While shopping for a replacement motherboard, a customer decides to also purchase a new mechanical hard drive and asks the technical salesperson for advice. Which storage interface should the salesperson recommend for the motherboard and new drive? RAID 5 EIDE SATA

The best recommendation in this scenario is **SATA (Serial ATA)**. Here's why: 1. **Performance and Speed**: SATA offers significantly faster data transfer rates compared to its predecessor, EIDE (also known as PATA). This ensures quicker boot times, faster file transfers, and overall improved system responsiveness. 2. **Modern Compatibility**: Most contemporary motherboards and mechanical hard drives are designed with SATA interfaces in mind. This ensures better compatibility and future-proofing for upgrades. 3. **Cable Management**: SATA uses thinner and more flexible cables compared to EIDE, resulting in better airflow within the computer case and easier cable management. 4. **Advanced Features**: SATA supports features like hot swapping and native command queuing (NCQ), which enhance the performance and usability of storage devices. **Other Options Explained**: - **RAID 5**: This is not an interface but a RAID configuration that requires at least three drives to provide fault tolerance and improved performance. It's more about how multiple drives are organized rather than the physical connection interface. - **EIDE (PATA)**: An older interface that is largely obsolete in modern systems. It offers slower data transfer rates and uses wider, less flexible cables, making it less ideal for current hardware setups. **Recommendation**: Choose **SATA** for the new motherboard and mechanical hard drive to ensure optimal performance and compatibility. **Answer**: SATA