What SATA version does my computer support ?

[Antonio_21]

How do I know what kind of sata my pc supports? I know that a 3 Gb/s HDD is already pre-installed, so sata II is definitely compatible, but is it possible to know if I would be able to use the full potential of a 6 Gb/s SSD if I installed it instead of the current HDD? How do I know if my pc is able to reach a speed of 6 Gb / s (SATA III) ?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

It should be SATA III since that is what the Mobile Intel series 6 chipset supports--the first Intel chipset to do so.

But sometimes HP connected the hard drive to the SATA II port for whatever reason.

Run the free utility that I zipped up and attached below and it will show you the drive speed and the drive controller speed.

Look at the drive report on the bottom left corner of the summary report.

It will show you the drive speed and the drive controller speed.

If your notebook has a SATA III hard drive and the controller is also SATA III, then you will see this:

SATA 6Gb/s @ 6Gb/s

If it is running on a SATA II controller, then it will show this:

SATA 6Gb/s @ 3Gb/s

[Antonio_21]

Thank you, I installed HWinfo and I did as you said, but in the drives section of the summary I only see  "SATA 3 Gb/s" and to the next, the name of the Hdd and I think it refers to the hard drive speed, so what should I do now to check the controller ? This is the host controller:  Intel Cougar Point-M PCH - SATA AHCI 6-Port Controller [B3]

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Interesting...

My report shows both the drive speed and the controller speed.

Unfortunately, there isn't any other way I know of to check the speed of the drive controller.

I have SATA III SSD"s running in notebooks and desktop PC's with SATA II controllers, and they still run fast as can be.

I wouldn't let the speed of the drive controller deter you from installing a SSD.

You can always use it on a newer model notebook anyway.

[Antonio_21]

Then I think I will buy it anyway and check at the moment. Thank you again

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Hopefully, your model has the drive connected to a SATA 3 port.

I forgot...There is one other place on that report you can check

.

Run the utility.  Close out of the summary report.

On the left side of the program window, click to expand the drives report.

Click on the (S)ATA drives section.

Click on your notebook's hard drive.

On the right side of the report should show the hard drive speed and the drive controller speed.

The problem is if your notebook only has a SATA II hard drive, the report will probably read SATA 3Gb/s @ 3Gb/s, and not the true drive controller speed, as it is limited by SATA II hard drive.

[Antonio_21]

Yes, I checked and once again it only shows me the drive speed but not the controller.

But when I clicked on the name of the controller, it reported me to the voice "SATA AHCI 6-port controllet" and to the specifications I saw under the voice

"sata host controller"

Interface Speed ​​supported: Gen3 6.0 Gbps

 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

That's good news.

So, your notebook's hard drive appears to be connected to a SATA 6.0 port and a SSD would run at its maximum speed.

I don't know how large a capacity SSD you want to install, but this 500 GB one provides the best performance for the price, IMHO.

SanDisk SSD Ultra 3D da 500GB, Unità SSD Interna 2,5'', Sata III, Velocità di Lettura fino a 560 MB/...

I usually recommend this one, but it seems to be more expensive in Italy.

WD Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD Unità allo Stato Solido Interna 2.5", 500 GB: Amazon.it: Informatica

They are made by the same company.

[Antonio_21]

Ok thanks, but in the end i decided to buy the Crucial MX500 because of the not too high price and good reviews on Amazon

[Paul_Tikkanen]

The Crucial MX500 is a very good SSD, so it was a good choice if it was significantly cheaper.