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SATA revision 3.0 spec doubles transfer rate to 6Gbps

18 August 2008 22:28 by James "Dela" Delahunty | 11 comments

The Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) today released to its members the physical layer (PHY) portion for its third generation storage interface, which will be defined in the upcoming SATA Revision 3.0 specification. The new specification for the popular Serial ATA storage interface will double the maximum transfer speed from three to six gigabits per second (Gbps).

Developers can now begin designing products based on SATA 6Gbps technology as work continues on the SATA Revision 3.0 specification, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2008. Various SATA-IO work groups are engaged in the process of readying new features for incorporation in the final version of the SATA Revision 3.0 specification. These features will include advances for data streaming and better power management.

The new specification will maintain the low cost and low power for which the popular storage interface is acclaimed. In addition, backward compatibility with earlier SATA implementations will be maintained by keeping the existing SATA connector configuration, preserving its inherent cost-conscious design while minimizing changes to existing implementations and infrastructures. The same cables and connectors used for current SATA implementations can be used to connect SATA 6Gbps devices, although SATA-IO recommends utilizing quality components to ensure data integrity and robust operation at the fast 6Gbps transfer rate.

"Fast transfer rates, low cost and efficient protocol have made SATA the mainstream storage interface of choice," said Knut Grimsrud, SATA-IO president. "By doubling transfer speeds while maintaining backward compatibility, the new specification will make Serial ATA an even more attractive solution for consumers and businesses alike."

