A SATA hard drive is a type of storage device that transfers data using Serial Advanced Technology Attachment technology between the hard drive and the motherboard. It can be used in computers, external devices, and servers. SATA hard drives provide fast compatible inexpensive storage for the operating system applications, documents photos videos, and backups. They have the advantage over older IDE drives of having much faster data transfer rates and simpler cable management. Though, many users prefer SATA drives as they provide a “sweet spot” for decent capacity, speed, and affordability.