Hard to access Sata sockets.

[Peter Jason]

My motherboard is so cluttered with a huge video
card and other things that getting to the Sata
sockets on it involves dismantling cards and the
like to clear room.

I have just bought a lot of Sata cables and
plugged them into the motherboard to avoid this
nuisance in future. They just hang free like so
many extension cords. Is this OK?

Peter

 

[Paul]

My motherboard is so cluttered with a huge video
card and other things that getting to the Sata
sockets on it involves dismantling cards and the
like to clear room.

I have just bought a lot of Sata cables and
plugged them into the motherboard to avoid this
nuisance in future. They just hang free like so
many extension cords. Is this OK?

Peter

I've had three cables arranged like that for the
last two years. No problems so far.

Just try to avoid ESD discharges into the cable,
like scuffing across the carpet and touching those
cables first thing. As long as you discharge yourself
to the chassis, before handling them, there's less chance
of blowing a port.

Paul

 

[Peter Jason]

I've had three cables arranged like that for the
last two years. No problems so far.

Just try to avoid ESD discharges into the cable,
like scuffing across the carpet and touching those
cables first thing. As long as you discharge yourself
to the chassis, before handling them, there's less chance
of blowing a port.

Paul

Thanks Paul. I'll tape the ends just in case.
Peter

 

[Paul]

Thanks Paul. I'll tape the ends just in case.
Peter

The tape isn't anti-static. Just leave them uncovered
and don't touch them. If you use tape, as you pull
on the tape and remove it, it generates static.

Actually, I've seen SATA cables, with a separate plastic
cover you can slide over them. But the cable itself was
such poor quality, I wouldn't use them (they came in a
motherboard box).

Mine differs slightly from this example, in that mine had a
"plastic string" running from the cap, to the cable itself.
And that string is what prevents the cap from getting lost.
It keeps the cap with the cable.

http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2005/11/23/pc_interfaces_101/sata_protection_cover.jpg

Paul

 

[VanguardLH]

My motherboard is so cluttered with a huge video card and other things
that getting to the Sata sockets on it involves dismantling cards and
the like to clear room.

I have just bought a lot of Sata cables and plugged them into the
motherboard to avoid this nuisance in future. They just hang free
like so many extension cords. Is this OK?

You can get SATA cables with a right-angled end. That way, they don't
stick out about the mobo header as much as a cable coming straight out.

http://www.epartsandmore.com/images_products/startech-cable-sata12-12inch-sata-7864lar.jpg
http://upload.ecvv.com/upload/Product/20116/China_right_angle_sata_data_cable2011651606091.JPG
http://www.epartsandmore.com/images_products/startech-cable-satara18-18inch-right-7852lar.jpg

You can get them with straight connectors on both ends, straight on one
end and angled on the other, or angled on both ends.