SATA "Y" splitter for SSDs

[Pisol]

Hello all. I just bought a new case (NZXT s340) and when installing the SSD drives in the trays I have trouble connecting the power cables because of the layout of the SATA cables from my PSU. It's a Seasonic M12II EVO 620W.
Then I came around this splitter that is available in my country:

Is it OK to feed both my SSDs with this splitter? I noticed they only have 4 wires so the 3.3v channel is probably missing, is there any problems with that?
I want to make sure my drives are safe.
I always avoid this kind of splitters, adaptors and this kind of stuff but this time I really don't have much choice.
The drives are Samsung 850 EVOs.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Harvey]

In case you didn't already know, that's a SATA power connector. The smaller companion SAA connector carries the data. Quoting this Wikipedia page on the subject:

• 3.3 V is supplied along with the traditional 5 V and 12 V supplies. However, very few drives actually use it, so they may be powered from an old 4-pin Molex connector with an adapter.
  
  
• To reduce impedance and increase current capability, each voltage is supplied by three pins in parallel, though one pin in each group is intended for precharging (see below). Each pin should be able to carry 1.5 A.
  
  
• Five parallel pins provide a low-impedance ground connection.
  
  
• Two ground pins, and one pin for each supplied voltage, support hot-plug precharging. Ground pins 4 and 12 in a hot-swap cable are the longest, so they make contact first when the connectors are mated. Drive power connector pins 3, 7, and 13 are longer than the others, so they make contact next. The drive uses them to charge its internal bypass capacitors through current-limiting resistances. Finally, the remaining power pins make contact, bypassing the resistances and providing a low-impedance source of each voltage. This two-step mating process avoids glitches to other loads and possible arcing or erosion of the SATA power connector contacts.
  
  
• Pin 11 can function for staggered spinup, activity indication, both, or nothing. It is an open collector signal, that may be pulled down by the connector or the drive. If pulled down at the connector (as it is on most cable-style SATA power connectors), the drive spins up as soon as power is applied. If left floating, the drive waits until it is spoken to. This prevents many drives from spinning up simultaneously, which might draw too much power. The pin is also pulled low by the drive to indicate drive activity. This may be used to give feedback to the user through an LED.

Passive adapters are available that convert a 4-pin Molex connector to a SATA power connector, providing the 5 V and 12 V lines available on the Molex connector, but not 3.3 V. There are also 4-pin-Molex-to-SATA power adapters which include electronics to provide 3.3 V power additionally.[33] However, most drives do not require the 3.3 V power line.

The linked page also has specific pin assignments for each voltage.

Bottom line, your drives will probably work with this splitter. If you have any questions, check the manufacturer's site for the power requirements for specific drive makes and models.

Hope that helps. 🙂

 

[Hellhammer]

All 2.5" consumer SSDs only use the 5V rail, so that adapter is fine.

 

[BSim500]

Shouldn't be any problem. 4TB 7,200rpm 3.5" HDD's often draw the same power idle as 2x SATA SSD's combined both under full load. I've used Y splitters in the past without issue even for mechanical drives.

 

[Pisol]

Thanks for your answers. You have been really helpful! I'll purchase the splitter tomorrow and finish my build.
Greetings from Argentina.

 

[Harvey]

Thanks for your answers. You have been really helpful! I'll purchase the splitter tomorrow and finish my build.
Greetings from Argentina.

De nada y bienvenida a los foros. 😎

 

[Pisol]

De nada y bienvenida a los foros. 😎

Muchas gracias!