SATA ports are not the same. SATA I, II, and III are different standards with different maximum speeds. SATA I has a maximum speed of 1.5 Gb/s, SATA II has a maximum speed of 3 Gb/s, and SATA III has a maximum speed of 6 Gb/s.

Are all SATA power cables the same?

No, all SATA power cables are not the same. There are three different types of SATA power cables: standard, right-angle, and slimline. Standard SATA power cables are the most common type and are used with most desktop computers. Right-angle SATA power cables are used with some desktop computers and are designed to fit in tighter spaces. Slimline SATA power cables are used with laptops and other small computers.

Are SATA 2 and 3 the same?

SATA 3 is the latest generation of SATA storage technology. It is faster than SATA 2 and is backwards compatible with SATA 2 devices.

Are there different types of SATA cables?

Yes, there are different types of SATA cables. The most common are SATA I, SATA II, and SATA III cables. SATA I cables have a data transfer rate of up to 1.5 Gbps, SATA II cables have a data transfer rate of up to 3 Gbps, and SATA III cables have a data transfer rate of up to 6 Gbps.


BENFEI SATA Cable III, 3 Pack SATA Cable III 6Gbps 90 Degree Right Angle with Locking Latch 18 Inch for SATA HDD, SSD, CD Driver, CD Writer - Black Review:


Connectors attach firmly and detach properly. Although the cable appears hefty, it is nonetheless flexible enough to accommodate bends up to 1 cm (1/2 inch) in diameter. The relatively slow hard drive I'm using this cable for has standard drive speeds. They cost more per cable than some of the other multi-packs, but those with fewer than five things benefited the most from them (I only need 2). In general, I'm happy.



Sabrent USB 3.0 to SSD / 2.5-Inch SATA I/II/IIIHard Drive Adapter (EC-SSHD) Review:


I like it so much that in addition to this, I've bought two others. I frequently utilize dual SSDs and two laptop hard drives for a variety of things. When I clone my new SSD and hard disks, which has happened very frequently in the past year, I always use these Sabrent USB to SSD adapters. I regularly use these Sabrent SSD cables on a variety of devices, including laptops and at least six different desktop computers. I've never experienced any problems with data transfer using USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 connections. I also bought two more of them in April 2016, but I may not have remembered to review them at the time.This is the only brand I've thought about purchasing, making it my third. I appreciate the increased cable length. A few years back, I bought a Toshiba SSD, and it came with a different connector, but the cable is too short to even reach my desktop from a mid-tower desktop computer housing an ATX motherboard. On top of my desktop computer, it was constantly a balancing act. That's why, in April 2016, I bought two Sabrent SSD adapters. One thing to keep in mind is that the connector and cable interface can generate some leverage, so to maintain a strong connection, you should have your disk drive and the first few inches of the cable securely supported. Typically, it is not a problem, so I am hesitant to bring it up at all. I wouldn't think twice about purchasing another one if I didn't already have so many.



Cable Matters 3-Pack 90 Degree Right Angle SATA III 6.0 Gbps SATA Cable (SATA 3 Cable) Black - 18 Inches Review:


The other two may or may not work—I only used one—but the one I did use functions perfectly. Two SATA ports on my motherboard point straight up from the surface, whereas the other two point outward at an angle of 90 degrees. I needed an additional 90-degree cable to connect to my third drive in order to improve cable management, and this did the trick. The length is good; it's not too lengthy to get in the way but it's long enough to get me where I needed to go. I enjoy how the all-black design complements the black casing and other black cords.



SATA to USB 3.0 Cable, BENFEI USB 3.0 to SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Compatible for 2.5 3.5 Inch HDD/SSD Hard Drive Disk and SATA Optical Drive with 12V/2A Power Adapter, Support UASP Review:


I needed to clone my wife's bootable Windows 7 HDD in her laptop (because the hard drive is failing) so I could replace it with a new drive with the Windows 7 operating system and data ported over to it. I also needed to wipe an old HD from bootable Windows XP to a blank drive for a Linux system I'm putting together from two older systems. Due to the simultaneous occurrence of both of these circumstances, I searched Amazon for solutions to both issues and came upon this small gadget. It seemed like a nice idea at the time. The donor PC's old 80 GB disk is currently functioning well after being formatted. One feature that I didn't see stated in the description or other reviews is that the plug-in has a tiny blue LED on top to indicate data transfer or that it is functioning. It's a great feature, but you have to view it from above because it's too little to notice it any other way. If you operate your own PCs or want to be able to utilize an old internal SATA drive as an external hard drive for backup or (if large enough...) as a truly huge thumb drive. This is a way to get a sizable portable external hard drive for your laptop bag. You can get rather large 2.5" laptop hard drives that fit in the palm of your hand; indeed, you can even get enclosures for them. That's what I intend to do after I finish these two tasks. Purchase a cheap 1TB disk for my laptop bag because my work laptop's 250 GB SSD is quickly filling up. You truly can't afford not to purchase one at the price.



