Why are the SATA cables supplied with motherboards so short?

[Gibbo]

Why are the SATA cables supplied with motherboards so short and why do they put the SATA ports right at the bottom of the board?

So you buy your motherboard and then find you can't put your HDDs where you need them because the SATA leads supplied are too short and the ports are right at the bottom end of the board.

Is it a deliberate ploy so you have to buy longer leads?

It's so frustrating and fiddly trying to get the leads to 'stretch' to fit.

AAAGH!!

[pauldarkside]

Not really a problem if you check the product reviews/photos before buying. There shouldn't be too many surprises providing your research has be thorough enough.

Besides, the SATA/SAS ports on my mobo are located down the side. If I had any complaint it would be that the supplied cables were a little too long. I'll live with my poor judgement though

[Grey M@a]

I have the other problem of all SATA cables being to long xD In a shuttle system a 45cm sata just isn't going to work. I am looking for SATA cables from 5cm - 15cm max which I can never seem to find online at the usual etailers.

[Funkstar]

I have the other problem of all SATA cables being to long xD In a shuttle system a 45cm sata just isn't going to work. I am looking for SATA cables from 5cm - 15cm max which I can never seem to find online at the usual etailers.

Shortest ones I found were 20cm from span.com. Don't think they do them any more though.

[kalniel]

Why are the SATA cables supplied with motherboards so short and why do they put the SATA ports right at the bottom of the board?

Because most cases put hard drives at the bottom as well, so anything longer than about 20cm and you have to loop the cable around somewhere.

[Grey M@a]

Shortest ones I found were 20cm from span.com. Don't think they do them any more though.

That's the problem, if my cables ever go as I have had a few in the past I have to get in touch with Shuttle themselves and their reply rates are shocking at the best of times :/

[peterb]

The cables are an "average" size for an "average" case, but if they supplied them longer, they would be too long for some cases, and too short - same applies, the the mfrs are never going to please everyone all the time.

However SATA cables aren't that expensive - do a Google search and you will find cables from 15cm up to 1 metre, with or without clips, with or without right angle connectors (in left hand or right hand configurations) at either or both ends - and if you are really fussy, you can probably find someone that will make them up to your precise requirement.

[Gibbo]

I have one of these:
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/prod...==&id=MTI5MA==
and am trying to reach the upper 5.25" bays with a board with the SATA ports on the bottom edge.

[Singh400]

I have the other problem of all SATA cables being to long xD In a shuttle system a 45cm sata just isn't going to work. I am looking for SATA cables from 5cm - 15cm max which I can never seem to find online at the usual etailers.

I've got six of these. They are exactly right for my main pc and home server. 20cm sounds like a lot when you thinking about it, but when they arrive and you plug them in, they just barely fit.

[Grey M@a]

I've got six of these. They are exactly right for my main pc and home server. 20cm sounds like a lot when you thinking about it, but when they arrive and you plug them in, they just barely fit.

Thanks for the heads up. Currently the three SATA cables in the shuttle are 5cm, 10cm and a 15cm cable. The 15CM being the longest reaches from the back of the case/mobo then routed through the case and to the front HD caddy. 20cm I think I would have spare cable all over the place I am sort of limited for space in the Shuttle even more so due to squeezing a dual slot pcie 8800GTS in there xD Heat is a bit of an issue but it stays cool enough for summer gaming. I will get pictures later on to show how tight it is in this shuttle. The fx card is that tightly squeezed into the case its actually bending the PSU wires that come out the side of the PSU (major design fault on the PSU) They fixed that with the next model the SX48P2 Pro where the PSU cables come out the bottom of the PSU.