Is there a serial faq?

First-generation SATA interfaces, also known as SATA/150 or SATA 1, run at 1.5 gigabits per second (Gb/s). Serial ATA uses 8B/10B encoding at the physical layer. This encoding scheme has an efficiency of 80%, resulting in an actual data transfer rate of 1.2 Gbit/s, or 150 megabytes per second (MB/s). The relative simplicity of a serial link and the use of LVDS allow both the use of longer drive cables and an easier transition path to higher speeds.