Is there a difference between 2.5" HDD SATA port and 3.5" HDD SATA?

[YusufDoc55]

I want to buy a SATA to USB connector for my internal drive. While browsing online I saw many product specs saying 2.5" SATA to USB or 2.5"/3.5" SATA to USB. One even mentioned that it would not work for 3.5" HDD.

Is there a difference between the 2.5" and 3.5" port connectors?

 

[R_1]

no they are the same.
2.5 inch drives will often include power with the data cable as one unit, 2.5 inch drives use less power and can be powered by USB.
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41RlR-Q1siL.jpg&f=1
a 3.5 inch drive needs more power and will have a dedicated power cable.
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41OvNQbQlwL.jpg&f=1
the actual data port is the same on both sized drives.

the units that are for 2.5inch drive (5V) cannot power a 3.5 inch (12V) inch drive.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

And more importantly, the 3.5 ones are 7200rpm and 2.5 are 5400rpm. Higher the rpm, faster the data transfer.

 

[YusufDoc55]

no they are the same.
2.5 inch drives will often include power with the data cable as one unit, 2.5 inch drives use less power and can be powered by USB.
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41RlR-Q1siL.jpg&f=1
a 3.5 inch drive needs more power and will have a dedicated power cable.
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F41OvNQbQlwL.jpg&f=1
the actual data port is the same on both sized drives.

the units that are for 2.5inch drive (5V) cannot power a 3.5 inch (12V) inch drive.

oh ok, so the only difference is the power for both of them. Can I use a 3.5" connector for a 2.5" SSD? Or should I buy separate cables for 3.5" and 2.5" drives?
Thanks.

 

[R_1]

I opt for a dock setup like this: example only
https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Plastic-2-5-Inch-3-5-Inch-Docking/dp/B002ZFF3KU?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=ad-backfill-amzn-one-good-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B002ZFF3KU

you can use a 3.5 inch cable for a 2.5 inch drive. it has the power. if you get a drive adapter that is 3.5 inch ready it will be good for all drives.