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The traditional parallel ATA specification has defined the standard storage interface for PCs with its original
speed of just 3 Mbytes/second since the protocol was introduced in the 1980s. And the latest generation of the
interface, Ultra ATA-133, has been developed further with a burst data transfer rate of 133 Mbytes/second.
However, while ATA has enjoyed an illustrious track record, the specification is now showing its age and
imposes some serious design issues on today's developers, including a 5-volt signaling requirement, high pin count, and serious cabling
headaches.
The Serial ATA specification is designed to overcome these design limitations while enabling the storage interface to scale with the growing
media rate demands of PC platforms. Serial ATA is to replace parallel ATA with the compatibility with existing operating systems and drivers,
adding performance headroom for years to come. It reduces voltage and pins count requirements and can be implemented with thin and
easy to route cables.
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SATA port 2
Serial ATA Port 1
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