I am wondering if it makes any difference if my 2 hard drives and DVD drive are all on the same SATA power cable coming from my modular PSU, or if I should attach separate cables for each drive, or the two hard drives on one and DVD on the other.
Basically, I wonder if it makes any difference, and if all the power flow from the supply is practically the same, whether on separate cables or on one cable.
Sorry if this is a basic question, I just did a search for it and couldn't find it here.
- Tim
Are all power lines from a PSU all internally attached?
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DreamKiller
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:02 pm
- Location: Forest Hills, NY
For that setup, it shouldn't matter. You won't exceed the current rating of a standard 18 AWG wire - which is about 5A. That would give you 25W max on the +5V line and 60W max on the 12V line. SATA Hard Drives draw about 10W (max) each and the max you'll see in an optical drive is about 20W. So you're looking at about 30W maximum load between the +5V and the +12V - safely below the limit.
So you're answer is: run all three in one cable, it wouldn't make a difference. It probably looks cleaner that way, too!
So you're answer is: run all three in one cable, it wouldn't make a difference. It probably looks cleaner that way, too!