SATA 15 pin Power Connector Pinout

The SATA 15 pin power supply connector is one of the standard peripheral power connectors in computers today because it's the standard connector for all SATA-based hard drives and optical drives, which have replaced the older PATA devices.

SATA power cables protrude from the power supply unit and are, therefore, meant to reside only inside the computer case. This is unlike SATA data cables which are also usually kept behind the case but can also connect to external SATA devices (eSATA) like external hard drives, via a SATA to eSATA bracket.

SATA 15 pin Power Connector Pinout (ATX v2.2)

Below is the pinout for the standard SATA 15 pin peripheral power connector as of Version 2.2 of the ATX Specification (PDF).

Note: There also exists two less common SATA power connectors: a 6 pin connector called a slimline connector (supplies +5 VDC) and also a 9 pin connector called a micro connector (supplies +3.3 VDC and +5 VDC). The pinout tables for those connectors differ from the one below.

Note: If you're using this pinout table to test power supply voltages, be aware that the voltages must be within ATX specified tolerances.

You can see other ATX power supply connector pinouts in my ATX Power Supply Pinout Tables list.

Pin	Name	Color	Description
1	+3.3VDC	Orange	+3.3 VDC
2	+3.3VDC	Orange	+3.3 VDC
3	+3.3VDC	Orange	+3.3 VDC
4	COM	Black	Ground
5	COM	Black	Ground
6	COM	Black	Ground
7	+5VDC	Red	+5 VDC
8	+5VDC	Red	+5 VDC
9	+5VDC	Red	+5 VDC
10	COM	Black	Ground
11	COM	Black	Ground (Optional or other use)
12	COM	Black	Ground
13	+12VDC	Yellow	+12 VDC
14	+12VDC	Yellow	+12 VDC
15	+12VDC	Yellow	+12 VDC

More Information on SATA Cables & Devices

SATA power cables are of course required for powering internal SATA hardware like a hard drive, but they do not work with older Parallel ATA (PATA) devices. Since there still exists older devices that require a PATA connection, some power supplies, mainly in older systems, might only have 4-pin Molex power supply connectors.

If your power supply doesn't provide a SATA power cable, you can buy a Molex to SATA adapter in order to still power your SATA device but over a Molex power connection. The StarTech 4-pin to 15-pin power cable adapter is one example.

See How Do I Replace a Hard Drive if you need help removing one SATA hard drive in order to install a different one.

One difference between a PATA and SATA data cable is that two PATA devices can connect to the same data cable, whereas only one SATA device can attach to a single SATA data cable. However, SATA cables are much thinner and therefore easier to manage inside a computer, which is important for both cable management and room but also for proper airflow.

While a SATA power cable has 15 pins, SATA data cables have just 7. Follow this link for a picture comparing a SATA power cable (it's on the left in that picture) with a SATA data cable.

If you want to read more about SATA cables and connectors, and how they differ from PATA both physically and functionally, see my piece on What is a Serial ATA (SATA) Cable?.