BENFEI SATA Cable III, SATA Cable III 6Gbps Straight HDD SDD Data Cable with Locking Latch 18 Inch Compatible for SATA HDD, SSD, CD Driver, CD Writer Review:


Go get that; roses are red, this cable is blue.I purchased this cable so that I could distinguish the cable from my HDD and my two identical SSDs from one another. The cable's quality is satisfactory. It is currently performing its duties without making any mistakes.This cable is flat rather than circular, which may be advantageous in a few circumstances, such as when attempting to fit it through confined areas.



Relper-Lineso 6 Pack 90 Degree Right-Angle SATA III Cable 6.0 Gbps With Locking Latch 18Inch (6x Sata Cable Blue) Review:


The channels appear to be divided. I enjoy that. Anyway, I needed this in order to fit a gigabyte 1650 gtx into my Dell 9010 Optiplex. Then I added copper heatsinks to everything that can get hot and an Arctic Twin Turbo II cooler. It SLIGHTLY fits. I was able to connect my CD drive to the 1650 GTX thanks to these cables. The sata ports were placed next to the pci-e slot and in a row, however I was able to fit two of them in and utilize the Dell port without any issues.It was made to make it difficult for you to put a quality card in that machine, but I'm tenacious as all get-out and always manage to make it work.They are far more affordable and superior to the Dell Optiplex wires. These ones clip in, improved, laid better, and I was quite pleased with them.



StarTech.com SATA to USB Cable - USB 3.0 to 2.5” SATA III Hard Drive Adapter - External Converter for SSD/HDD Data Transfer (USB3S2SAT3CB) Review:


The cable is OK, as the headline says; if you experience problems, look elsewhere. And people, this only connects to one USB port. The maximum USB power is 500mA (USB 2.0) and 900mA. (USB 3.0). This cable cannot power a 3.5" HDD or an earlier 2.5" HDD; the problem is with your computer's USB port, not the cable.Over the past several years, I've bought a number of Startech goods. I enjoy the presentation's caliber and straightforwardness. The additional advantage of this cable over the earlier USB-SATA cable setup I had is that it contains two tiny leds to signal data access (like on your computer).I purchased this cable along with a new Samsung 500Gb 860 EVO SSD. I've converted my laptop's HDD to SSD at least six times. I've successfully used Samsung SSDs with a different USB-SATA cable in the past. I like Samsung products since they work well and have foolproof cloning software.The current version of Samsung's software did not recognize the new SSD when I connected everything and utilized it. so, a faulty cable? poor SSD? I tried a different, older SSD that I had removed from an earlier laptop update, and Win 10 explorer showed it without any issues. With the new SSD, nothing has changed.I discovered the Startech tech support phone number in one of the evaluations of this device. I was able to speak with a real person providing tech help in less than 3 minutes, as it turned out. I'm amazed with the quality of technical help considering that this cable costs only $11. The tech suggested I try formatting it with Windows' drive manager, which I did—while he was still on the phone, no less—and found that I could format it as well as see it in file manager and read/write files to the new SSD. Since the cable or a bad SSD are extremely unlikely culprits, that leaves the Samsung software.Given that it would have been impossible to determine which was the problem, this one phone call was quite useful and prevented me from returning the cable and SSD (neither in this case). I then used the outdated Google search engine to discover that the Samsung Magician software is infamous for failing to recognize several of its newest SSD models. Further reading indicated that the issue wasn't with their Data Migration program, which you use for cloning. The Data Migration program allowed me to see the new Samsung SSD and perform the cloning when I downloaded it. I can't emphasize enough how much time the support I received from Startech saved me. They didn't have any knowledge of Samsung's problems, but at least they showed me how to proceed so I could prove the SSD or cable wasn't the problem. Bravo to Startech's technical help staff!You may want to check your bios setting for the HDD controller (SATA), since mine was set to RAID whereas the optimum default is AHCI. This issue was raised in a number of support forums on the Samsung website, but I assume it applies to other modern SSDs as well. I'm not sure if this was a factor in the problem or not, but it's something to think about.Hardware/softwareUsing Samsung Data Migration software, a Dell Precision M4500 (circa 2011) with an i7 processor and Windows 7 PRO, 64-bit, was cloned to a Samsung 500 Gb 860 EVO SSD (not Samsung Magician)



Neeyer USB 3.0 SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable for 2.5 Inch SSD & HDD with Support UASP-20cm, Black Review:


