SATA vs SATA 2: Difference and Comparison

Today there exist several technological advancements that have made human life altogether much easier and hassle-free. Many inventions have been made that have also been useful to the technology world.

However, different technologies are applied to different areas.

For instance, a certain technology called serial ATA is used to transfer data from various devices in a computer system. This technology, also known as SATA, has several versions that are updated with new functions.

One of its versions is SATA 2.

Key Takeaways

1. SATA has a maximum data transfer rate of 1.5 Gbit/s, while SATA 2 has a maximum transfer rate of 3 Gbit/s.
2. SATA 2 is backwards compatible with SATA devices, but SATA devices cannot be used with SATA 2.
3. SATA 2 provides faster data transfer rates and is more efficient than SATA.

SATA vs SATA 2

SATA was first introduced in 2003 as a replacement for the older IDE interface, which had reached its limits in terms of data transfer speed. SATA 2, also known as SATA 3Gbps, was introduced in 2004 and offered even faster data transfer rates of up to 3 gigabits per second (Gbps).

SATA, or Serial ATA, was launched in the year 2000. Various storage devices like hard drives and optical drives require a source or an interface so that data is transferred to them from various adapters.

SATA is used for this purpose. A communication system in a computer is called bus computing, and SATA is a bus computing interface.

SATA 2 is a revised version of the Serial ATA. It was launched in the year 2004. It was made with several updates that outgrew Serial ATA’s shortcomings.

The transfer rate of the second version of the serial ATA interface is 3.0 gigabits per second. If this transfer rate is converted, then it nearly reaches the speed of 300 Mb per second. 

Comparison Table

Parameters Of Comparison	SATA	SATA 2
Type	Main interface	Revised interface
Released in	2000	2004
Speed	Slower	Faster
Bandwidth	150 Mb per second	300 Mb per second
Generation	First	Second

What is SATA?

SATA or Serial ATA is the interface that is used to send data to various storage devices. It has several revised versions that were released with newer updates and features.

The technical specification of SATA is overseen by the Internal organization of SATA themselves, known as the Serial ATA International Organization and abbreviated as SATA- IO.

The predecessor of SATA is PATA. The main reason why SATA was launched was to outgrow the shortcomings of PATA.

It was known as ATA before SATA was launched. There are several features included in SATA that we’re not present in PATA. Parallel ATA or PATA did not support hot plugging. SATA supports hot plugging.

There are several advantages of using SATA. The increased data transfer rate is one of SATA’s most important advantages over PATA.

Many documents that are larger can be opened faster in Serial ATA. No heat is built up in the cable used in Serial ATA as it is shorter in length, and thus airflow is maintained properly.

The interface that was used before SATA allowed lesser drives, while SATA allowed and supported more drives. Previously, there were two connections that would allow hard drives;

however, SATA allows and supports up to six connections on a computer motherboard.

Many programs load faster because of SATA. It can also give a user a better gaming experience than the previous Parallel ATA interface.

What is SATA 2?

SATA 2 is the revised version of the Serial ATA interface. It is the second generation of the Serial ATA interface, and it comes with even more upgraded and better options than the previous generation’s interface.

It was launched in the year 2004. It is also a product of the Serial ATA International Organization.

The bandwidth of this interface is double the bandwidth of the interface from the previous generation.

The SATA interface had a bandwidth of 150 Mb per second, while the Serial ATA 2 interface had a bandwidth of 300 Mb per second. Hence it is preferably good and provides faster data transfer options.

The Serial ATA 2 interface has specifications that provide backward compatibility when they function on the ports of Serial ATA.

The maximum speed of the storage device where the data is supposed to be transferred is directly proportional to the maximum speed provided by the port.

Hence, even though the Serial ATA interface works with the Serial ATA 2 interface, it will work according to the bandwidth of the Serial ATA and transfer data with that speed.

The speed provided by Serial ATA 2 is faster than the speed provided by Serial ATA. The specifications of SATA 2 are designed in a strict manner by the SATA-IO, but it still provides better features than the previous interfaces.

The SSDs of the interface from the second generation also provide better features, and they have lesser mechanical failure issues.

They come with a wide range of applications in industries like commercial industries and software industries.

Main Differences Between SATA and SATA 2

1. The SATA devices can not operate at the speed of SATA 2 devices. On the other hand, the SATA 2 devices can operate at the speed of SATA devices.
2. The number of ports supported by both interfaces is different. Serial ATA interface can support only one device per port. On the other hand, SATA 2 interface can support up to 15 devices with the help of a port multiplier.
3. The bandwidth provided by SATA is 150 Mb per second. On the other hand, the bandwidth provided by SATA 2 is 300 Mb per second.
4. The Serial ATA interface is the first generation of the series. On the other hand, the SATA 2 interface is the second generation of the series.
5. Serial ATA interface was introduced in the year 2000. On the other hand, the SATA 2 interface was introduced in the year 2004.

References

1. https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/conference-proceedings-of-spie/10697/1069739/Research-and-implementation-of-SATA-protocol-link-layer-based-on/10.1117/12.2315078.short