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Quick question about voltage for laptop drive in Desktop

L · 2011-07-28 14:57:39

Hey all, I've a quick question - I've read that 2.5 inch Hard Disks use 5 volts as opposed to the 12 volts 3.5 inch hard disks normally use. Is that accurate and is it a problem for installing them, or will a standard Molex to sata cable do the job without wrecking the drive? Cheers for the help (I'm a little paranoid in…

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28-07-2011 3:57pm

#1

L

Registered Users Posts: 655 ✭✭✭

Join Date: February 2006

Posts: 633

Hey all,

I've a quick question - I've read that 2.5 inch Hard Disks use 5 volts as opposed to the 12 volts 3.5 inch hard disks normally use.

Is that accurate and is it a problem for installing them, or will a standard Molex to sata cable do the job without wrecking the drive?

Cheers for the help (I'm a little paranoid in case I wreck my SSD by accident)

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#2 28-07-2011 4:02pm
deconduo

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Join Date: May 2010

Posts: 4059

As long as its not a cheap PSU with bad voltage regulation you'll be fine.

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#3 29-07-2011 11:43am
Voodu Child

Closed Accounts Posts: 6,706 ✭✭✭

Join Date: May 2005

Posts: 6417

SATA power cables supply 12V and, 5V on separate wires (also can have a 3.3V wire but not commonly supported/used).

The drive uses whatever it needs, so a 3.5" drive uses 12V for the motor and 5V for the logic board. A 2.5" drive just ignores the 12V pins and uses 5V for everything.

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