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susieqbbb (Member) 19 August 2008 6:05
Problem.. All though serial ATA has it's advantages one of it's disadvantages is that if you computer came with a serial ATA card built into your motherboard like most hp dell and compaq computers do you cannot upgrade to the latest revisions of Serial ATA which makes you a loser in the long run they really need to make a Serial ATA card that is upgradable by a firmware update so users can take advantage of the new technology making it cheaper for users. [ + quote]
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 19 August 2008 8:03
thats what PCI-PCI-e cards are for but......are HDDs themselfs keeping up with the new interface speeds? when will see a jump from spinning mag drives to something more like Flash cards? [ + quote]
emugamer (Member) 19 August 2008 9:13
I don't see a problem necesarily. If the transfer speed is increased and the cost is relatively the same and it's backwards compatible with all older connections, what do you lose? I would start buying them knowing that if and when I do upgrade my mobo, I will have higher transfer speeds. Or maybe buy a cheap PCI-e card. [ + quote]
ket0la (Inactive) 19 August 2008 10:52
*Originally posted by susieqbbb:* Problem.. All though serial ATA has it's advantages one of it's disadvantages is that if you computer came with a serial ATA card built into your motherboard like most hp dell and compaq computers do you cannot upgrade to the latest revisions of Serial ATA which makes you a loser in the long run they really need to make a Serial ATA card that is upgradable by a firmware update so users can take advantage of the new technology making it cheaper for users. Most HP systems are upgradeable via a FW update. Go look at their website. You can find the FW under the "software and driver downloads" area of the site. Most of their embedded SATA controllers suck anyways, hardly any functionality what so ever. anyways.. They don't even have any drives out right now that can read and write at those speeds, that I know of. Also, SAS has already been doing this for months now. I believe LSI has a controller that can handle all this I/O. [ + quote]
bobiroc (Member) 20 August 2008 0:31
*Quote:* *Originally posted by susieqbbb:* Problem.. All though serial ATA has it's advantages one of it's disadvantages is that if you computer came with a serial ATA card built into your motherboard like most hp dell and compaq computers do you cannot upgrade to the latest revisions of Serial ATA which makes you a loser in the long run they really need to make a Serial ATA card that is upgradable by a firmware update so users can take advantage of the new technology making it cheaper for users. Most HP systems are upgradeable via a FW update. Go look at their website. You can find the FW under the "software and driver downloads" area of the site. Most of their embedded SATA controllers suck anyways, hardly any functionality what so ever. anyways.. They don't even have any drives out right now that can read and write at those speeds, that I know of. Also, SAS has already been doing this for months now. I believe LSI has a controller that can handle all this I/O. Not to mention a firmware upgrade won't do diddly if it is a physical limitation of the interface onboard. Firmware upgrades can help but if the components of the interface are not made to work with that spec then what do you expect from a firmware flash. I mean USB 1.1 and 2.0 (and eventually 3.0) all have the same port type but you cannot flash that to go faster because the hardware is different. [ + quote]
rvinkebob (Member) 20 August 2008 4:00
*Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* "when will see a jump from spinning mag drives to something more like Flash cards?" It's slow but it's happening. The new SSD's (Solid State Drives/flash based HDD) are slowly becoming more widely accessible. The problem is that they're way too expensive. $1000 for a 64GB SSD is the cheapest where I live. Anyway, it's a good thing I'm still waiting until next summer to upgrade my whole computer. I'm expecting PCI-e 3.0, USB 3.0, and SATA 3.0 to all be standards in mobo's by next summer. By then it'll have been 5 years since I last upgraded, and damn will it feel fresh! [ + quote]
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 20 August 2008 5:30
*Quote:* *Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* "when will see a jump from spinning mag drives to something more like Flash cards?" It's slow but it's happening. The new SSD's (Solid State Drives/flash based HDD) are slowly becoming more widely accessible. The problem is that they're way too expensive. $1000 for a 64GB SSD is the cheapest where I live. Anyway, it's a good thing I'm still waiting until next summer to upgrade my whole computer. I'm expecting PCI-e 3.0, USB 3.0, and SATA 3.0 to all be standards in mobo's by next summer. By then it'll have been 5 years since I last upgraded, and damn will it feel fresh! "flash" are as low as 350, so you are looking at 5-6$ a GB currently, still far from 150$ for 750GB, just looked up SSD...20ish$ a GB...ouchy! [ + quote]
Mr-Movies (Member) 23 August 2008 8:22
*Quote:* *Quote:* *Originally posted by ZippyDSM:* "when will see a jump from spinning mag drives to something more like Flash cards?" It's slow but it's happening. The new SSD's (Solid State Drives/flash based HDD) are slowly becoming more widely accessible. The problem is that they're way too expensive. $1000 for a 64GB SSD is the cheapest where I live. Anyway, it's a good thing I'm still waiting until next summer to upgrade my whole computer. I'm expecting PCI-e 3.0, USB 3.0, and SATA 3.0 to all be standards in mobo's by next summer. By then it'll have been 5 years since I last upgraded, and damn will it feel fresh! "flash" are as low as 350, so you are looking at 5-6$ a GB currently, still far from 150$ for 750GB, just looked up SSD...20ish$ a GB...ouchy! Sorry but they are way too slow 100MB/s read and 80MB/s write for SSD and Zippy's flash card is even worst. Once they come up with the perfect super conductor that operates at room temps then we will see some progress. Don't hold your breat but they are working on it. http://www.samsung.com/global/business/s...rview_chart.gif Love to see the new spec is getting finalized I suppose SAS is close too, great news for servers. [ + quote] This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 23 August 2008 8:26
ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 23 August 2008 10:24
Mr-Movies They are also insanely small GB wise compared to a HDD, both will have to triple twice and halve in price twice before it becomes something worth while as a HDD replacement. [ + quote]
FreqNasty (Newbie) 24 August 2008 6:25
what device is currently utilizing all of sata 2's bandwidth? Nothing i don't think. [ + quote]
Mez (Senior Member) 25 August 2008 10:27
FreqNasty, many of my computer's tasks are hard disk bound. My HDs are not as fast as the theroritical max but then they never are. I do suspect doubling the max speed will double the actual speeds of disks you buy. Just because the disks use the same cables does not mean you will be able to run these disks on an older system by upgrading the BIOS. That would be nice since I just upgraded my system (mobo ect) but I am not that lucky. [ + quote]