What is the Difference between ATA and SATA?

Most computers still rely on the venerable IDE technology in the hard drive department. IDE is an Acronym for Integrated Drive Electronics and is also known by the term ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment). IDE is commonly used to refer to a particular type of hard drive connection, technically called PATA.

IDE - ATA Hard Drives

While all modern hard drives are IDE – ATA hard drives, not all are PATA or SATA. According to Scott Mueller of Mueller Technical Research, IDE “originated from the marketing departments of some drive manufacturers to describe the drive controller combination used in drives with the ATA interface.” ATA originated in 1984 as combining the controller and hard drive for a direct connection to the older IBM AT (Advanced Technology) computer bus.

PATA - Parallel ATA Hard Drives

PATA is a 16-bit parallel interface transmitting 16 bits of data simultaneously down one interface cable. This interface uses a 40-pin ribbon (44-pin on portable PATA drives) cable to connect the drive to the computer system. The PATA interface can handle up to two drives on a single cable, using jumpers to determine the position of each hard drive.

SATA - Serial ATA Hard Drives

SATA was officially introduced in 2000 and began adoption in computer systems in 2003. Serial ATA (SATA) sends a single bit of data down the interface cable at a time. This allows for smaller lines to be used and higher cycling speeds because there is no sync required.
The physical interface is entirely different from PATA while being compatible at the software level with the ATA standard. Serial ATA 600 cables contain seven pins, allowing for much thinner cables that enable easier routing inside the computer case. Each cable supports only a single storage device, stopping the need for jumpers to configure the hard drive position.

Similarities

ATA and IDE both represent the same type of hard drive – one containing an integrated controller on the same drive. As such, both PATA and SATA hard drives are ATA (or IDE) drives.
SATA and PATA hard drives are software compatible with each other. This means that BIOS, operating systems, and utility programs that can work with only one interface can work with each other at the software level.

IDE vs SATA (ATA vs SATA)

PATA (commonly called IDE) hard drives transfer data down a parallel 40-pin cable. Two PATA hard drives are supported per cable, and use jumpers to determine location. A standard 4-pin peripheral power connector powers PATA drives.
SATA hard drives use a serial method of data transfer, sending data one bit at a time down the 7-pin connecting cable. One SATA drive is supported per cable, so jumpers are unnecessary. A 15-pin SATA power cable powers SATA drives.