Yes! A new motherboard will come with 2 SATA cables, which are for connecting hard drives or solid-state drives, and, occasionally, an I/O shield for the case’s back. Other cables, like monitor cables, power supply cables, and peripheral cables, are often not included and must be bought separately.
Not only do motherboards come with cables, but they also come with vital ones that are called peripherals. All bundled together in a large box, these are the necessary parts of your computer.
The cable package may consist of special cables because some of them may be extra-long or flat ribbon cables to make wiring easier for you. In fact, motherboards come with SATA cables for your storage drives.
In this article, we will tell you more about the different cables that come with motherboards. Here is the highlight:
- Do motherboards come with cables?
- What kind of cables do you need for your computer?
- What do you get with a motherboard package?
- Do you need to purchase extra cables for your PC?
Do Motherboards Come With Cables?
Yes, motherboards come with cables. An ATX power supply can have up to seven SATA connectors, but most ATX motherboards only have two because that’s enough to get you started.
Motherboards come with SATA cables but depending on the board and the way it’s packaged you might receive more or less than the number of connectors listed in the specs.
You will not get USB cables, video output cables, or power cables with motherboards.
What Kinds of Cables Do You Need For a Motherboard?
Typically, you need 7 kinds of cable for your PC. These cables include:
1. SATA Power Cables
To operate SATA drives, you need SATA power cables. SATA SSDs, SATA optical drives and SATA hard disks all need a SATA power cable to work with your motherboard.
All these cables come with your power supply unit.
2. SATA Data Cables
Most motherboards come with data cables. SATAData Cables are needed to connect to SATA ports on the motherboard and are also needed to run SATA storage drives. They include:
- Optical CD/DVD Drives
- 2.5” SATA SSD Drives
- 2.5” Hard Disk Drives
- 3.5” Hard Disk Drives
SATA cables are the small data cables that are used to connect storage devices such as hard disk drives, solid-state disks, and optical drives to the computer. The cables can be identified by their flat and thin appearance and their seven pins on either of the ends.
3. PCIe Power Cable
To power up your graphics card, you need PCIe power cables. Based on the demand for different graphics cards, these PCIe Power Cables come in 6, 8, and 12-pin connector configurations. They are packaged with the Power Supply Unit.
4. Main Power Cable
This main power cable connects the power supply unit to the wall socket.
5. Motherboard And CPU Power Cables
Motherboard and CPU power cables are the dedicated and special cables needed to run the CPU and the motherboard. They include:
- 24-pin cable for the motherboard
- 8-pin cable for the motherboard
They both come with a power supply.
6. Front Panel Jumper Cables
Front panel jumper cables are important to connect your motherboard’s front panel header.
7. Video Output Cables
You need video output cables to connect your monitor and PC. These cables include DisplayPort, VGA, HDMI, Thunderbolt 3, and DVI-D. All come with a monitor.
What Do You Get With Motherboard Package?
Usually, a motherboard package has more than only the motherboard but what you receive depends on the price category of your motherboard. Typically, here is what you get with a motherboard package:
1. Motherboard
You know this is the most important item in a motherboard package, so it is always the first thing to be included in the package. The package always comes with the static bag you can use to bench test the motherboard outside the case.
2. SLI Or Crossfire Bridge
You will need this bridge to enable AMD Crossfire or NVIDIA SLI for the dual graphics cards. This SLI is usually bought separately, but if your motherboard is a high-end one, this bridge may come with it.
3. The I/O Shield
The I/O Shield is a thin plate made of metal and included in all motherboard packages. The shield is used to cover the I/O port of your motherboard when it is installed in the PC case.
4. Wi-Fi Antennas
If your motherboard has a built-in Wi-Fi modem, the Wi-Fi antenna will be included in the package.
5. SATA Data Cables
A couple of SATA data cables usually come with the motherboard.
6. RGB Light Strips
Whether you purchase the mid or high-end motherboard, you will always get RGB light strips.
Is It Necessary to Purchase extra Cables For Your PC?
The answer is yes, because you may need extra cables for the type of PC you are building. Here are the extra cables you might want to purchase:
1. SATA Data Cables
Typically, motherboards come with 2 SATA data cables, even if it is a motherboard with 6 SATA ports. Based on the type of PC you are building; you may need more than two SATA data cables. If you need more than two, you must buy more separately.
2. SATA Power Cables
All extra SATA drives on your motherboard require a separate power connector each. Thankfully, you can buy SATA Power Splitter cables if you don’t want to buy separate SATA power cables. Purchasing the SATA power splitter cables will make life easier for you.
3. PCIe Power Cables
If you install multiple GPUs, you may want to buy more PCIe power cables. If you use a single graphics card, you may have no need to buy more PCIe power cables but if you use multiple graphics cards, you may want to buy more PCIe power cables.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a simple and straightforward answer to the question “Do motherboards come with cables?” the answer is most definitely yes.
The motherboard usually comes with the minimum cables that are needed to get your PC powered and connected to your devices. These cables will generally consist of SATA cables.
It is true that some of the optional cables aren’t included in the package – these would be video outputs, audio modules, and USB controllers, etc. for your onboard ports. You can buy extra cables based on what you need to build your type of PC.
