When assembling PC parts, have you ever had doubts about connecting power cables to internal devices? Whether an 8-pin or a SATA cable, inserting these cables from the PSU (Power Supply Unit) to the wrong header or ports can have serious consequences.
One specific component users have issues connecting with is the SATA power cable. If inserted incorrectly, you may even damage the devices.
So, to avert any disaster, we have brought you this article to help you connect the SATA power cable correctly.
Types of Power Connector
Depending on the PSU you use, you will either have a Molex or SATA power connector. Newer and fully modular PSU are generally equipped with SATA, whereas the Molex is an older technology and hence not manufactured in modern PSU.
Molex Power Connector
The Molex power cable has four cables and 4-pins on its end. It supplies 12V and 5V through yellow and red cable, respectively. The other two black cables are ground.
If your power supply uses a Molex power connector, you will need a Molex to SATA converter to connect it with SATA power port device.
SATA power connector 15-pins which can supply 3.3V, 5V or 12V power source. It also provides reduced impedance compared to Molex which in turn provides better ground for the system.
How to Connect a SATA Power Cable
Connecting PC parts can be just as simple as assembling lego pieces. So, you need to locate each cable for that specific port. On the other hand, some ports can look similar, and amateurPC builderscan accidentally insert them somewhere they are not supposed to. This can sometimes cause your device to short circuit.
Therefore, please read the instructions mentioned below very carefully before performing them to avoid this crisis.
Locate SATA Power Cable
To locate the SATA power cable, first, we need to see what the SATA port looks like. Analyzing the SATA port, we can easily determine what the SATA cable looks like.
SATA port is an L-shaped port located on most of your storage devices. However, you may see two SATA ports on the device. One is the SATA data port (to data transfer), and the other is the SATA Power port (for power supply).
