SATA. Another stupid design flaw

[Oakey]

So, after my previous thread on the Tagan, I got thinking about other things, mainly SATA.

This is the worst design, ever. Truly awful. Sure, it's fine at the HDD end, but the motherboard connector is truly atrocious (or at least on the Abit NF7 it is, don't know if it's the same on every motherboard but I'd guess so).

You see, it's just so damned flimsy. The connector is no more than around 2mm in depth, and the damned plug is meant to stay attached to this?

It's crap. The slightest nudge on the cable causes it to fall off, or, become unplugged slightly causing problems in Windows.

Why oh why couldn't it have been designed with a latch type feature? Remember on sound cards how the audio cables used to have a little lever latch type thing to hold them in? Yeah, that would have been perfect.

[Richie]

Think there may be something wrong with your connector then cause mine "locks" in on both the Asus A7V600 and Abit IC7-G board.....

[Oakey]

Mine doesn't, and that was with two different SATA cables (an Akasa one and a bog standard one). You just plug them in and hope for the best. Like I said, fine at the HDD end, crap at the mobo end. (maybe this is just an NF7 design flaw then)

[Blub2k]

Mine locks in pretty well too, I think the connectors beat IDE any day, much nicer to use and they may not be quite as hard to disconnect as IDE but in my view that is a blessing, they dont just fall off as you describe though.

[turkster]

Yeah it has some kind of lock on my Epox board although i cant remember how it works as i don't have a SATA device connected.

I agree though the M/B connectors seem very flimsy and the cables themselves are quite stiff. Hence the possibility of breaking or bending the connector on the board .Nothing like the reassuring strength of EIDE connectors.

[Steve]

Mine don't fall off.

My board is a GA7VAXP Ultra (Gigabyte)

[Rythmic]

Gotta admit - mine locks in too (IC7-G) and locked into my old board (P4PE) too. Fallen out of one of my hard drives once though - changed cables since then - ebuyer do some nice short ones (about 20cm long) and these lock much better.

[SilentDeath]

Ther connectors are easy to break though, then they wont stay on too well...

WHY couldnt they just use standard pin headers for it?......?

[Firelord]

Works well for me no probs here....

Oakey why has everything got a bad design flaw? If you think you can do better then design it and sell it to these companies!

If you mess around inside your case(Like I do) then stuff gets dislodged, you just put it back and get on with it, no need to moan! These things are designed to be put in and left alone....

[Agent]

Mine doesn't, and that was with two different SATA cables (an Akasa one and a bog standard one). You just plug them in and hope for the best. Like I said, fine at the HDD end, crap at the mobo end. (maybe this is just an NF7 design flaw then)

It clicks into place perfectly on my NF7-S, maybe its bad connections on your board ?

Both of my SATA headers are in use. Ive took this PC all over the place, and they havnt came out once !

[Lexeus]

on my Msi K7N2 Delta -ILSR there are pieces of plastic either side of the connectors, which sort of lock on the SATA plug. Stays on fine, and I mess around with the cables all the time so I would know if they were coming out ....
The SATA cables are a bit stiff though I agree, although theat may just be to reduce data corruption, as if they were flimsy they would be bent, twisted and kinked all over which I belive SATa cables are alot more sensitive to, particular at right angles

[Oakey]

Agent, could you take a photo? Cos I'm pretty sure there are no locks on mine