SATA vs SAS As Fast As Possible
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SATA is the dominant interface for hard drives these days, but could SAS be a powerful alternative for your setup, or is it just too impractical? Squarespace link: Visit squarespace.com and use offer code LINUS to save 10% off your first order. Follow: twitter.com Join the community: linustechtips.com
SATA versus SAS is framed as a practical comparison aimed at everyday users who may be confused by the different drive interfaces. The video starts by recounting how hard drive setup used to involve jumper cables and master-slave configurations, contrasting that with the current plug-and-play nature of SATA. It then introduces SAS as a higher performance option, explaining that Serial Attached SCSI offers faster bus speeds, with SAS revision 3 supporting up to 12 Gbit/s and full duplex operation, unlike SATA which is primarily single-direction at a time. The host discusses why SAS is typically found in servers rather than consumer desktops, highlighting reliability, higher throughput, and the ability to connect multiple drives under one controller. Despite these advantages, the presenter notes the cost-per-gigabyte is usually higher for SAS, and for most home users the perceived real-world benefits on gaming or typical workloads are minimal. The segment concludes with a realistic takeaway: unless you are running a home database server or a high-demand workload, SAS is unlikely to provide noticeable gains for a standard gaming or media PC, making SATA the more sensible choice for most buyers.
Topics · Technology · ComputerHardware · StorageTechnology · DataStorage · Servers · Tutorials
Questions answered
- What does SAS stand for and how does it differ from SATA?
- SAS stands for Serial Attached SCSI, and it differs from SATA in being a full duplex, higher-throughput interface with a more scalable topology that supports multiple drives and hosts. SATA is generally single-direction at a time with simpler command sets, while SAS uses the SCSI command set and higher bus speeds, making it more suitable for servers and multi-drive configurations.
- Is SAS worth it for a typical home gaming PC?
- For most home gaming PCs, SAS is not worth the extra cost because the real-world gaming gains are minimal. SAS shines in server environments with many users and high concurrency, whereas SATA provides ample performance for consumer workloads at a lower cost.