SATA type per color.

[LorenzoBenev]

Hi,

I'd like to know which kind of ports this mobo has.

I see:

1 SATA "blue"

1 SATA "white"

1 SATA "light blue"

For what this colours stands for?

Kind regards,

Lorenzo Benevento.

EDIT: For anyone looking to know which sata are presente on this motherboard (Orchid 3), they are all SATA III.

[Grzwacz]

Hi

The dark blue port is usually SATA3 (6GB/sec).

Tom

[LorenzoBenev]

Okay, thank you, and what about the other two colors? I can't find specs of this motherboard online.

[Grzwacz]

Hi

HP used to use the dark blue color to designate a SATA III, 6GB data transfer rate port reserved for the primary boot drive.

But your PC was introduced by HP in 2016.

All SATA ports on your PC's motherboard could be SATA III ports. Older HP PC's had a mix of SATA III and SATA II ports. SATA II ports ran at the slower speed of 3GB/sec.

I don't think the color of the SATA ports is based on an industry standard.

Tom

[LorenzoBenev]

Okay, thank you so much, also the chipset support 3 SATA III if I'm not wrong, but is it possible that there is no way of finding documentation online? Maybe I'm searching in the wrong places?

[Grzwacz]

Hi

Since I don't have your specific product number to check what chipset you have, an HP search revealed there are two possible chipsets used in the 550-200 series motherboards:

1. H110 (Intel specs here) Four SATA ports on the H110

2. FCH (A78) (AMD specs here) Six SATA ports on the AMD A78

It looks like both motherboards support SATA III. HP could have modified the board to limit SATA III by using the slower SATA II on some ports. I would not know this.

You could have two 6GB/s ports or all 6GB/s ports.

Tom

[LorenzoBenev]

Thank you so much, I have the AMD one. But there are only 3 SATA ports on the motherboard, the other aren't there! Anyway, is there a way I can discover it? I need to mount an SSD and I really don't want it plugged into a SATA II! Ahahah, would be so funny, but no, thank you! 

[Grzwacz · Accepted solution]

Hi Lorenzo

Right, HP's design specs for this MB is to include three SATA ports. AMD design specs allow up to six SATA III ports on the MB.

Maybe another forum member has the info you are seeking. I really don't know if all SATA ports are 6GB/s.

Since your PC was made by HP in 2016 I would guess all ports are 6GB/s.

You could connect the SSD to an empty SATA port.

Now download Crystal Disk Info Portable 7.5 zip.  Unzip the downloaded file.

Open the folder. Open the App folder. Open Crystaldiskinfo folder.

Open diskinfo64.exe.

Select the SSD and check the transfer mode. It should show SATA/600.

Tom

[LorenzoBenev]

Thank you so much to you all, I'll wait for someone that know it for sure, if there is none that know it, I'll mark this as solved! Is this right?

[Grzwacz]

Hi Lorenzo

You don't have to mark this as solved unless it is solved to your satisfaction.

Crystal Disk Info should give you the answer.

Tom