SATA III Internal Interface Card for PCI Express x1

What You Need to Know About PCI-E x1 SATA III Internal Interface Cards

Adding a SATA III controller card to a computer can be necessary to increase the number of hard drives than the motherboard supports or to upgrade a computer that has a SATA II motherboard. You may be installing a solid-state drive and want to maximize its throughput or you may be setting up a RAID storage system. These SATA cards are designed to fit any computer with a PCI Express slot.

These interface cards are used to add SATA version 3.0 connector ports to your computer. SATA ports provide high-speed data connections. The SATA 1.0 has a throughput of 1.5Gbps, SATA 2.0 can transfer 3Gbps, and SATA 3.0 can move up to 6Gbps. Each of these versions of SATA is compatible, meaning that a SATA 3.0 device can be connected to a SATA 2.0 connector, but its transfer speed will be reduced to the connector's throughput.

PCI Express is a type of high-speed bus interface used to install expansion cards on most PCs. They can be used to add a variety of different devices, such as network controller cards, graphics cards, or wireless adapters, to name a few. PCI Express expansion slots come in several different sizes, described regarding the number of lanes they support (x1, x2, x4, x8, x16, and x32). An expansion card that uses fewer lanes than a PCI slot can be plugged into it, but a smaller slot won't be large enough for it to fit.

Familiarize yourself with your computer's internal components and the safe handling of bare circuit boards and follow these steps:

• Unplug your computer and open its case so you can access the interior. Set the computer on a static-safe work surface.
• Locate a suitable PCI-E expansion slot. Many motherboards will have a couple x1 slots to use. If not, you can use any free slot that's convenient for an x1 interface card. Remove the metal cover on the back of the computer case behind the slot you've chosen.
• Take care to handle the interface card by its edges and line it up with the PCI-E slot, so the metal cover on the board fits into the computer case's open slot.
• Firmly push the card into the slot until its fully seated and flush. Secure its metal cover to the computer case.
• You're ready to connect a device to your SATA ports.