What is a SATA hard disk drive?

A Serial Advance Technology Attachment drive, or SATA drive, is a kind of computer drive that uses a high-speed serial cable to communicate with its host. The SATA interface is an evolution, and eventual replacement, of the parallel ATA or PATA interface.

Some of the most remarkable advantages of SATA technology over its older predecessor are: reduced cable bulk, longer cables, capability of having more hard drives connected at the same time and increased data transfer speed, which is the most significant advantage. PATA hard drives support data transfer speeds of 66/100/133 MB/second, while SATA hard drives are capable of speeds of 150/300/600 MB/second.