Are SATA 1, 2 and 3 cables interchangeable?

Question

I've got an older SATA drive (not sure if it's SATA 1 or 2). Same size plug as my new SATA 3 M/B.

Are the cables interchangeable? Any decrease in performance from using a "lower" cable?

score 16 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 25 '13 at 18:11

Normally nothing has changed between the cables between SATA I,II and III. From the official SATA-IO document:

The same cables and connectors used for current SATA implementations can be used to connect SATA 6Gb/s devices. SATA-IO recommends utilizing quality components to ensure data integrity and robust operation at the fast 6Gb/s transfer rate. Cables already at the threshold of 3Gb/s operating margins may experience lower performance than expected at 6Gb/s due to an increased number of resends.

You can have a look at some benchmarks here.

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 25 '13 at 18:10

7

Yep. They're interchangeable. All SATA is backward (and forward) compatible.

answered Jun 25 '13 at 18:10

ewwhite

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Are SATA 1, 2 and 3 cables interchangeable?

2 Answers2