Difference Between Sata and Sata Express

[Neil Crowell]

My new Asus Z97-A motherboard has ports designated sata and other right next to them designated sata express. Does is it make a difference if I plug the connector for the sata express port on my case front panel into a sata port rather then a sata express seeing how they use the same type of cable?

 

[synphul]

If you have a sata express port on the front panel of your pc, then you should plug it into the designated sata express header on your motherboard. I'm thinking you're confusing the front port being sata express when it's actually esata (external sata for external devices over sata) in which case you could plug it into any sata header. Sata express cables aren't the same as standard sata and their plugs have 3 male segments, not just one.

This is an sata express cable connector:
http://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SATA-Express-connector.jpg

This is an esata connector:
http://www.satacables.com/assets/images/IMG_1900.jpg

 

[Neil Crowell]

Oh yeah your right esata not sata express, thanks.

 

[synphul]

No problem, it gets kind of confusing with all the shorthand being close to one another for various specifications.