What is the most common cable used today for connecting a hard drive to the motherboard?

Answer 1

There are different interfaces of which hard drives can be connected to the motherboard of computers.

ATA- More commonly ATA-133, the newest version not compatible with ATA-100(phased out) Typically this setup uses a Ribbon cable, however there are "Round" cables that have been made to reduce the turbulence and promote airflow inside the cases. These drives typically do not spin faster than 7,200 RPMS.

SATA- Serial ATA, uses a thin small cable, typically red. This is the first version, and finding hardware that SATA I is difficult. these drives typicall do not spin faster than 7,200 RPMS

SATA II - AKA SATA 3.0 GB, Uses an identical cable, but transfers data much more quickly. Most hard drives and computer accessories that use SATA are SATA II. Typically SATA II is backwards compatible with SATA I. These drives are currently capable of spinning to a maximum of 10,000 RPMS

SATA III - AKA SATA 6GB/s, use a similar cable but transfers data at twice the rate of SATA II and four times the rate of SATA (first version). SATA III is also backwards compatible. In order to take full advantage of the SATA III technology it is necessary to have a SATA III motherboard, cable and HDD.

SCSI- Pronounced "SKUZZY" a high speed interface typically only used on High end workstations and servers. Has high bandwidth and uses ribbon cables similar in look to ATA, but has more pins and a different connector. Older versions for SCSI required "terminators" on the empty connectors however they are becomming less prevalent and are typically not used on the current SCSI 320 Format. These drives are typically the most expensive and rotate the fastest typically 15,000 RPM's

Answer 2

Sata