What is SATA 6Gb/s?
As of 2009, SATA 6Gb/s is the newest generation architecture for platter-based hard drives. The "6Gb/s" refers to the data transfer rate of 6 gigabits per second, twice the speed of the previous generation SATA. The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) that designs SATA standards has requested that this third-generation SATA be referred to as SATA 6Gb/s to avoid adding potential confusion to SATA nomenclature already bumbled by confusing second-generation names. SATA technology changed the landscape of hard drive technology by switching from wide, inconvenient parallel ATA (PATA) data cables and connectors, to narrow serial cables and connectors. The switch to full duplex serial communication opened the door to faster speeds than parallel technology could handle, and also opened up the interior of computer cases allowing for greater air flow, vital toFASTER COMPUTER processor units (CPUs) and higher capacity disk drives. Original SATA, also known as S