What type of connector can be used to connect an internal hard drive to the motherboard Thunderbolt?

The possibility to disassemble the computer’s case.

The vast majority of PC cases can be taken apart easily using thumbscrews or a screwdriver. Yet, removing the cover and getting inside may be not desirable for the devices under warranty. It’s quite common for manufacturers to put in special seals or labels that shouldn’t be damaged to keep the warranty in effect. Also, certain casings may have a fixed design that makes them hard or even impossible to dismantle.

The amount of room in the chassis for the installation of additional components.

This may not be a problem for a regular tower PC. However, compact devices, like laptops or ultrabooks have strict space constraints and rarely can place any extra drives. The maximum they offer is a second drive bay for a smaller 2.5-inch SATA drive, but even these are rather infrequent.

The availability of vacant SATA slots in the host system.

Even when there is some space for the drives to be added, the respective number of SATA sockets should also be present on the motherboard – one slot for each SATA drive. In their absence, it may be still possible to attach the drives internally, but the mainboard should be upgraded in this case via a special expansion card that plugs into its PCI Express port.

The amount of additional wattage that can be delivered by the system’s power supply unit.

Any SATA drive draws a certain amount of electrical power to operate. Mechanical HDDs consume more, about 15 watts per drive. SSDs keep power consumption at a minimum, but even they should be provided with up to 5 watts. When the drives are connected internally, this energy will be derived from the computer’s PSU. It is not recommended to push the power supply beyond its maximum specifications, as this may lead to any sorts of issues, from its shutdown to a total failure. Besides, if an expansion card is employed in the assembly, the board itself will also draw between 10-20 watts that should also be taken into account.

The expected speed of connection.

Designed specifically for such drives, internal SATA slots on the mainboard typically outperform external ports and adapter chips used for communication. For instance, the latest SATA3 generation is capable of running at the rates of up to 6.0 GB/s. USB 3.0, which tops out at 5.0 GB/s, and higher versions of the standard have significantly boosted the speed of this external bus, making it a valid alternative to SATA. Yet, in the real-world scenarios, it is usually impossible to get the values that are even close to this theoretical maximum.

The budget that can be allocated for supplementary equipment.

External connection techniques allow overcoming most of the obstacles associated with internal SATA installation, like the need to open the casing, place the drives onto the motherboard, perform wattage calculations. Nevertheless, they always imply extra expenses on adapters, cables, external power supplies and other accessories, depending on the chosen method. Some of them may be rather costly, but will offer increased safety and convenience.

The level of technical expertise.

Working with inner parts of the computer’s hardware requires decent technical skills. If you have little understanding or feel uncomfortable manipulating them, it would be best to use external means or even leave the job to professionals. Improper handling may result in physical damage to the components and destroy the chances for successful data recovery.

The possibility to disassemble the computer’s case.

The vast majority of PC cases can be taken apart easily using thumbscrews or a screwdriver. Yet, removing the cover and getting inside may be not desirable for the devices under warranty. It’s quite common for manufacturers to put in special seals or labels that shouldn’t be damaged to keep the warranty in effect. Also, certain casings may have a fixed design that makes them hard or even impossible to dismantle.

The amount of room in the chassis for the installation of additional components.

This may not be a problem for a regular tower PC. However, compact devices, like laptops or ultrabooks have strict space constraints and rarely can place any extra drives. The maximum they offer is a second drive bay for a smaller 2.5-inch SATA drive, but even these are rather infrequent.

The availability of vacant SATA slots in the host system.

Even when there is some space for the drives to be added, the respective number of SATA sockets should also be present on the motherboard – one slot for each SATA drive. In their absence, it may be still possible to attach the drives internally, but the mainboard should be upgraded in this case via a special expansion card that plugs into its PCI Express port.

The amount of additional wattage that can be delivered by the system’s power supply unit.

Any SATA drive draws a certain amount of electrical power to operate. Mechanical HDDs consume more, about 15 watts per drive. SSDs keep power consumption at a minimum, but even they should be provided with up to 5 watts. When the drives are connected internally, this energy will be derived from the computer’s PSU. It is not recommended to push the power supply beyond its maximum specifications, as this may lead to any sorts of issues, from its shutdown to a total failure. Besides, if an expansion card is employed in the assembly, the board itself will also draw between 10-20 watts that should also be taken into account.

The expected speed of connection.

Designed specifically for such drives, internal SATA slots on the mainboard typically outperform external ports and adapter chips used for communication. For instance, the latest SATA3 generation is capable of running at the rates of up to 6.0 GB/s. USB 3.0, which tops out at 5.0 GB/s, and higher versions of the standard have significantly boosted the speed of this external bus, making it a valid alternative to SATA. Yet, in the real-world scenarios, it is usually impossible to get the values that are even close to this theoretical maximum.

The budget that can be allocated for supplementary equipment.

External connection techniques allow overcoming most of the obstacles associated with internal SATA installation, like the need to open the casing, place the drives onto the motherboard, perform wattage calculations. Nevertheless, they always imply extra expenses on adapters, cables, external power supplies and other accessories, depending on the chosen method. Some of them may be rather costly, but will offer increased safety and convenience.

The level of technical expertise.

Working with inner parts of the computer’s hardware requires decent technical skills. If you have little understanding or feel uncomfortable manipulating them, it would be best to use external means or even leave the job to professionals. Improper handling may result in physical damage to the components and destroy the chances for successful data recovery.