Do Motherboards Come With Sata Cables?

When you are buying a new motherboard, you would perhaps be looking for several parameters in terms of choosing the best motherboard and the accessories that it comes with. Are you wondering what sort of parts you would get with the motherboard? Are you looking to find out if motherboards come with SATA cables? Let us answer these questions about SATA cables and other accessories with the motherboard. 

Motherboards come with SATA cables. Under normal circumstances, you would find a motherboard that comes with 2 to 3 SATA cables. That is something that would relax you. Those should be enough to connect primary HDDs and SSDs. However, some motherboards do not come with SATA cables. The answer to the question of do motherboards come with SATA cables can differ from one service brand to another. In any case, most motherboards come equipped with 2 to 3 SATA cables. 

What Are SATA Cables, and What Are They Used For?

SATA cables are generally used for connecting the different PC components and peripherals to the motherboard. The SATA cables find usage in connecting optical drives, hard drives, and SSDs to a motherboard. They are also used in some high-definition audio applications.

SATA cables can be available in two sizes and lengths – Standard and Extended. The Standard SATA cables are one meter long and provide you with data transfer capacities and speeds of 600 MB per second. The Extended SATA cables are 2 meters long and have been known for data transfer speeds of up to 1200 MB per second. 

It is essential to check if the SATA cable that you choose is compatible with the device or component that you are connecting. For instance, an SSD needs a SATA cable with SSD-specific properties. If something needs to be fixed with your selection, you will end up with a few unwanted issues. 

What Kind Of Cables Do You Need for Your PC?

Along with SATA cables, you would also need a few other kinds of cables. It would be advisable to know in detail about the different types of cables that a motherboard needs. 

CPU Power Cable 

The Power Cable is also known as a 4+4 pin EPS connector or the 8-pin ATX connector. The name should indicate that it connects the CPU to the power source. It is identified by the thick black constriction that comes from your power supply. 

Motherboard Power cable 

The motherboard power cable is used for connecting the motherboard to the power source. It is generally found to have a 24-pin construction. The cable comes with your power supply unit. 

PCIe Power Cables

The PCIe Power cables are utilized for providing power to your PCIe devices that include the GPU and other PC components. The power cables are available with three constructions, including six pins, eight pins, and 12 pins. You should ideally find these power cables with your power supply unit. 

SATA Power Cables

The SATA Power cables are used for powering the SATA drives. These are generally used for driving or powering  SATA hard disks, SATA SSDs, and SATA optical drives. Once again, they are part of your Power Supply Unit.

Video Output cables

These cables and their functionality should be quite obvious. You would need them to connect your PC to your monitor or any other video display unit. There are multiple types of video output cables, and a few of them include HDMI, DVI-D, VGA, DisplayPort, and Thunderbolt 3 cables.

Front Panel Jumper Cables

These cables are required to connect the jumper cable to the motherboard front panel header. They are used to power on the computer system, restart it, shut it down, and work with the LED lights. These cables come with a PC case. 

Ethernet cables 

The ethernet cables are used for connecting the motherboard to the internet using the Ethernet connection. Every motherboard comes equipped with an ethernet port; the cable will not accompany it. 

Do You Need to Buy Extra Cables for Your Computer?

Based on your individual needs, your motherboard comes with a need for buying extra cables. That would ideally be dependent on your individual needs, a typical motherboard comes with a maximum of two SATA cables even when it may have four or six SATA ports. 

You may either need to go with more SATA data cables or more SATA power cables. If you have added more than two SATA drives, you will need to buy more SATA data cable connections for your computer system. Each of the extra SATA drives would need an extra power connector. You do not need to buy separate SATA Power cables. It is a good idea to use a power cable splitter for turning a single SATA power connector into multiple power connections. 

Based on the type and model of the graphics card that you have installed, you will need to buy more PCIe power cables. This can be the case if you have multiple GPUs installed on your system. 

What Would You Get With the Motherboard Package?

A motherboard comes with more than just a motherboard. The content of the package that comes with your motherboard depends on the price of the motherboard. 

The contents of the motherboard package can include 

The motherboard itself 

This is the obvious part of the package. It can also come with a static bag for testing. This is used for testing the motherboard outside the case. 

The I/O shield 

The shield is used as the cover for the I/O ports when you are installing the motherboard on your PC. It is a  thin metallic plate that comes with almost all motherboard packages. Almost all motherboard packages contain this. 

SATA Data cables 

The motherboard package may come with a few SATA data cables. In most of cases, you would find the motherboard package offering you up to two SATA data cables. 

An SLI or Crossfire Bridge

This is used for bridging the dual graphics cards. It is used for enabling the NVIDIA SLI or AMD Crossfire graphics cards. 

WiFi antennas 

If your motherboard comes with the built-in WiFi modem, the package comes with the WiFi antennas. Most of the motherboard packages these days offer you this functionality. 

Types of SATA Cables That Can Come With Your Motherboard

 The motherboard package generally comes with multiple types of SATA cables. Each of them serves different purposes. 

Straight SATA cables

These SATA cables should be obvious and provide you with the straight connectors. These typically plug without hassles into the motherboard and hard drive slots. 

Angled SATA cables 

These SATA cables come with either an left or right-angled connectors. The functionality of the angled cables remains the same as straight connectors, but the connectors are bent to accommodate the different computer builds and their custom connections. It is also possible to have a combination of left or right connectors or straight connectors. 

SATA 1 / SATA 2 / SATA 3 Cables

These refer to the different versions of the SATA cables. The SATA 3 is the latest version and has become the industry standard for most of the PC builds. These versions are also known as 1.5Gb/s, SATA 3Gb/s, and SATA 6Gb/s cables

SATA Power Cables

These SATA cables are not part of the motherboard but form part of the Power Supply Unit. These are used for connecting your drives to the power supply. 

Are all SATA cables the same?

All the SATA cables are similar in terms of category or functionality. The difference between the multiple SATA cables and their versions can be well understood here below:

The Parting Thoughts

If your motherboard comes with SATA cables, you will find that the motherboard generally comes with two SATA cables in most cases. However, some motherboards may not come with a SATA cable. In fact, the availability of a SATA cable on the motherboard would be based on the price package opted for by you. 

If you have to buy a separate SATA cable for the motherboard, make sure that the cable you bought is compatible with your motherboard. As the SATA cables can vary very significantly, it is quite essential to ensure that your SATA cable suits your motherboard really well.