Table of Contents
Advertisement
A
X
4
C
-
G
/
A
X
4
C
A
X
4
C
-
G
/
A
X
4
C
S
e
r
i
a
l
A
T
A
S
u
p
p
S
e
r
i
a
l
A
T
A
S
u
p
p
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.
P
r
o
/
A
X
4
C
M
a
x
P
r
o
/
A
X
4
C
M
a
x
o
r
t
e
d
(
w
i
t
h
R
A
I
D
o
r
t
e
d
(
w
i
t
h
R
A
I
D
f
u
n
c
t
i
o
n
)
f
u
n
c
t
i
o
n
)
Serial ATA Ports
42
O
n
l
i
n
e
M
a
n
u
a
l
O
n
l
i
n
e
M
a
n
u
a
l
SATA 4 port (PDC20378)
SATA 3 port (PDC20378)
SATA 2 port1 (ICH5, ICH5R)
SATA 1 port0 (ICH5, ICH5R)
Advertisement
Table of Contents
