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Anonymous
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Asked: 2020-01-18T21:10:30+00:00 In:

What is the difference between SATA and SAS?

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In layman terms, SAS and SATA both are the standards used to describe hard disks. Both have different connectors, size, and speed, which separate them from each other. In other words, both are the connectors that are used to connect hard drives or media drives to the motherboard.

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    1. Gadgets Radar
      Level 4
      This answer was edited.

      Differences between SATA and SAS

      SATA

      • SATA, which is also known as Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment).
      • SATA based hard drives focus on the storage space rather than the speed of the data transfer, which is why it has a large storage space.
      • It is inexpensive as compared to SAS based hard drives.
      • It is less suitable to use in servers, due to low speed compared to SAS, but it is used efficiently in personal computers as there are no strict requirements for speed.
      • The data transfer speed of SATA is up to 6 GB/s.
      • In SATA drives the power and data has separate connections with the board.
      • It may fail after a long time period of continuous usage.
      • The throughput of the SATA based drives is less than SAS.
      • STATA drivers are commonly used in personal computers

      SAS

      • SAS is also known as Serial Attached SCSI (Small Computer System Interface).
      • SAS is mainly focused towards the speed of the data transfer rather than storage space.
      • It has a higher mean time between failures (MTBF) compared to SATA based hard drives.
      • It uses longer cables with higher rpm (revolution per minute) than SATA. It is expensive, due to the speed and throughput it provides to its consumers.
      • It also uses more power than SATA for operation. It is mostly used in servers and enterprises, due to its speed.
      • Data transfer rate is 6 GB/s, but it is generally higher than SATA.
      • The power and data are merged into one connection with the board.
      • It can be used 24/7, with speed, which is quite higher than SATA.
      • The throughput of SAS based hard drives is higher than SATA.
      • SAS drives are mainly used in large servers.
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    3. Jamil Khattak
      Level 1
      This answer was edited.

      The below table shows the cross-comparison between SAS and SATA.

      Contents SATA SAS
      Acronym Serial ATA or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment Serial Attached Small Computer System Interface or
      Advantages Inexpensive, large storage capacity, use less power to operate Fast data transfer, 1.6 million lifetime hour use at 45 celsius 24/7
      Disadvantages Less lifetime hour, slower, less suited for servers Expensive, less storage capacity use more power to operate
      Speed 6 Gb/s data transfer rate 6 Gb/s data transfer but faster than SATA
      Data Cable It is a meter long and has two connection points power and for data Can be 3-meter long power and data fuse into one connection
      Uses Personal computers and storages Servers and enterprise level
      Speed Over Capacity Prioritised based on capacity Prioritised based on speed
      Reliability 1.2 million hours can fail after a long period of use 1.2 to 1.6 millions of hours and can be used 24/7
      Price The SATA is about 10% cheaper at $87 SAS drives go for about $100
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