- 1). Compare the different cable types used for SATA and IDE drives. Older IDE-based drives utilize a wide ribbon cable that features 40-pin connections while SATA drives use a more compact seven-pin arrangement. The smaller cable requirement for SATA-based drives allows for less clutter within the computer’s chassis, but can only support one drive per cable; IDE cables can support up to two drives per cable.
- 2). Examine the number of IDE connections compared to SATA connections available on motherboards produced today. Because of the smaller footprint required for SATA connections, there are typically more SATA motherboard connections available than IDE. In order to configure IDE drives, you must set special jumpers located on the back of the drive to designate whether or not it is in a master/slave cable arrangement.
- 3). Compare the data transfer rate capabilities of IDE (PATA) to SATA drive interfaces. The maximum data transfer speed for an IDE drive is 133 megabytes per second, while SATA has a maximum of 150 megabytes per second (new SATA II interfaces are capable of 300 megabytes per second). The higher transfer rate of newer SATA technology will allow your computer to access information more quickly than older IDE technology.
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