What is pata on a computer motherboard?
PATA, or Parallell ATA is a standard for connecting mass storage devices like hard disks to a computer motherboard. ATA and IDE are interchangeable drive terms. Although still widely used, PATA is slowly being replaced by the newer Serial ATA (SATA) standard.TerminologyPATA was not a commonly used term until about 2005, when the new Serial ATA (SATA) standard made it necessary to categorize ATA devices as either parallel or serial.DevicesPATA devices were originally limited to hard drives but today also include optical and solid state (flash) drives.CablingPATA devices connect to the motherboard with a 40- or 80-wire ribbon cable. Many devices will function perfectly well using either one, but an 80-wire cable allows for faster transfer rates on some devices by reducing crosstalk between the wires. Either cable has 40 pins at the connectors.Multiple drivesEach PATA cable supports up to two devices connected to a single cable. One device must be designated the slave and the other the ma
