One of the biggest drawbacks of SSDs for many users was the fact that they did not come with SATA cables. In order to use an SSD on your computer, you had to purchase a new SATA cable (which cost around $10) or reuse one from another part of your computer. If you’re not able to reuse one from another computer, this can be an added expense that can put a damper on upgrading to an SSD. You might be wondering if all SSDs come with these cables or if they are something special that you need to buy separately. Do SSDs Come With Sata Cables? Let’s take a look at why and what comes with different-sized drives.
Do SSDs Come With Sata Cables?
No, an SSD does not come with a SATA cable. They are sold separately and are relatively inexpensive. For SSDs, a SATA cable is required to connect the drive to a motherboard. The drive will either come with the cable included or you can purchase one separately.
What Size And Type Of Sata Cable Do My Ssd Need?
- The first thing you need to do is to determine what size SSD you have. This will determine the type of cable that it needs. There are a few different types of SATA cables that SSDs use, including SATA 3, SATA 2 and SATA 1.
- The majority of SSDs come with Sata 3 cables, which are backwards compatible with SATA 2 and SATA 1. If you have an older computer with a SATA 1 slot, you will need to either upgrade your motherboard or get an external SATA 3 to SATA 1 converter in order to use a SATA 3 drive.
- SATA 1 cables are the same size as Sata 2 cables but are not backwards compatible with SATA 3 drives. SATA 3 drives will work in Sata 2 slots, but it will run at a slower speed. You can check the documentation that comes with your drive to see what type of SATA cable it requires.
How To Find Out If Your Drive Has A Cable?
Check the Manual
As with finding out what year a car was made, you can start by looking through the owner’s manual. If the vehicle is old, you may not be able to find the manual online, so you may have to visit a local library or go to a used car dealership to see if they have a copy. You may be able to find the information on the car itself, but it’s important to note that older cars may not have this information on the vehicle.
Check the Trunk
If you don’t find the information in the manual, it’s worth checking the trunk of the car to see if a cable is stowed away. If the car is old, there may be a cassette player that doesn’t have a cable. If there is a cable, you may have to look deeper into the trunk to find it. Look for a metal box that may contain a cord. If you don’t see any metal boxes, don’t be discouraged. They could be covered in dust and need to be cleaned off. Trunks are also a great place to store extra car parts. Check to see if there is a box or bag of parts in the trunk. You may find the drive has a cord in the bag.
Check the Hooks
Cables are sometimes hooked up to the inside of the car. If you notice any hooks on the side of the car or in the back seat, you may have found a cable. You may want to snap a picture with your phone to make sure you know exactly where the hooks are. If you see hooks in the back seat or where a passenger would sit, you may want to look through the pockets to see if there’s a cable. The same goes for the doors and seatbelts.
Check Inside
If you didn’t find a cable in the trunk, check the inside of the car. You may be surprised by what you find. If you are not the original owner, you may want to ask the owner if there is a cable in the car. You may find it in the glove box or even under a seat.
Check Near the Shifting Lever
If you’ve already checked the trunk and the inside of the car and you’re still coming up empty-handed, you may have to check near the shifting lever. In some cars, a cable may be attached to the shift lever. The cable is usually long and wrapped in a rubber casing. You can also find some cables near the gearshift lever. If you see any cables near the shifting levers, make sure they are not attached to something. If they are, you may want to move them to their original spot so that you can find them easier.
What Are The Different Types Of Ssds?
- When shopping for an SSD, you will notice that there are many different types listed on the packaging. You might be wondering why there are so many and which one is best for you.
- The truth is that each type has its own pros and cons and usually, the deciding factor for which drive you should choose is your budget. The three most common types of SSDs are: – A SATA SSD is the most common and least expensive. It uses a standard SATA connection and can be used by almost any computer made in the last 10 years. The only real downside is that they tend to be slower than the other two types listed above.
- A PCI Express SSD (often abbreviated as PCIe) uses a faster connection than SATA and is able to transfer data significantly faster. They are often more expensive than a SATA drive but also more reliable as they don’t use a standard SATA connection.
- A PCI SSD is similar to a PCI Express SSD in that it uses a faster connection than SATA. The difference is that it uses a PCI slot instead of connecting to your motherboard as a PCIe drive does. While PCI drives are faster than SATA drives, they do not have the same capacity as PCIe drives and are usually used for smaller drives such as caching or boot drives.
What Does An Ssd Come With?
- While the quality and features of each specific drive will vary, most SSDs come with a few things. You will usually get the drive itself (obviously) as well as a manual or instructions for installation.
- Additionally, some manufacturers may include a warranty for the drive or even a data transfer cable. Keep in mind though, that not all manufacturers put these things in their packaging.
- If you’re wondering what exactly a data transfer cable is, it is basically a special cable that you can use to transfer data from your computer’s hard drive to the new SSD.
- This is useful if you have a ton of data and do not want to spend hours transferring it manually. Once you have the data on the SSD you can delete the files on the hard drive.
Which Drives Come With Cables?
- Not all drives come with cables, but many do. If you’re shopping for a smaller SSD such as a 128 GB or 256 GB drive, you may have to purchase a SATA cable separately. Larger drives though often come with their own cables. Some examples of drives that come with cables include:
- Samsung 860 EVO SSD – This drive comes with a SATA cable that is 3 feet long. It’s also available in a few different sizes ranging from 250 GB to 5 TB.
- Samsung 860 PRO SSD – This is a PCIe drive and comes with both a SATA and USB cable. It’s available in 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities.
- Samsung 970 EVO SSD – This drive also comes with a SATA and USB cable. It’s available in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities.
- Samsung 970 PRO SSD – This drive also comes with a SATA and USB cable and is available in 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities.
Conclusion
If you’re upgrading to an SSD from a standard HDD, you’ll want to make sure that it comes with SATA cables since the latter doesn’t. Since SSDs don’t come with cables originally, it’s important to double-check what type of SATA cable they require. The type of cable your drive needs will depend on the storage space of your drive. The majority of SSDs come with Sata 3 cables, which are backwards compatible with SATA 2 and SATA 1. If your drive came with a SATA 3 cable, you can use it with any SATA 3 slot.
