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Question:

How do I hook up a new hard drive?

Hi,I bought a new 500GB HDD today, with a SATA cable (data) but I don't know what kind of power cable I need?I looked around and saw Sata to Molex and all kinds of things, I've never had to hook up a second hard drive before and the terms are confusing me. Could anyone tell me what kind of cable I'll need and where I'm supposed to hook them up to?Thanks!

Answer:

Yes you're on the right track. There's a couple of things that need to be added to your description of the problem: Does the motherboard have connectors for SATA (the small black connector, not the old white/tan kind)? If so, all you need is a regular, everyday SATA cable to hook from the motherboard to the drive. It looks like this red cable: And the Molex (4-pin, white connector) to SATA power (small, flat, black connector) looks like this:
Your PSU, should have all of the needed connectors.
The power cable you need will come from the computer's power supply (PSU - power supply unit), and look like a larger version of the SATA data cable (wider). You connect both cables and let it go. Some older model SATA hard drives have both the SATA power connector and a 4 pin Molex (usually white 4 pin power connection from PSU/power supply. Hope that helps.

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