Usually, there are two kinds of SATA cables: the SATA Data cable and the SATA power cable; both cables are needed to connect storage devices to our systems.
You can only connect one device to one SATA data cable because these cables are designed in a particular manner where you have to connect one end to the motherboard SATA port & another end to the storage drives.
So, the number of storage devices you have and the number of SATA data cables you will need. It is almost impossible to connect multiple drives to one SATA data cable.Â
Now, beginners often need clarification about whether they can connect multiple devices to one SATA power cable or not. These cables usually come with the Power Supply.
Can You Connect Multiple Drives To One SATA Power Cable?
Yes! Connecting multiple drives like hard drives, solid-state drives, and optical drives to one SATA power cable is possible. Modern Power Supplies come with at least two cables. Both cables have 2 or 3 connectors, so you can easily connect 4 to 6 SATA drives inside your PC.Â
If you want to add more SATA Power Cables, then read this article- How To ADD More SATA Power Cables?
Generally, there are three types of power supplies: modular, semi-modular, and fully modular. The fully modular Power Supplies come with all the detachable cables, which include the SATA power cable with 3 to 4 splitters. So you can easily connect multiple drives to these PSUs.
But, the problem occurs when you use an unbranded Modular Power Supply with only 1 or 2 SATA power cables and want to install more than two devices in your system.
So, in a situation like this where you want to install multiple drives to your system but don’t have enough SATA power cables, you can use the SATA Power Splitters cables or Molex to SATA cables if your PSU has Molex connectors left.
Is It Safe To Connect Multiple Drives To 1 SATA Power Cable?
Yes! It is 100% safe to connect multiple drives (Hard Drives, SSDs) to 1 SATA power cable. But you have to check whether your PSU is capable enough to supply the required power to the multiple drives or not.
Although it is safe to use SATA power splitters, still, you have to do it carefully because SATA power splitters are located very close to each other. So, if you install your drives very far from one another, then too much pressure will be put on the cable.
Moreover, most of these SATA power splitter cables don’t have a lock like SATA data cables, and if too much pressure puts on these cables, the cable may get out from the port.Â
How Many Devices To One SATA Power Cable?
You can easily connect 3 to 4 devices to one SATA power cable, but there is no particular number; it depends on many factors, such as how many motherboard SATA ports you have, how many SATA cables come with your Power Supply, and how many Molex connectors you have.
Let’s dive deeper into this-
Standard motherboards come with SATA ports between 4 to 8, and most of the standard PSUs come with 4 to 6 SATA power cables & at least 2 Molex cables. So, you can connect the 4 to 6 drives to the SATA power cable comfortably & if you want to connect more than six drives, then you can use Molex to SATA connector.
Different Power Supplies come with varying numbers of SATA power cables; read this entire article to know How Many SATA Power cables can a Power Supply have?
Another thing you have to ensure when installing too many drives is that your Power Supply should be sufficient enough to supply the required power to all these drives.
How To Connect Multiple Device To One SATA Power Cable?
Connecting multiple devices to one SATA power cable is relatively easy if the Power Supply has sufficient power cables. Still, the problem arrives when there is a need for more SATA power cables.
In such a situation, there are two ways to tackle this problem, and both methods are explained below-
1. Use SATA Splitter Cables
If you don’t have enough SATA power cables, SATA splitter cables may be the best solution.
These SATA splitter cables are cheap, and you can buy the RGEEK SATA Power Splitter Cable from Amazon.
Most SATA power splitter cables have 4 to 5 splitters. So, plug one end of the splitter cable into the PSU power and connect multiple devices according to your need.
2. Use Molex To SATA Cables
If the SATA splitters cables are not enough for you or you don’t want to use splitter cables, then you can use Molex to SATA connectors. These are also available at a very cheap cost. You can buy Cable Matters 3-pack Molex To SATA adapters from Amazon.
After purchasing the Molex to SATA cable, attach this male-to-female Molex connector with your power supply Molex, and on the other end, you can plug devices according to your needs.
How Many SATA Power Splitters Can You Use?
You can use multiple SATA power splitter cables & connect multiple drives to it as long as your Power Supply is capable enough to supply the necessary power to these multiple devices.Â
Generally, modern power supplies come with 3 to 4 power cables which would allow you to install 3 to 4 devices, but if you want to install more, then you can do that by putting in extra SATA power splitters cables. Besides the SATA power splitters, Molex connectors are also available.
SSD & HDD on Same SATA Power Cable: Is it Bad?
No! It is not bad; you can use one particular SATA power cable to connect the SSD and hard drive simultaneously, but nothing wrong with it.Â
Not just SSDs and hard drives, you can connect other devices like blue ray drives on the same SATA power cable. But motherboards usually come with 2 SATA cables, and if you want to install more than 2 drives, you have to buy the SATA cables separately. This article will explain why you have to buy SATA cables separately.
Final Verdict
At the end of this article, I want to summarize everything for you that you can’t install multiple drives to one SATA data cable. Still, it is possible to connect multiple devices with one SATA power cable by using SATA power splitters cables or Molex to SATA cables.
I hope this article is helpful for you, and if you want to know more about SATA cables, other PC cables, and different PC parts, keep following this blog regularly.
Hi, I have NAND SSD 256GB of 10 Quantity. I want to combine all of the drives into a single PC. Can you please suggest to me the best option?
If you want to combine all 10 SSDs into a single PC, then you need to expand the number of SATA ports on your motherboard. There are a couple of ways in which you can increase the number of SATA ports on your system, but the most recommended method is (using a PCIe to SATA adapter card).
Count how many SATA ports your motherboard has (suppose your motherboard has 4 SATA ports), then buy a PCIe to SATA slot expansion card (with a maximum of 6 SATA slots) and use it.
This way, you can easily increase the number of SATA ports and install 10 SSDs on your PC. There are a couple of factors that you have to check when buying this type of expansion card, such as (PCIe Connector Size, the amount of PCIe lanes it occupies, and the PCIe version of the expansion card).
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I have a question! Currently I have two SSDs connected to the same sata power cable that’s connected to my PSU. There are two other connectors not being used. Can I connect a fun hub to this as well and not have any issues? Or should I buy an extra sata power cable and plug into the other sata port on my semi modular psu?
Yes, you can connect the fan hub without having any issues. Don’t buy any random SATA power cables and install them on your modular or semi-modular PSU because these cables are standardized on the device side but not standardized on the Power Supply side. Installing the wrong SATA power cable in your PSU can damage your SSD or Power Supply.
If you want, then instead of buying a SATA power cable, you can buy different adapters available in the market, like (SATA power splitter adapters) or Molex to SATA adapters.
If you have any other questions, then visit our Contact Us page and mail us, and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
I have a sata cable that already has two ssds connected. There’s two connectors still free. Can I use those to plug in this fan hub? The fan hub will have 3 rob fans connected to that.
Yes, you can use the remaining two unused SATA connectors that already have two SSDs connected to plug in the fan hub with the 3 RGB fans.
Research suggests that RGB fans typically have a power consumption ranging from 1.2 to 3.6 watts. Assuming your fans use the maximum amount of power, the three fans combined would consume around 10.8 watts. However, this should not be an issue as a standard SATA power cable can deliver up to 54 watts of power, providing more than enough power for the fans.