SATA connectors: What do the different colors mean?

In this practical tip, we explain what the different colors of the SATA connectors on your mainboard mean.

That means the different colors of the SATA connectors

Depending on the manufacturer, there are up to three different-colored SATA connectors (blue, red and black) on the mainboard. What the colors mean:

• Blue: The blue SATA connections indicate the fastest transmission traffic of 6 Gbit / s so far. Therefore, you should always connect modern hard drives to the blue SATA connector. These are also backward compatible. Connect slower hard drives to it, but have no speed advantage.
• Red and black: The meaning of the black and red SATA connectors can vary depending on the manufacturer. To be on the safe side, check the user manual for the mainboard. If in doubt, use the following rule: Always connect new hard drives to the blue connector. Older boards are plugged into a non-blue port with the lowest port number.
• In general, two connections of the same color mean that the hard drives can be operated in RAID: In RAID, you can interconnect two hard drives, which increases the read and write speed and the reliability.

Read this practical tip to find out how to install a second hard drive.