Question About USB IDE/SATA adapters for 2.5 inch Hard Drives

A

amodoko

Member
I have a general question about using a USB IDE/SATA adapter for a 2.5 inch drive (the ones like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FC-New-USB-...272612?hash=item33a73f4124:g:NigAAOSwu4BVyLI3 ). I've used it with a 40 GB IDE drive once and it worked fine with just USB plugged in and no other cables/power cables/etc, the USB was enough for the power. I now have a 1 TB 2.5 inch laptop SATA hard drive. I don't have a SATA data cable so I can't use the adapter I have until I get the SATA data cable to attach to the adapter and then to my hard drive. My question is, do I just need a SATA data cable to use with my USB adapter to power on a 2.5 inch 1 TB SATA hard drive? Or do I need to go and buy the additional power connectors also? I've talked to two different computer techs about this and one said I needed an external power source and the other said I didn't, and that I just need the SATA data cable. I also know I can get a whole kit with everything/power brick/etc for very cheap from newegg or ebay, but I'm asking this question more for my knowledge. So will the SATA data cable, along with a USB IDE/SATA adapter, be all that I need to power on my 2.5 inch 1 TB SATA hard drive? Or do I need to also have the power brick and connectors? I only needed the USB adapter to power on a 2.5 inch IDE hard drive before, but that was only a 40gb hard drive.
 
Thanks, that is what I needed to know. If you don't mind, would you mind telling me why I need the power cable now, when I didn't need it to power on a 40gb IDE 2.5 inch drive? Is it because my SATA hard drive I'm trying to use is 1 TB and that capacity needs more power to run than a 40gb drive? Or do all SATA 2.5 inch hard drives require a power connector? Or do just some SATA 2.5 inch hard drives require a power connector... depending on their capacity? Do some IDE 2.5 inch hard drives require a power connector also?
 
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All sata drives need a data and a power cable. All 3.5" IDE drives need a power cable. 2.5" ide drives will work fine with just the usb power.
 
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