Can I Power A SSD From A USB Instead OF A PSU

Hypothetically speaking, let's say my PSU (Power Supply Unit) didn't have enough ports to add another SSD/HDD. Could I power my SSD/HDD via USB?

1. Would it work?
2. Would it still be efficient/would it affect performance on SSD/HDD?
3. Would it still be possible to use it as the main drive in a computer

I know you should connect it to the PSU, but I just wanted to know for future reference when buying/upgrading PSU on a computer. By the way, I have a Corsair CX Series CX600M. Anyone know how many SATA connections it has?

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2 Answers

SATA connectors have 3.3v, 5v, and 12v connectors. Even though 3.3v is not commonly used, USB only supplies 5v. Even if you went with USB 3.1 with its 3A, Hard drives draw 12 Volts @ ~1 Amp and 5 Volts @ ~1 Amp when idle so ~17 Watts when idle. USB 3.1 supports up to 5v3A or ~15 Watts so even if you built an active converter, it would not work, even at idle.

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Edit: In this answer I have assumed that it is a standard desktop drive connected via a standard connector. If you use a Slimline connector, µSATA, or a SFF-8784 connector, which do not use 12v, and found a drive with the correct amperage (less than 3A) then it could be possible to power a drive this way.

1

Most laptop (2.5") hard drive and SSD only use 5v power and about 0.5A as this image showsFound on Amazon.ca a regular 500Gb WD Blue 2.5" 5400 RPM

Closeup of 1st picturebut some high performance HDD does take 12v so it should work on most cases with an adapter like the 3rd imageUSB to 5v only SATA Power Adapter found on Amazon.ca

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