Quality should be a little stronger, but so far, I can't complain because it works. For my music and to use as a TeslaCam recorder, I'm using it to connect my SSD to my Tesla's front USB port. SSD was partitioned to perform both tasks. What I purchased to make it function is listed below. So far, I'm happy with every component. In my case, it's best to move on. I don't unplug and plug back in all that frequently. How long will it last, I wonder. SCSI connections appear to be a little sensitive, however that is not the connector's fault.Two USB 3.0 SATA III hard drive adapter cables for 2.5-inch SSDs and HDDs with Extra USB Power Cable/Support are included: (1) USB Splitter - HENGSHENG 2-Port USB Hub 1 Male to 2 Female USB y Splitter Cable (2) Black UASP-20cm (3) KingSpec Q-180 180GB 2.5" SATA3 Internal Hard Drive Solid State Drive



SATA to USB Cable, Benfei USB 3.0 to SATA III Hard Driver Adapter w/UASP Compatible for 2.5 inch HDD and SSD Review:


Since the Asmedia AS1153 controller chip is known for reliable UASP operation under Linux (unlike some earlier chips that the kernel will "blacklist," or force down to BOT / usb-storage mode to protect against various data-corrupting bugs), I purchased several of these for a custom external drive array. With large-file transfer speeds from a 5400rpm drive behind a single 4-port USB3 hub in the 120–150MB/s range, they have proven dependable and work well. SSDs and 7200rpm disks ought to perform even better.One drawback is that regardless of how the associated drive's power management settings are configured, these have a very aggressive, hardcoded 3-minute idle spin-down period (15 or 20 minutes would have been more fair). For example, enabling the drive to shut off after just 1 or 2 minutes of inactivity will function as intended, but attempting to increase the time limit past 3 minutes or turning off automatic spin-down altogether (for example, by running 'hdparm -S 0 -B 255 /dev/sdX' in Linux) will have no impact. This might be fine for some tasks, but in my case it was accumulating too many load cycles on the drives, which is bad for their long-term health, especially with 3.5-inch drives "drives (see below).This timer doesn't appear to be programmable, but it may be disabled by flashing the adapter with a different firmware, which can be discovered by searching for "USB3-SATA-UASP1 140509A18280 firmware." Select the result at plugable.com that refers to this...18280 version under the "ASM1153e" column and download their file (not 18200). Only a Windows EXE version of this Asmedia flasher utility is available, but only one change needs to be made. To reflash, I would advise using a USB 2.0 port and avoiding connecting a hard drive to the adaptor while doing so.With 3.5, I use these "although only 2.5's are typically supported, by powering the drives (4TB WD Red's) separately from an ATX PSU providing both 12V and 5V, and connecting the USB adapters through Monoprice SATA extender cables (https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-6-inch-Female-Extension-Cable/dp/B01BKT7FMK) to prevent them from covering the drives' power sockets.It's nice that you can switch drives behind one of these, or turn the associated drive on and off if it has independent power, unlike with some previous models, without ever physically unplugging it from the USB bus. To make sure the host notices such changes, the adapter will automatically disconnect and rejoin its USB endpoint if it detects such events on the SATA side. My array's ability to turn on individual drives using a relay/MOSFET board at a distance saved me from having to set up switched 5V power for the USB adapters as well.Although the internal blue status/activity LED is quite faint and can only be seen from precisely above the flat side of the SATA-side housing, it is still preferable to the overly bright ones that many devices like to incorporate.Overall, they are excellent for the price, and I'd give them a five-star rating if it weren't for the annoying forced 3-minute spin-down. Nevertheless, a solution may be found.


Can HDD work without SATA cable?

Yes, a hard drive can work without a SATA cable. However, the drive will not be able to store or access any data.

Can SSD work without SATA?

No, SSD cannot work without SATA. SATA is the interface that connects the SSD to the computer.

Can you just plug in SSD?

Yes, you can just plug in a SSD. You will need to format it first, however.

Do HDD and SSD use the same cables?

Hard disk drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD) both use the same cables to connect to a computer. The main difference between the two is that SSDs are much faster than HDDs.

Do people still use SATA?

SATA is still a popular interface for connecting storage devices to PCs. While newer technologies, such as NVMe, offer faster data transfer speeds, SATA is still a cost-effective option for many users.

Does the type of SATA cable matter?

Does the type of SATA cable matter? SATA cables come in two different types: straight-through and crossover. Straight-through cables are used to connect a device to a host, while crossover cables are used to connect two devices to each other. The type of SATA cable you use will depend on what you're trying to connect. If you're connecting a device to a host, you'll need to use a straight-through cable. If you're connecting two devices to each other, you'll need to use a crossover cable.