The number of
SATA 3 connectors provided on the controller board.
Initially, the SATA standard was developed for connecting internal drives, primarily hard drives (HDDs). And SATA 3 is the most modern and fastest version of this interface: it provides data transfer rates up to 600 MB / s (4.8 Gbps). For hard drives, this is quite enough, but for faster SSD modules, this is not enough. So although PCI controllers with such an interface can still be found on the market, there are very few of them. The number of SATA 3 connectors depends on the type of controller (see above): in expansion cards there can be only one such port, but in RAID modules there are at least 2, and more often 4.
The type of
auxiliary power connector that is used in the controller.
The PCI-E connector used to connect this type of components, by itself, provides power up to 75 watts. This is not always enough, so if necessary, PCI controllers are equipped with connectors for connecting additional power from the computer's power supply. These cuts can be:
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Molex. A characteristic four-pin power connector, which has a rather large size. Quite versatile, used to power a wide variety of system components
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SATA. Power connector released simultaneously with the corresponding data interface (see above) specifically for hard drives; however, it can also be used for other components. Has a 15 pin plug.
Molex/SATA. Ability to connect to a power controller using any of the connectors described above. This design is as versatile as possible, it minimizes the likelihood that a suitable connector is not found in the power supply. On the other hand, such versatility affects the size and price of the device.
