Which SATA power should you use?

You’re installing a SATA drive into a computer, and you notice that the drive contains two different power connectors. One of the power connectors is the traditional four-pin “Molex” power connection, and the other is the newer SATA power interface. Which one of these power connections should be used for your hard drive installation?

A) Both of the power connectors are required

B) The “Molex” power interface should be used

C) The new SATA power interface should be used

D) Either power source will operate equally well

The answer: D) Either power source will operate equally well

Not all SATA drives include both power interfaces, but it’s useful if you’re installing a new SATA drive into an older system that doesn’t include the newer SATA power interface on the computer’s power supply. If you have a SATA drive that doesn’t have a traditional “Molex” connector, you can get some inexpensive converters that will provide a SATA power interface from the older four-pin connector.

The incorrect answers:

A) Both of the power connectors are required
You only need one SATA power interface, so don’t double-up on your power!

B) The “Molex” power interface should be used
C) The new SATA power interface should be used
Either will work just as well as the other, and there are no discernable advantages or disadvantages between the two.

Want to know more? Watch “SATA Drive Technology.” Serial ATA is the latest standard in high-speed hard drive storage, and it’s used in both large enterprise networks and consumer laptops and desktops. In this video, we’ll show you how SATA cables and configuration options are different than other available storage formats.